Low Points Does NOT Mean Low Potential

Every August, many students and their families face a moment of intense pressure and disappointment when Leaving Cert results arrive. For some, the points achieved feel like a final verdict on their future, while parents may worry that a single number has sealed their child’s fate. Yet, this view overlooks a vital truth: low points do not mean low potential.

This post explores why Leaving Cert points are just one part of a much bigger picture. It highlights alternative pathways, the limitations of the exam system, and how success today looks very different from the past. Families and students can find reassurance and practical guidance to navigate the many routes available, which may well converge with traditional university entry.

The Leaving Cert Measures Performance, Not Potential

The Leaving Cert exam plays a significant role in Ireland’s education system. It opens doors to many opportunities, especially university places, and it is an opportunity to develop some key skills necessary for the world of work and education. But it is important to understand what the Leaving Cert actually measures—and what it does not.

The exam focuses on:

• Time-pressured testing

• Memorisation of facts

• Written, exam-based performance

• Narrow academic subjects

These conditions also rely heavily on a very specific set of executive function skills — the brain’s “management system” for learning and performance. This includes things like working memory (holding and using information under pressure), cognitive flexibility (switching between questions and ideas quickly), sustained attention, and inhibitory control (staying focused despite stress or distraction).

For some students, these skills are well-developed and the exam format plays to their strengths. For others, especially those who are more reflective, creative, practical, or verbally strong in discussion rather than timed writing, the exam environment can under-represent their true ability and understanding.

It is also important to recognise that some students reach the Leaving Cert carrying challenges that are largely invisible to others. Difficulties with attendance, anxiety, additional learning needs, family pressures, mental health struggles, neurodivergence, bereavement, or periods of low motivation can all have a significant impact on school engagement and exam performance. Many students receive valuable supports through the education system — including guidance, learning support, AEN provision, wellbeing supports or accommodations — not because they lack ability, but because they have had additional barriers to navigate. A set of exam results rarely tells the full story of a young person’s resilience, potential, growth or future capacity to succeed in the right environment.

Time-bound exam conditions do not directly measure qualities that are equally or more important for long-term success:

• Creativity and problem-solving

• Resilience and adaptability

• Practical intelligence and hands-on skills

• Communication and leadership

• Empathy and teamwork

• Work ethic and determination

  
  

Many students excel in real-world environments such as apprenticeships, workplaces, or practical training programs. This does not make them less capable; it simply means they learn and demonstrate their strengths differently.

More Pathways Than Ever Before

There may be a traditional view that university is the route to success, but we all see that this is gradually becoming outdated (well, we can only hope). Ireland now offers a wide range of options for young people to build rewarding careers and qualifications, regardless of Leaving Cert points.

Some of these pathways include:

• Further Education and Training (FET) courses

• Apprenticeships - trades & professional (more and more announced each year)

• Tertiary degree programs with flexible entry requirements

• Post-Leaving Cert (PLC) courses that provide practical skills

• Traineeships and internships that combine learning with earning

  
  

  

  Pathways - Open to All - Lifelong Learning at its Best!!

For example, apprenticeships have grown significantly in popularity and scope. They allow students to earn a salary while gaining nationally recognised qualifications. Many apprentices go on to have successful careers in construction, engineering, technology, accounting and more (see HERE for our full range).

Similarly, PLC courses offer a bridge for students who want to improve their skills, gain confidence in career/course choice or explore new fields before committing to a 'laneway'. Research indicates that completing a Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) course serves as a vital bridging mechanism for higher education, with data showing that students who transition to Irish universities via the PLC pathway demonstrate higher ultimate degree completion and retention rates compared to peers entering directly from the Leaving Certificate with similar point profiles.

Lifelong Learning and Career Flexibility

Career paths today are rarely straight lines. Many people change jobs, industries, or return to education multiple times throughout their lives. This reflects a broader shift highlighted in the OECD’s work on lifelong learning and skills development, which emphasises that individuals will need to retrain and upskill repeatedly as labour markets evolve.

In an Irish context, the National Guidance Forum / National Policy on Guidance in Education also reinforces this idea, stressing that career development is a lifelong process rather than a single decision made at 17 or 18. Guidance is increasingly about building adaptability, self-management, and decision-making skills over time, rather than choosing one fixed “forever career” at school-leaving age.

