Every October and every February the same conversation happens in Irish kitchens. Should she stay at higher level, or drop. It is one of the few decisions in the Leaving Certificate year that a family genuinely controls, and it is made badly far more often than it needs to be. I run Study Skills Ireland and I am asked about this in every parents talk I give.
How do I decide between higher and ordinary level?
Decide on evidence rather than on a bad week. Look at results across a full term rather than one test, at whether the student can attempt the higher paper at all rather than just score poorly on it, and at what the courses they are interested in actually require. Then weigh what dropping frees up for every other subject.
The mistake I see most often is a decision made in the two days after a disappointing mock, when everybody involved is upset and nobody is thinking about the other six subjects. That is the worst possible moment to decide anything.
The second mistake is the opposite, holding on to a higher level subject for pride when it is quietly eating the time that four other subjects need. A student scraping a pass at higher level while three other subjects slide has not made a good trade.
What does dropping a level actually cost in points?
In the current common points scale, the top ordinary level grade is worth considerably less than a middling higher level grade, so on paper dropping looks expensive. The real arithmetic is different, because the hours released go somewhere, and a student who lifts two other subjects a grade each can easily come out ahead.
That is the calculation almost nobody does. Families compare the points for the subject in isolation, when the decision is really about where a fixed number of study hours are spent across seven subjects.
There is one genuine exception. Higher level mathematics currently carries bonus points on top of the grade, which makes staying at higher level worth more than the grade alone suggests. That bonus is the single strongest argument for holding on in maths specifically, and it does not apply anywhere else.
Does my child need higher level maths for college?
For most courses, no. A pass at ordinary level maths meets the minimum entry requirement for a great many courses in Ireland. Certain engineering, science, computing, actuarial and some business courses do require higher level maths, so the answer depends entirely on the course list rather than on general principle.
So the order of operations matters. Find the course requirements first, then decide the level, not the other way round. Every year I meet students who dropped a subject in October and discovered in February that it closed off the course they had set their heart on.
Requirements are published on each college’s own site and through the CAO, and they change. Check them for the year your child will actually be applying rather than relying on what was true for a sibling.
When is the right time to make the call?
Make it at a planned review point rather than in a crisis. In most Irish schools that means a conversation after the Christmas tests and a firm decision after the mocks, taken with the subject teacher and the guidance counsellor rather than at home alone. Leaving it later than the mocks usually means less choice and more panic.
There is also a practical deadline. Schools set their own internal cut-off for level changes and the State Examinations Commission has its own dates for subject and level details, so ask the school what the real last date is rather than assuming it is flexible.
What I would avoid is the drifting version, where a student stays at higher level without ever committing to it, doing neither paper properly. That is the worst of both and it is more common than an outright wrong decision.
Who should actually be in this conversation?
The subject teacher first, because they have seen the student’s work across two years and know what the higher paper demands. The guidance counsellor second, because they hold the course requirements. The student third and loudest, because a decision imposed on a teenager rarely survives contact with February.
Parents are in the room to slow the decision down rather than to make it. That is a genuinely useful role. Most bad level decisions are fast ones.
I would ask the subject teacher one specific question. Not is she able for it, but what would she need to do between now and June to get a good result at higher level. The answer to that is usually concrete, and it tells you whether the plan is realistic.
Does dropping a level mean giving up?
No, and the framing does real damage. Choosing the level that produces the best overall result across seven subjects is a strategic decision, not a surrender. Students who understand it that way tend to work harder afterwards, not less, because they can finally see a result they believe in.
The language at home shapes this more than parents realise. A student who hears dropping down carries that phrase into the exam hall. A student who hears we moved your maths to ordinary so you could get the biology grade you wanted has been handed a plan rather than a verdict.
I have watched students come alive after a level change, because for the first time in two years the work in front of them was work they could actually do.
What if the real problem is method rather than ability?
This is worth ruling out before any level is changed. A student who has never been taught how to revise, plan a week or attempt an exam question under time will underperform at higher level in a way that looks exactly like not being able for it. Method problems and ability problems produce identical mock results.
The test I use is simple. Ask the student to describe, step by step, what they actually do when they sit down to study that subject. If the answer is read over my notes, you have a method problem and possibly a very fixable one.
That is a large part of what Study Skills Ireland seminars are for. Before a family gives up on higher level, it is worth finding out whether the student has ever been shown how to work at that level in the first place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should my child drop from higher to ordinary level?
Decide on a full term of evidence rather than one bad test, check the entry requirements for the courses they want, and weigh what the released hours could do for their other subjects. Take the decision with the subject teacher and guidance counsellor.
Is higher level maths worth staying at?
Higher level mathematics currently carries bonus points on top of the grade, which makes it worth more than the grade alone suggests. It is the one subject where the points case for staying is strongest.
Does my child need higher level maths for college in Ireland?
For most courses, no. Ordinary level maths meets the minimum entry requirement for many courses, though certain engineering, science, computing, actuarial and business courses do require higher level. Check each course individually.
When is the deadline to change level?
Schools set their own internal cut-off and the State Examinations Commission has its own dates for subject and level details. Ask the school for the real last date rather than assuming it is flexible.
Could poor results be a study method problem rather than ability?
Often, yes. A student who has never been taught to revise, plan a week or work an exam question under time will underperform in a way that looks identical to not being able for the level.
Before you decide, rule out the method
Study Skills Ireland runs study skills seminars for secondary students and talks for parents in schools across Ireland, teaching the planning and revision methods that decide whether a student can cope at higher level. Enda O’Doherty delivers them personally.
You can see what the student study skills seminar covers, read about the parents seminar, or get in touch about bringing a session to your school.
