Prediction On Point Increase/Decrease

Tak3n

What are the predictions for points increasing/decreasing for courses this year?
I heard that alot of courses will decrease in the ammount of points needed since there were not many taking the leaving this year..

Im asking because i got 70 more points than the Final for my course last year and 10 points under the median.. its very unlikely that the course will go up by 70 points? When are the points that i need published?

MB44

Well i got 435 but needed 445 for engineering so hopefully the second round will be lucky for me

EdgarAllenPoo

I have no idea my first choice was a new course so no previous points to go on.

GDM

GDM wrote:

I have no idea my first choice was a new course so no previous points to go on.

lol

UU

MB44 wrote:

Well i got 435 but needed 445 for engineering so hopefully the second round will be lucky for me

Wow! I got the exact same amount of points as you! It's a shame you were so close to 445 - just by 10 points. How cruel.

I heard that the points will be published next Monday. My guidance consellor told me that they will send out a letter or something like that. If I'm wrong, please correct me!

GrumPy

UU wrote:

Wow! I got the exact same amount of points as you! It's a shame you were so close to 445 - just by 10 points. How cruel.

I heard that the points will be published next Monday. My guidance consellor told me that they will send out a letter or something like that. If I'm wrong, please correct me!

Does anyone think that the required maths grade will drop on some courses? As the ever increasing amount of people failing it?

dudara

Irish GrumPy wrote:

Does anyone think that the required maths grade will drop on some courses? As the ever increasing amount of people failing it?

I sincerely hope not, in fact I actually believe that the maths courses have been too dumbed down and need to be made more challenging.

GrumPy

dudara wrote:

I sincerely hope not, in fact I actually believe that the maths courses have been too dumbed down and need to be made more challenging.

Yeah, but in fairness most of the stuff on the leaving cert maths course has a slim chance of actually being needed for most courses, you need maths for some courses like tourism ffs. :rolleyes:

dudara

Irish GrumPy wrote:

Yeah, but in faireness most of the stuff on the leaving cert maths course has a slim chance of actually being needed for most courses, you need maths for some courses like tourism ffs. :rolleyes:

It's not the actual maths course content that's important, or so I believe, but the mental agility that it imparts. It's a core subject, and we should not neglect it.

GrumPy

dudara wrote:

It's not the actual maths course content that's important, or so I believe, but the mental agility that it imparts. It's a core subject, and we should not neglect it.

I know it's a core subject, and it should not be neglected, but I still think if the course content was made more central to what would be studied in college, would make more sence.
No point learning off a load of formula's etc.. getting a B1 in higher level and going into a college course were you will have to actualy do maths, and it wont be as easy as learning off stuff. (not that everyone finds it easy, I sure didnt)

dudara

I think you missed my main point. I believe that the content and relevance to courses isn't hugely important. What matters is the methods of thinking and mental agility developed while studying maths.

GrumPy

dudara wrote:

I think you missed my main point. I believe that the content and relevance to courses isn't hugely important. What matters is the methods of thinking and mental agility developed while studying maths.

Mental agility can still be practiced without needless complicated maths that you may never use again, yet you need to gain entry to college. And in college, you may have trouble with less complicated maths as a result.

sully-gormo

id agree with dudara about the maths, it makes you think, which is an important skill I think youll agree. But not being able to do tourism cos u cant do maths is rubbish at the same time

Evo

the LC is so unfair and it give no indication of sum1s ability in an area.. OK it does show certain things like how good someone is with maths ( its probly d most important subject IMO, cause its not something you can really learn off, you have to understand it and work it ) the course is soo outdated. IMO people should have to do an entry exam based on the course they want. Some people ( ME!! ) hate the course for the LC, but love computers ( i've done the young scientist twice and got an award, several certificates including an IT Diploma ) but it doesnt mean feck all when it comes to the course I want in UL, LM083! so because I didnt terrible in the exams I wont be doing this course!!! all i want to do is study computers and the UL course really appeals to me as it puts more into computer networking ( which is the area of computers I'm most interested in ) plus one of the specialised areas is Data Mining ( google for example ) which is something i want to get into! So because of some silly exam that tells nothing about my ability ( not bragging but i do work hard at computers ) with computers means I cant study something I love!