This means adaptability, resilience, and continuous learning are now central skills — just as important as any specific qualification pathway.

Guidance counsellors and career experts emphasise:

• Developing transferable skills that apply across many jobs

• Being open to new opportunities and industries

• Building networks and gaining experience in different settings

• Using further education as a stepping stone, not a final destination

• Embracing lifelong learning

  
  

For instance, a student who starts with an apprenticeship in electrical work might later decide to study engineering at a university or take on a supervisory role. Another might begin with a PLC course and then progress to a degree in business or healthcare.

This flexibility means that anything unexpected, or 'disappointing' in the Leaving Cert result, does not close doors permanently. It may change the route, but it does not decide the destination. At these critical turning points in life, what often makes the real difference is actively seeking good advice, taking time to reflect on direction, and reconnecting with personal motivation and strengths — because informed decisions made with support tend to open far more sustainable and satisfying pathways.

Supporting Students and Families Through the Transition

The emotional impact of the Leaving Cert can be intense. In certain situations, students may feel pressure, failure or shame, while parents might worry about lost opportunities. It is important to approach this moment with perspective and support.

Here are some practical tips for families:

• Listen and validate feelings without judgment

• Explore all available options together, including non-university routes

• Connect with guidance counsellors or career advisors early

• Research apprenticeships, PLC courses, and other programs and pathways - they are all on the able for good reason!

• Encourage students to focus on their strengths and interests

• Remind them that many successful people took unconventional paths

  
  

For example, a student who did not achieve the points for their first-choice university course, or missed an entry requirement, might find a related PLC course that allows entry to the same degree later. Another might discover a passion for a trade through an apprenticeship that leads to a fulfilling career.

Changing the Narrative Around Success

It is time to redefine what success means for young people in Ireland. Leaving Cert points are one measure of academic performance, but they do not capture the full range of our young people's wonderful talents and potential.

Success can mean:

• Building a career that matches personal interests and skills

• Gaining independence and financial stability through work

• Developing lifelong learning habits and adaptability

• Contributing to communities and workplaces in meaningful ways

  
  

By broadening the conversation, families and students can reduce stress and open up new possibilities. This shift benefits not only individuals but also society, by valuing diverse talents and pathways.

Some Students Simply Develop Later

One thing years in guidance counselling has taught me is this:

At 17 or 18, some teenagers are ready to decide. Others are not.

And that is normal.

I have seen students:

• repeat and flourish

• return as mature students

• enter university through PLCs

• discover apprenticeships they love

• change direction entirely in their twenties

Career development is rarely a straight line.

Brian Mooney has often written and spoken about the importance of flexibility in Irish career pathways and the growing variety of progression routes available to students beyond the traditional points race. Brian Mooney Educational Guidance

What Employers Actually Value

Parents often ask:

“But will employers take these routes seriously?”

Increasingly, yes.

Employers consistently value:

• communication skills

• reliability

• adaptability

• teamwork

• initiative

• digital literacy

• problem-solving

• work experience

Many employers care far more about:

• how someone performs

• how they work with others

• whether they can learn and adapt

than how many points they achieved at 18.

Organisations such as CareersPortal, Synergy Careers and Classroom Guidance have excellent resources helping students and parents explore the broad range of career pathways now available.

What Parents Can Do Right Now

If your child receives lower points than expected:

• pause before reacting

• avoid catastrophic language - connection before correction

• focus on next steps

• explore all progression options carefully

• remember that disappointment is temporary

• try not to compare siblings, cousins or friends

Most importantly:listen before problem-solving.

Young people often remember our reaction more than the actual results.

Final Thoughts

The Irish education system is changing quickly. The old idea that there is only one “good” route is disappearing.

That is good news for students.

Because success does not belong exclusively to:

• high points

• prestigious courses

• traditional pathways

Success comes from finding a route that matches:

• strengths

• interests

• personality

• motivation

• learning style

• long-term goals

For some students, that route begins with the CAO.

For others, it begins with a PLC, apprenticeship, tertiary programme, workplace opportunity or simply taking time to regroup and rethink.

And that is perfectly okay.

Low points do not mean low potential; all avenues are there to be explored!

To get in touch by DM or:

📧 pathwaysguidance@gmail.com

🕸 www.pathwaysguidance.ie

📞 0868773289

Marie