Leaving Cert grinds are in high demand around exam time. We get a few tweets and emails asking for recommendations, so here are our thoughts. It’s interesting to ponder whether Leaving Cert grinds are of benefit. In a sense, it is like asking: do I need a personal trainer to get fit? Do you need Leaving Cert grinds to do well? The short answer is no, from our assessment. Ultimately, a teacher or tutor can only do so much. It is up to the student to internalise the knowledge. Let’s weight it up:
Pros A structured approach and a friendly face will make just about anything easier. Having additional classes can be helpful because it takes away the need to internally motivate yourself. When you know that a tutor, who is just so lovely and friendly, is going to ask you for your work, you cannot fathom saying the dog ate it… so you do it properly. A tutor helps to keep you honest.
You can get personalised feedback and ask questions without the fear of looking (as) silly.
Students attending grinds schools often remark that the notes are made with the specific year in mind and are the most helpful part.
Cons
The quality of grinds is highly variable. If you do decide to go with grinds, a good question to ask yourself is: if this tutor were to go and sit the paper right now, would they get an A1? It is tempting to assume that, since they have a degree in <relevant subject>, they’ve got exactly what you need. However, the Leaving Cert imposes a particular mould that you have to fit into to do well.
It isn’t clear how grinds are different to normal classes. The Irish Times point to research that shows that grind schools’ progression rates to college are on average much the same as for non-fee schools (1).
The grinds bill can get rather significant fairly quickly.
Final remarks
Only some of the members of our team have experience in the area of receiving grinds. In other words, some people didn’t receive any grinds and got 625 points. The general feedback to grinds is neither negative, nor positive. It was basically more of the same. Were they needed? Perhaps, for a clear conscience. After all, we are all susceptible to the fear of missing out and worrying that if we don’t take an opportunity, we could regret it. The decision is highly individual. Our key message is that grinds need to serve a purpose to be worth your while. It is up to the student to be clear on what they are getting from going to grinds.