/rant over

Raphael

Going to ahve to disagree with you. The LC may be a lot things, but it's only advantage is that it's fair. Anyone can do well, if they put in the work. The LC system rewards effort, not natural ability. Making it very fair.

Feral Mutant

My first choice is Architecture and I'm pretty sure that'll go down cos there are more places doing it this year.

Evo

Raphael wrote:

Going to ahve to disagree with you. The LC may be a lot things, but it's only advantage is that it's fair. Anyone can do well, if they put in the work. The LC system rewards effort, not natural ability. Making it very fair.

you can do well if your taught the course.. we had a useless teacher for a year in physics and an alcoholic teacher then 3 different ones for tech drawing!! and i failed those 2 subjects!

mysterious

Did points in general areas go up or down? Like Social/eduacation and Engineering.

EdgarAllenPoo

Is this a maths discussion thread or a points prediction one?

Raphael

Evo wrote:

you can do well if your taught the course.. we had a useless teacher for a year in physics and an alcoholic teacher then 3 different ones for tech drawing!! and i failed those 2 subjects!

If you have a bad teacher then you just do the work yourself. Get grinds if needs be. The LC is designed to reward those who work hard. Not the best system, but decent enough.

EdgarAllenPoo

You can work hard and still not pass, with something like maths if you have no aptitude for it then even grinds won't help. Trust me I know.

Rob30888

I got 500, so I've Commerce (420 last year) in the bag

exiot

Theres no way a course would jump 50 points this year??

I heard that because we were the smallest number of people doing the LC this year, the points will drop because less people apply to the CAO?

UU

exiot wrote:

Theres no way a course would jump 50 points this year??

I heard that because we were the smallest number of people doing the LC this year, the points will drop because less people apply to the CAO?

It seems quite possible. And to add to that 1/11 people have failed maths. If one fails maths, they are non-eligable to enter college. Also, for language-based subjects, there may be lower points as this year less people took languages from what I've heard. i hope it's true because I want to study French & Spanish in college.

Kovik

dudara wrote:

It's not the actual maths course content that's important, or so I believe, but the mental agility that it imparts. It's a core subject, and we should not neglect it.

This is an argument without context or evidence. This "mental agility" is simply not evident in the course. Leaving cert maths is presumed wrongly to involve masses of lateral thought. In reality, at leaving cert level, what's required is the manipulation of familiar processes and logical sequences that grow progressively more complicated. While this is a skill (a very complex and impressive one at that) its proposed significance in other areas is simply not a reality. This is not a criticism of maths as a subject: The scope of its practical use is far broader than is assumed and to grasp even the fundamentals at this level is a feat in itself. However, the idea that it teaches vital skills that apply to all other genres of thought at this level is archaic and without support.

At Junior cert level, the vital fundamentals of maths are still being taught. Thus, it should remain a core subject. However, as maths grows more complex its insularity scales with it. By the leaving, there really is no sense in maintaining it as a compulsory subject when the only reality of this policy is one in eleven students rushing to mount street for September.

Of course, as with all attempts to amend the education system in this country, nothing will come of it as the unions will go nuts and the already incompetent government will pander to them yet again and make further populistic and myopic decisions regarding the running of this country. It's also nice to know that right now, as a result of union intervention, the first priority in education for this government in not reforming the syllabus which allows grind schools and mass cramming to reap the best grades but torching the institute itself. This, as a philosopher once put it, is teh st00pid.

Kovik

In other news, I'm stupidly happy and just ate my own weight in Mexican food.

UU

Kovik wrote:

In other news, I'm stupidly happy and just ate my own weight in Mexican food.

Haha! ¡Alimento mexicano delicioso! Fajita (Fah-yEE-ta!!!) Yum!

EdgarAllenPoo

UU wrote:

It seems quite possible. And to add to that 1/11 people have failed maths. If one fails maths, they are non-eligable to enter college. Also, for language-based subjects, there may be lower points as this year less people took languages from what I've heard. i hope it's true because I want to study French & Spanish in college.

You are still eligible for some courses such as law. I went to tcd.ie yesterday and I think I saw something about them accepting foundation level maths for matriculum unless a pass at pass is a specific requirement of the course then foundation may do.

JackKelly

let's try not let this become yet another "This is why the Leaving Cert suxXx!" thread!

VeeGo

TimAy wrote:

let's try not let this become yet another "This is why the Leaving Cert suxXx!" thread!

