Agricultural Science
Studying Independently

Students studying Agricultural Science independently outside of school with us receive:

• Access to expert teachers
• Answers to their questions
• Exam focused notes
• Exam strategies & examiner insights

This course will feature:

1. Class duration 120 minutes/week
2. Homework assigned and corrections shared
3. At Least 1 Progress Test (Christmas) with report
4. A Mock Exam
5. Support with Projects, where appropriate

Below, you will find more about what will be covered on this Agricultural Science course.

This course will be taught by Eimear Darcy.

The following is some information to enable students to get the very most out of the Agricultural Science Leaving Cert classes in The Institute of Education.

• Class format
  Classes have an online lecture format and will move quickly and may be different to classes students already have in their full-time school.
• Time & commitment
  This course requires a lot of work outside the 2 hours of class time per week. Students must be aware of this and must incorporate their Ag Science study into their normal study week. Students will pick up new material faster if they have read through the next topic BEFORE the next class. The teacher will be giving a large amount of revision homework to be completed by the next class. Students will also be required to study for regular topic tests. Any student that cannot give this level of work and time commitment to the subject will not achieve their optimum grade in the final Leaving Certificate exam.
• Refund of fees
  Students may leave the class and receive a refund of fees any time before the 2nd week of classes. After this time it is assumed students are fully enrolled and committed to the course.
• Practical lab classes and farm visits
  While experiments and practicals are part of the course, we will be waiting for further updates and confirmation from the Department of Education this month about how they will go ahead.

Course Content

This course provides students with everything they need to maximise their marks in the practical and written aspects of this course, from detailed and comprehensive study notes to dedicated farm trips and laboratory practicals.

• Grassland
  Grassland Management, Silage and Hay Making, Reseeding.
• Animal Physiology
  Ruminant, Monogastric Digestion, Animal Nutrition, Reproductive Systems.
• Dairy Production
  Calf Rearing, Lactation and Breeding Management.
• Beef Production
  Beef Husbandry, Diseases, Suckler Cows, Management.
• Sheep Production
  Lambing, Breeding , Diseases, Management.
• Crops
  Disease, Pest and Weed Control, Soil Preparation, Cover Crops (Kale).
• Cereal Production
  Barley
• Root Crop Production
  Potatoes
• Plant Biology
  Photosynthesis, Transpiration, Plant Classification, Plant Physiology.
• Genetics
  Genetic Crosses, Definitions and Applied Genetics.
• Soil Science
  Composition, Structure, Soil Management, Fertilisers, Environment, and Pollution.
• Experiments
  Specified Practical Activities
• Scientific Practices
  Scientific Method, Evaluating Evidence.
• Health and Safety
  Safe Work Practices on a Farm, Machinery, Technology, Sustainability.

Coursework Information

The project in Agricultural Science is worth 25%. It involves completing the Individual Investigative Study (IIS) and preparing a portfolio of all mandatory experiments completed. The IIS is based on a theme released every year, it involves visiting a farm and carrying out an experiment and collecting data based around the theme of that year. A physical experiment must be carried out, the experiment can be based on a farm or it can be carried out at home based on an idea formed from visiting a farm. A lot of research must also be carried out on your chosen topic to aid with the project write up and to help students form an idea for their coursework.

For this coursework, your experiment will be carried out at home as there is no lab access, this may involve you buying some equipment to help you complete the experiment at home. The project is due in April 2024.

Continuous Assessment

As part of this course, you will have weekly online tests based on the previous week’s topic. There will be some larger weekly tests when we are finished with a complete topic, e.g., soil science. There will also be 2 onsite exams held during the course. The pace of this course is very fast, and you will be required to work on your own initiative.
Directions and guidance will be given on the project but students are expected to carry out the experiment and research in their own time at home. You also must read the next week’s notes before class so you are prepared for the fast paced class.

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 limited exam paper questions based on the new course. In the notes provided, there are questions at the end of each topic and exam questions from the new course, along with sample exam questions. 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 since the year 2021 to allow for an increased choice of questions, these adjustments will remain in place for the 2024 Leaving Cert group.

Experiments and Practicals

There are a number of mandatory experiments on the Curriculum. Students will have to attend laboratory days to carry out these experiments. These laboratory days may be held on two different Saturdays over the duration of the course, – dates and details will be confirmed during the course. Students will also have access to videos of these experiments.

**NOTE: The following points should be noted by students looking to study this subject.

• Homework – both written work and online work will be given regularly.
• Students will be asked to engage in online classes regularly.
• The pace of the online theory classes are very fast so it is very important that students use their own initiative to pre-read class material and to revise class material regularly.
• Students are expected to work under their own initiative for their Individual Investigative Study (IIS) as much as possible. Guidance will be given.
• The project is an individual project and therefore there can be no group work.
• Students will have to carry out experiments at home or on a farm to collect results for their project. It is essential that primary data is collected from experiments for the IIS.