This course provides students with everything they need to maximise their marks in the practical and written aspects of this course, covering the four strands of the new specifications:
| Strand 1-scientific practices | Hypothesizing Experimenting Communicating Evaluating evidence Working safely |
| Strand 2-Soils | Formation and classification Chemical properties Physical properties Biological properties Management |
| Strand 3– Crops | Plant physiology Classification/identification Establishment Management Harvesting |
| Strand 4-Animals | Physiology Classification/identification System /enterprise Management Production Animal husbandry and health |
Students will be provided with detailed comprehensive notes on all of the above topics.
Coursework Information
- Students have to complete 22 mandatory experiments in school. This course will revise these experiments when covering strand 1.
- Students also have to complete a project that is worth 25%. This project known as the Individual Investigative Study (IIS) must be completed under the supervision of their subject teacher. However this course will provide valuable advice and guidance as the students work on their individual projects.
Leaving Certificate Exam
The Agricultural Science course has been changed and a new course has been implemented with the Leaving Cert in 2021 being the first sitting of the new course. Therefore there are no exam paper questions based on the new course, only sample questions which will be released in due course. In the notes provided, there are questions at the end of each topic and exam questions from the old course. The new exam is made of 2 sections, Section A is short answer questions and Section B is long answer questions. It has been amended for the year 2021 to allow for an increased choice of question.
**All students must bring their own everyday classroom materials + 1A4 notes copy, 1 A4 folder and pritstick or a stapler**
**Unfortunately sharing of any equipment cannot be allowed due to the current health & safety guidelines so students must come prepared with their own materials**
Finally, EXTRA RESOURCES will be published each week on Edmodo for students to be able to study supplement course material at their own leisure outside of our tuition sessions. We would ask all members to use these digital classrooms platforms on a weekly basis to maximise their overall grade.
Agricultural Science (Scheme of Work)
The specification for Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science is set out in four strands of study and eight crosscutting themes that permeate these strands:
| 4 strands | Crops | Animals | Soils | Scientific practices |
| 8 themes | Food production, health and safety, technology, breeding and genetics, sustainability, policy and economics, environment, nutrition. |
| Assessment component | Percentage |
| Written Short answer questionsStructured questionsSynoptic questions | 75 |
| Coursework Individual investigative study (IIS) | 25 |
Please note that students will also be offered advice and guidance throughout the weeks as they complete their IIS in school.
| Week | Topic |
| 1 | Introduction: course content, IIS project Kale |
| 2 | potatoes |
| 3 | Scientific practices: hypothesising and experimenting Revision of 5 experiments |
| 4 | Soil formation and classification Physical characteristics of soil |
| 5 | Chemical characteristics of soil |
| 6 | Biological characteristics of soil Revision of soil experiments |
| 7 | Soil management |
| 8 | Animal nutrition |
| 9 | Dairy breeds, nutrition and management |
| 10 | Principles of crop production and management |
| 11 | Plant physiology |
| 12 | Animal physiology |
| 13 | Grassland characteristics and growth Sowing and reseeding |
| 14 | Conservation of grass |
| 15 | Milk composition, milk production and the dairy industry |
| 16 | Beef breeds and beef production |
| 17 | Applied plant genetics |
| 18 | Sheep breeds and production |
| 19 | Exam paper prep pre mocks |
| 20 | Lamb production and husbandry |
| 21 | Applied animal genetics |
| 22 | Pig breeds, management and production |
| 23 | Animal health and disease |
| 24 | Scientific practices: evaluating evidence and communicating Working safely, revision of experiments |
| 25 | IIS review |
| 26 | Environmental impact of agriculture and markets for Irish produce |
| 27 | Revision of experiments and agreed topics |
| 28 | Exam paper questions |
| 29 | Exam paper questions |
| 30 | Exam paper questions |