Junior Cycle

Junior Cycle

St. Paul’s CBS offers a wide ranging and thorough Junior Cycle programme that students have found enriching and rewarding. We feel that it is important that students have a variety of subjects to choose from to ensure that they can match their skills to the options available.

In First Year, students will do their core Junior Cycle subjects that are examined in the Junior Certificate exams as well as a number of Short Courses. They will do ‘taster’ courses for two weeks in the first term where they will try out all of the optional subjects. This is a vital element of our students taking control and having a voice in their own education as they can pick the option that suits them best.

In Second Year, the Classroom Based Assessments (CBA) begin for most subjects. These are assignments where students will work either on their own or in groups depending on the subject to prepare a display or deliver a presentation or one of a number of other tasks depending on the specifications for the subject. There are graded by the teacher and go towards the pupil’s Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement that they will be awarded after they complete Junior Cycle.

Our students complete their second CBA in the first term of Third Year and again this goes into their Profile of Achievement. Their other achievements in school, such as any awards they achieve, clubs they are a part of, or teams they play on, to name a few examples, will also be included. They also complete their Assessment Task in around March of Third Year in all of their examinable subjects. This is a short exam taken in class that is corrected by the State Examinations Commission and worth 10% of their overall grade.

As well as being an academic few years in St. Paul’s CBS, the Junior Cycle is also a time for great personal growth. Students will go on various trips and activities including, but definitely not limited to: hiking in Glendalough, canoeing in the Cavan centre, football and GAA teams, school choir, Green Schools committee, student council, the Amber Flag campaign, Stand-up Awareness week, and afterschool clubs such as sports on a Wednesday afternoon.

List of subjects and their specifications:

Core –

English https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-Cycle/Junior-Cycle-Subjects/English/

Gaeilge https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-Cycle/Junior-Cycle-Subjects/Gaeilge/

Maths https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-Cycle/Junior-Cycle-Subjects/Mathematics/

Geography https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-Cycle/Junior-Cycle-Subjects/Geography/

History https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-Cycle/Junior-Cycle-Subjects/History/

Religious Education https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-Cycle/Junior-Cycle-Subjects/Religious-Education/

Science https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-Cycle/Junior-Cycle-Subjects/Science/

Optional Subjects –

Art https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-Cycle/Junior-Cycle-Subjects/Visual-Art/

Business Studies https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-Cycle/Junior-Cycle-Subjects/Business-Studies/