Repeat the Leaving Cert, or do a PLC?
A repeat year puts you back into the same points race with nothing to show if it goes wrong. A PLC costs a fraction of it, leaves you holding a qualification either way, and puts you in the smaller queue for the places colleges keep for PLC students. Repeat when you missed by a few points or need a subject you never sat. Otherwise the PLC is usually the better bet.
Side by side
| Repeating the Leaving Cert | Doing a PLC | |
|---|---|---|
| How long it takes | One school year, sitting the same exams again in June. | One year in a further education college, assessed through the year. |
| What it costs | Roughly €4,000 to €8,000 at a private repeat college. Free in a school that takes repeat students, where a place is available. | A course charge of around €200, plus a €200 student contribution. Free for medical card holders and many social welfare recipients. SUSI grants apply. |
| What you hold at the end | A second Leaving Cert. Nothing else. | A full QQI Level 5 or 6 award you keep for life, useful for work as well as college. |
| How you are judged for the course | Points, against everyone else in the country, in the same race you just lost. | Your PLC results, against the smaller group of PLC applicants, for the places set aside for them. |
| If it goes wrong | You have two Leaving Certs and no qualification. | You still hold the award, can go to work, or reapply the following year. |
| Best when | You missed by a handful of points, or you need a subject you never sat, like a lab science or a language the course requires. | You missed by a lot, exams do not suit you, or you want the subject area tested before committing to four years. |
| Watch out for | Points can rise. A repeat year does not protect you from a course going up 30 points. | You must finish the full award. Some colleges want named distinctions, sometimes all in one sitting. |
- You missed your course by roughly 20 points or fewer.
- The course needs a subject you never sat, such as a lab science.
- Something specific went wrong in the exams and you know what it was.
- You can cover the fees, or a school will take you at no charge.
- You missed by 50 points or more.
- Continuous assessment suits you better than one week of exams.
- You want to test the subject area before committing four years to it.
- You want a qualification in hand whatever happens next.
Check your own course first
The decision gets a lot easier once you know whether your course keeps places for PLC students, and how many.
Common questions
Is it better to repeat the Leaving Cert or do a PLC?
If you missed your course by a handful of points, or you need a subject you never sat, a repeat year is the shorter road. If you missed by a lot, or exams do not suit how you work, a PLC is usually the stronger bet: it costs far less, you finish with a qualification you keep either way, and you compete for places set aside for PLC students rather than in the national points race.
Do colleges look down on PLC applicants?
No. Universities and technological universities publish PLC entry routes themselves and reserve places on named degrees for them. Once you are in, you sit the same lectures and graduate with the same degree as everyone else on the course.
How much does repeating the Leaving Cert cost in Ireland?
A private repeat college is generally in the €4,000 to €8,000 range for the year. Some secondary schools take repeat students at no fee where they have a place. A PLC year is usually a course charge of around €200 plus the €200 student contribution, waived for medical card holders and many people on social welfare.
Can I do both, a PLC and repeat later?
You can, but there is rarely a reason to. Once you hold a full PLC award you are eligible for the reserved places, so going back to the points race adds a year without adding much.
Does the CAO count my old points if I repeat?
The CAO scores your best single sitting, so your repeat year has to beat your first attempt on its own. Marks from two different years are not added together.