Having another go at maths
A NUMBER of colleges offer students a second chance to achieve the required maths grade for entry to CAO courses.
The exams take place on different days this week and successful students may receive an offer of a desired place in a later CAO round.
While many of the exams are geared for entry to courses where applicants need a minimum H4 in maths, in other cases, success may pave the way for entry to any course in a college.
The paper(s) are not the same as the Leaving Cert and they are also open to candidate who sat the subject at ordinary level.
There are no extra points available through these exams and achieving the qualifying standard in maths does not necessarily guarantee a candidate a course place, but it could make the difference — and it does for many students every year.
Anyone interested should contact individual colleges about a possible special exam and their requirements, including any fees, but here is a guide:
Cork IT: Exam tomorrow. It is specifically for CAO applicants for courses in CIT. There will be two papers, one set at ordinary level, which must be taken by all candidates, and second one for those seeking a higher level grade.
DIT: Exam on Wednesday for applicants to DT302 Business Analytics and DT066 Engineering (General Entry). There are tutorials today and tomorrow at DIT Kevin Street,
IT Carlow: Exam on Thursday, with tutorials on Wednesday and Thursday. A pass (55pc) will fulfil the maths entry requirement for the B Eng (honours) in civil engineering, as an alternative to the Leaving Cert HC3. Maynooth University: Exam on Wednesday for applicants to electronic engineering, who did not achieve the required H4. It is based only on the content covered by Paper One of the Leaving Cert. There is a preparatory course today.
NUI Galway: Exam on Wednesday for applicants to BEng programmes in the College of Engineering and Informatics, who have not achieved at least a H4. A five-day preparatory course started last Thursday.
UL: Exam on Thursday for applicants to science and engineering courses. It is based on the Leaving Cert curriculum.
Waterford IT: Exam this Friday August 25 for entry to any course in the college. This is open to any CAO applicant to WIT, even if they ‘failed’ maths at higher, ordinary or foundation levels.