Agree !

cianclarke

TimAy wrote:

let's try not let this become yet another "This is why the Leaving Cert suxXx!" thread!

Yeah, keep it to predictions.

Computer science - last year 365, but on the open day the hall where they were giving the talk was *packed* to the brim. I'm guessing it'l go up a bit?

How about just general science at trinity, what are the trends for science? 440 last year, but the median is 485. A huge push again on science this year due to less and less graduates, you know when they make a "do science" website that they're desperate. What way will they go? Would somebody be safe enough with 480 points for this course?

Predictions people!

Smurphette

my course was 380 last year and has gone down every year since it started five years ago.

...i got 495 but i'm still worried! lol

EdgarAllenPoo

I wonder how nursing will do, all the courses went up last year, wonder how they'll do on Monday.

One other thing, a lot of people are saying that the amount of fails in maths will change things up, so will the amount of fails in the sciences.

abercrombie

i heard the points for various courses in UCD are supposed to increase because more people were applying there because of the Horizons thing

Then again I could be wrong

VeeGo

I dont know about trinity, but i think in general points you need for computing will go down, esspecially in IT's, because in all opendays that i went there were only few people there.

Smurphette

it's very hard to say.

I mean, there'll probably be an overall trend in lower points because there is less people applying for university now, but at the same time some courses will of course go up.

a lot of the time it's the luck of the draw, sadly. Even if you do well, and do your best, there might be more bastards above you pissing from on high on your parade.

EdgarAllenPoo

Engineering and IT courses will probably continue the trend of the past few years in decreasing. Courses like history and english will go up because people see security in jobs like teaching.

cianclarke

Seems like I'm safe in IT then, I have 110 points to spare. €1.50 each... ;-)
How about sciences? Doesn't apply to me, asking for somebody else.

Peyton Manning

What about BESS in Trinity? I got 470, but last year the points were 470* (the * meaning random selection). Naturally, I have no clue wat this means so could someone please explain? And also, what are the odds of my getting a place based on the 470 points I got?

Help needed and appreciated, thanks.

UU

GDM wrote:

You are still eligible for some courses such as law. I went to tcd.ie yesterday and I think I saw something about them accepting foundation level maths for matriculum unless a pass at pass is a specific requirement of the course then foundation may do.

Oh not me, silly! I'm fully eligable to enter college as I got a B3 in Ordinary Maths and a C1 in Higher English. Yes. Trinity does accept Foundation Maths generally but it is unsacceptable for certain courses such as Maths.

UU

Archimedes wrote:

What about BESS in Trinity? I got 470, but last year the points were 470* (the * meaning random selection). Naturally, I have no clue wat this means so could someone please explain? And also, what are the odds of my getting a place based on the 470 points I got?

Help needed and appreciated, thanks.

From what I know the * means "not everyone on these points were offered places". Maybe that implies random selection?

Do you have the CAO handbook? It explains well what random selection is. Basically each course goes in order of merit - that is, the highest score goes at the top of the list to the lowest at the bottom. Now, each course only has a certain number of spaces available so just say a particular course has 100 places and 150 people apply. The top 100 will be offered places. Near the end of the list, some people can have the same points. Say there are five people with 360 points but there are only three spaces left. Each is given a random number (like a lotto draw) and the three with the highest random numbers are offered places. That's how it works.

Don't worry though. Random selection doesn't occur too often. If usually occurs whenever there is a lot of people applying for a particular course and this year, it has been estimated that by adding up all the places from third level to PLC courses, there are much more places than the people who have applied. That's what I heard on the news.

Evo

what happens if there less applying to the course than places available. eg, say theres 20 places offered on a course and theres only 10 people applying for it. What happens if say 5 only have the requirements/points for the course?

sully-gormo

Then those ten get the course, the college will reduce the amount of places available because there clearly isint enough demand.
For ur 2nd Q,
1. If only 5 ppl have the requirements(i.e. 3 honours, c3 in OLmaths etc..) then only 5 will do the course
but
2.the points are decided on the basis of the applicants. That is, the colleges looks at the points score of all the applicants and, if there are more applicants than places, the places are given to the best scoring applicants. The score of the person accepted on the course with the lowest points is the 'cut-off' points for the course and this is whats published in the papers etc..