This year’s Leaving Certificate agricultural science exam is scheduled for Monday, 20 June. As one of the last papers in the exam, students will be counting down to summer and exam freedom.
However, the declining number of students sitting the exam and studying the subject is felt amongst teachers and industry members, and rightly so. Fewer students studying the subject will result in fewer going on to select an agri-related degree at third level. And given that we have an already tight labour force, there is a concern amongst companies in the sector that they will face even more difficulty recruiting graduates in the future.
There has been a decline in students studying agriculture science as a Leaving Cert subject over the last five years, according to the State Examinations Statistics (see figure 1).
In 2024, 6,418 students took the subject for their Leaving Certificate. This declined by over 1,000 students in the space of a year as 7,460 did the subject in 2023. Numbers stood at 8,501 in 2020.
A survey conducted by the Irish Farmers Journal in May contained responses from 32 agricultural science teachers. The questions in the survey were structured around the uptake of the subject, barriers facing students and what changes teachers would like to see with the course going forward.
Responses show 56% of teachers have seen a decline in the number of students studying the subject for the Leaving Cert in the last year.
Similarly, when asked what percentage of students in your class go to study agricultural science at third level, the largest portion was from 0-15% with 56% of responses, followed by 25-35% at 16% and 15-25% at 13%.
Survey details
When teachers were asked if the new curriculum/ specification has encouraged or discouraged students from selecting the subject for the Leaving Cert, 66% responded discouraged, with 28% unsure and 6% selecting encouraged.
When teachers were asked if the fewer H1s (13.1%) awarded to agriculture science students compared to the other science subjects (Biology 19%, Physics 20.7% and Chemistry 22%) in 2024 was having an impact on students selecting the subject, 84% responded yes, 13% were unsure and 3% said no.
When asked if there were barriers stopping students from studying agricultural science at third level, 41% said yes, 34% were unsure, and 25% selected no.
Of those who selected yes, the main reason was students not realising the opportunities in the sector. Lack of accommodation in colleges and CAO points being too high were also cited.
Looking forward
A working group is currently reviewing the programme, chaired by Anne-Marie Butler, head of education in Teagasc.
She says: “Nationally, we are fortunate with the education system that we have. In recent years, there has been a growth in the number of subjects you can choose to study for your Leaving Certificate. Agriculture is in a competitive group.
“So far, we have had nine meetings regarding the redevelopment of the ag science curriculum. When the document goes out for consultation, it will be imperative that everybody who has an opinion and who values agriculture can contribute to that.
“This will be out for consultation early next year, where teachers will be invited to give their opinions and feedback.
“We asked the teachers who participated in the survey to leave some comments and opinions on what they are finding challenging and what changes they would like to see with the subject,” says Anne-Marie.
Joe Corroon, IASTA chairperson
“IASTA welcomes the establishment of a working group looking into the new ag science curriculum, and it’s great to see all interest groups around the table discussing things for hopefully the betterment of students.
There have been issues since the implementation of the new course. There is no point in hiding it and it has led to a significant drop in numbers, with 2024 student numbers down by approximately 1,000 on the previous year.
However, there’s positive signs out there, with anecdotal evidence to suggest that the decline in numbers is easing and that numbers have stabilised in many schools. “We would love to see the subject get back to the place where it was with over 8,000 students sitting the exam annually. There is a market out there for ag science graduates with employment opportunities and we want to see enough students coming through the secondary school scheme to be able to go and fill those positions.”
Miriam O’Gorman, Scoil Chríost Rí, Co Laois
“The new curriculum has really put students off the subject. They find the briefs too difficult to understand, and now with AI, there could be problems with them not even coming up with an idea themselves, which was the whole idea around the new project.
“[In our school], we will not have a fifth-year group for the third year in a row, and with the old course, we always had a class group.
“I do feel the syllabus needs an upgrade, and it is good the way they are keeping with the times with the written paper section, but I feel the Individual Investigative Study (IIS) needs to change.
“You need to have something more practical like the old course, as farming is something you can learn so much from. Also, AI has to be considered. It is going to be so much harder to correct – to try make sure it is not AI completing the task for the students.”
Thomas Pollard, Coláiste Phobal Roscrea, Co Tipperary
“I think that students struggle with what the questions are looking for at times, they much prefer straight-to-the-point questions, similar to the biology exam. Also, the project is a problem, as students who don’t come from a farming background think they can’t complete the project as they have no farm to do it.
“We’re creating several plots here in our school to allow for this, but I know other schools would struggle to do that. I would like the project to increase to 40% without increasing the project workload for students.
“I think it is also important to reduce the number of synoptic style questions and make them more detailed to allow the students to know what the examiner is looking for. Some answers now can be so broad as a result of the questions being asked.”
SHARING OPTIONS