Changing from Pass to Honours

livvy

I'm helping my niece with her career choices - she is currently doing five hons and two passes and is doing her junior cert this year. We have realised now that she really needs to do six hons and one pass to have the best chance in getting the course she wants. At the start of the year she was doing honours English but found it to hard and moved down to pass - now she has realised she was being a bit lazy and reckons she could get a good mark with a bit of hard work. She now thinks she has no choice but to do Pass English. I disagree - what do you reckon? I know its too late to do Hons English paper for the Junior Cert exams but doing it for the leaving would really make the difference.

IrishKnight

If you do pass in the JC, the highest level paper you can do in that subject in the LC is pass. You can only move down the scale, not up...

Dubs

its really a big step up from junior cert to leaving cert in english.

if it was me, i'd switch to honours for the junior cert. It doesnt matter whether she gets a fail, pass or honours grade for it, but it will her a small idea of what it will be like for the leaving. If she really puts the effort into it this year she'll do well and be so much more prepared when the leaving cert comes

ironclaw

Moving up is definitely an option. It gives you the choice at Leaving Cert otherwise your stuck in pass rather than having the option of the two. The Junior Cert means nothing towards your LC. Friend of mine, barely passed he's now pushing 550 at Xmas and Mocks.

My advice:

So yes, do the highest level you can, learn from your lazy ways and then work towards the LC. Its 3 years away!

livvy

IrishKnight wrote: »

If you do pass in the JC, the highest level paper you can do in that subject in the LC is pass. You can only move down the scale, not up...

Do you think this is set in stone - It seems really harsh to make it stick considering she made the decision at 15 yrs only a few months back.... Will the course work change for the leaving cert or is a continuation of junior - ie new books to read, new plays. I done my leaving in 93 - too long ago to remember.

Cokehead Mother

livvy wrote: »

Do you think this is set in stone - It seems really harsh to make it stick considering she made the decision at 15 yrs only a few months back.... Will the course work change for the leaving cert or is a continuation of junior - ie new books to read, new plays. I done my leaving in 93 - too long ago to remember.

Ignore him. He's wrong.

Piste

Nah of course she can do honours! She should move up to pass in Junior Cert, it's really not too bad. If she's just being lazy as you say then she shouldn't have a problem if she puts in work.

As for the Leaving Cert, it's completely different to the Junior Cert, and while too get a good grade you need to put in quite a bit of work, if she just needs to pass then it should be doable if she works hard.

Fad

IrishKnight wrote: »

If you do pass in the JC, the highest level paper you can do in that subject in the LC is pass. You can only move down the scale, not up...

I'm pretty sure thats not true, something about my teacher saying here proudest grade was a guy who did pass at JC and got a B3 in HL LC.(In Irish, but ya know, its the same system)

I think you can take whatever level you want really.

livvy

Thank you - I was at a bit of a loss. If she got grinds if and put the effort in she could do it. The realization of what it actually means to drop from hons to pass only hit her when she counted up the points.

IrishKnight

As Dubs said, change to higher JC now. The JC doesn't mean anything but doing higher in the JC will guarantee you can do higher in the LC.

Also keep in mind that it is often easier that much need grade in a higher level subject than doing pass. As in to do science you need a D3 in higher level maths or a B3(open to correction on that) in ord. level.

The JC course is different from the LC, learning new poems, plays etc.

As it set in stone...I'm sure if you talk to the right people and what not they'll change it. It appears that things are not never really set in stone.

It doesn't matter what level you did in the Junior Cert., you can go on to do whatever level you want in the Leaving Cert. - I don't know where people are getting this "set in stone" idea, but, it's wrong. Perhaps that's what your school enforces, but it's certainly not set in stone.

Anyway, even if she did do ordinary level for the Junior Cert. it doesn't mean she would be incapable of doing higher in the LC. She has two years do "perfect" it (three if she's doing TY). It's not something I'd be terribly worried about at so early a stage.

Jammyc

Sure for the LC you can even change level on the day right?
Or is that just maths?

I think it depends on the school wether the whole Pass Jc- Pass LC
system works.
In my school, if you prove to be good enough for the class you stay.
If not, out ya go..
Im sure she can do as she wishes.
Best of luck with her studies.

Jammyc

Jammyc wrote: »

Sure for the LC you can even change level on the day right?
Or is that just maths?

You can change level for any subject that you wish.

ironclaw

-JammyDodger- wrote: »

You can change level for any subject that you wish.

But its proven to be a very bad idea...

whadabouchasir

livvy wrote: »

I know its too late to do Hons English paper for the Junior Cert exams but doing it for the leaving would really make the difference.

One of my friends got an A in ordinary english in the jc and he's doing higher for the lc. Lot of work though, also I don't know if many courses would actually have an honor in english for entry.

ironclaw

ironclaw wrote: »

But its proven to be a very bad idea...

Perhaps, but you still can if you wish to. I wouldn't recommend it though.

livvy

Thank you for taking the time to pass on your advice.

Dante

Its definitely doable, my level of English wasn't very good at junior cert and its only since 5th/6th year that its improved greatly without putting in much effort at all. I'm sure with a bit of work she can get a decent grade in higher English in the LC cause the junior cert isn't much of a reflection of the leaving cert.

spurious

Everyone should do as many subjects as possible at Higher Level in Junior Cert.

Schools are sending in the JC level choices at the moment, so she should make sure they have entered her for the level she wants.