What Are the Easiest Leaving Cert Subjects to Boost My Grades?

What are the easiest Leaving Cert subjects?

When determining which are the easiest Leaving Cert subjects, we like to look at the data from a number of angles. First, we’ll share which subjects get the most H1s, and then we’ll look at the combined results of students who received an H1, H2, or H3. Something to consider before we start is that what you find easy another student may find difficult and vice versa. So, we’ve got some tips at the end of this article on how to choose your subjects wisely. 👍

All of the data on this page has been taken from the tables on the State Examinations Commission (SEC) page and these include any subjects that had 10 or more candidates. We’ve created a full table at the bottom of this section listing all of the subjects and results for 2021 so you can compare the subjects in depth. 

Which subjects get the most H1s?

An H1 is the highest grade you can be awarded for a Leaving Cert. Some subjects definitely appear to be easier to achieve this in than others. 

The top five easiest subjects based on the percentage of students awarded an H1, ordered by 2021 results are:

As you can see, 71.3 percent of students received an H1 for Russian in 2021. Considering this is the highest grade you can get and it’s worth 100 points this is very high indeed! Students also did well in this subject in 2020 and 2019. You’ll notice that all the subjects in the table fared much worse in 2019. Due to the pandemic, there was a trend in 2020 and 2021 that saw students receive better results, in general. 

Now let’s look at the top five easiest subjects based on the percentage of students awarded an H1, H2, or H3, ordered by 2021 results:

The top subject in 2021 was Russian again. Music also makes an appearance if you include the best three scores as opposed to just the H1 figure. It certainly looks like languages give you a good opportunity to get good grades. As you’ll see later though, a few languages creep into the lower end and appear on our “difficult” Leaving Cert subjects lists.  

What is the easiest Leaving Cert science?

This is a very common query for students when choosing their subjects and some of these figures may surprise you. The following table ranks the sciences by the percentage of students awarded an H1, H2, or H3 ordered by 2021 results:

*The first Leaving Cert computer science exam was in 2020. 

Chemistry has been the science with the highest grades for the past three years running. Biology, which is often considered to be an easier science doesn’t do as well as you might have expected. Whichever science/s you choose, we have tutors who can support you through your studies. Whether you just need help preparing for an exam or a regular lesson to stay on top of the content or even get ahead, private tutoring will save you a lot of time and probably stress in the long run. 😅

We often get asked by our students, “Is geography easy for Leaving Cert?”. Geography is a unique subject in that it’s sometimes considered to be a science, while other times it’s termed a “soft” science and not necessarily a traditional strand of science. Either way, if you’re contemplating taking geography, here are the results for students over the past few years:

If we compare the results for geography against the other sciences, geography is one of the more difficult subjects to get good grades in. When it comes to scoring an H1 in geography, you’ll see it’s much harder to do so than in most other subjects. Just check out the table below. However, just 0.8 percent of students received an H8 in 2021 and didn’t get any points as a result.  

As promised, here is a full table for the 2021 Leaving Cert results, ordered alphabetically by subject:

What are the most difficult Leaving Cert subjects?

We’re going to analyse the most difficult Leaving Cert subjects in a similar manner. The table below shows the combined percentages of students who received an H1, H2, or H3, except looking at the lowest-ranking subjects. 

*The first Leaving Cert computer science test was administered in 2020. 

Even though many languages are featured on the “easiest” list for receiving high grades, Latvian and French are two of the most difficult subjects using the same parameters. However, the 2021 results for Latvian are significantly lower than in 2020 and 2019. Conversely, French scored more poorly in previous years. 

The following table represents the percentage of students who were awarded an H8 which is equivalent to no points. We’ve ranked them based on 2021 results, starting with the hardest. 

*The first Leaving Cert computer science test was administered in 2020. 

Yet another language comes top of the table, this time Hungarian. Although, if you look back at 2019, physics and chemistry, and Portuguese saw many more students fail. 

After looking at all of these tables and the data displayed, the moral of the story is don’t solely rely on previous results, especially over these past tumultuous, somewhat interesting years we’ve all experienced. 

Should you opt for easy leaving cert subjects alone?

Sure, you can use the stats to guide you in making choices in some instances. However, always keep in mind:

• Any subjects you need for uni or further study
• Don’t shy away from subjects you enjoy or are good at just because they’re considered “difficult”
• Don’t choose subjects because your friends think it will be fun to do them together (unless you genuinely are interested in a subject, skilled at it, or may need it in the future)
• An “easy” subject that you find boring or don’t like won’t be easy to study for 

At the end of the day, you have to do what’s right for you. You probably already have a good idea of most of the subjects you should take. If you’re worried that one may be too challenging, you can always get a private tutor to help you. 💪 At GoStudent, we have tutors who specialize in each Leaving Cert subject and can make learning and revising a much smoother process and save you time. Good luck and enjoy the journey and everything you learn.