Leaving Cert subject choice shapes the CAO courses and careers open to you, so it is worth getting right. Plan your senior cycle subjects around your interests, your strengths and the entry requirements of the courses you are aiming for. Select your three core subjects, add your options, and see your full Leaving Certificate plan take shape.
Confirm English and Mathematics, and Irish unless you hold an exemption. These anchor most CAO routes.
Choose three to five further subjects that match your interests and strengths, then keep your best six for points.
Match your subject list against the entry requirements for the CAO courses you are aiming for, so no door closes early.
English and Mathematics are taken by almost every Leaving Cert student. Irish is also core, but you can turn it off if you hold an exemption. Set the level you plan to sit at.
Required for entry to NUI colleges (UCD, UCC, Galway, Maynooth) unless you hold an exemption. Higher level carries a bonus for some courses.
Turn off the switch if you have an Irish exemption and will not sit the subject.
A near-universal requirement and a common minimum-grade condition. Strong written communication underpins almost every course and career.
Covers comprehension, composition, poetry and a studied text or film.
Often a minimum-grade requirement, and Higher Level Maths earns 25 bonus points at H6 or above. Essential for STEM, business and computing routes.
Algebra, functions, geometry, statistics and probability across two papers.
Tap to add three to five options across these groups. The stats bar above updates live, and your plan saves automatically in this browser.
Reading, writing, speaking and listening in a modern European language. A third language is required for many NUI courses and useful for EU study routes.
Theory plus practical coursework. Lab sciences are essential for medicine, health, engineering and many STEM degrees.
Enterprise, finance and how the economy works. A strong base for commerce, law and management courses.
Evidence, sources and argument. Develops analysis and writing for arts, law, social science and education routes.
Portfolio and project work. Suit design, architecture, trades and the arts, with marks earned across the two years.
Applied learning and coursework. Broaden your profile and pick up points in subjects aligned to your interests.
Explore the CAO courses your subject choices unlock, and see which careers each pathway leads to.