Subject Choice and CAT4 Information for Parents of Transition Year Students (& 3rd Years moving straight to 5th Year):
Dear Parent/Guardian,
At Coláiste Abbáin, we believe in providing every student with the opportunity to realise their full potential and achieve at their highest level. To gain a better understanding of the learning needs and preferences of our students, we administered a series of short cognitive ability assessments on Tuesday, March 25th, 2025. The results from the assessment have been sent home so you can discuss them with your child which may help to inform subject selection for Leaving Certificate.
Please see the ‘Summary’ section of the report which details how your child learns best and offers suggested strategies for how you can support his/her learning at home. A student may present with a balanced profile, a verbal bias or a spatial bias and the advice will reflect that. Based on this, subjects may be recommended that require more written (verbal bias) or visual (spatial bias) learning. Interest in the subject should also play a key factor as to whether a subject is chosen. The idea being that success is most likely where our interests and abilities intersect.
The Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4) assesses a student’s ability to think across four different reasoning batteries:
Verbal reasoning – thinking with words
Quantitative reasoning – thinking with number
Non-Verbal reasoning – thinking with shapes
Spatial reasoning – thinking with shapes and space
Here is a link to a short video further explaining the CAT4 from our assessment provider, GL Assessment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0DDUKuQtKc&t=83s
Here is a sample CAT4 report for a Transition Year student: https://support.gl-assessment.co.uk/media/2789/albright-moses-individual-report-for-parents-p09124275-c4ig-irps-individual-pages.pdf
At our Senior Cycle and Subject Choice talk on Wednesday evening (March 19th), I mentioned the following website page from Careers Portal for detailed information about each subject you can use in helping your child research their potential subjects: https://careersportal.ie/school/subject_explorer.php
I also gave a demonstration on this Subject Requirements tool from Qualifax and encourage you to use it to ensure your child considers what university courses may not be unavailable to them as a result of not choosing specific subjects: https://www.qualifax.ie/subject-requirements
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at philipobrien@wwetb.ie. Thank you.
Phil O'Brien
Guidance Counsellor
Information on Guidance at Coláiste Abbáin:
Guidance in Coláiste Abbáin incorporates educational, career, personal and social guidance delivered within a whole-school context, to include the role of all teachers and the specialised role of the guidance counsellor. Provision of guidance involves planning for, and delivering, a range of learning experiences provided in a developmental sequence that assist students to develop self-management skills, which will lead to effective choices and decisions about their lives. Guidance is, by definition, person-centred, and holistic. Guidance supports students’ personal and social, educational and career development. Guidance facilitates and empowers students to make informed decisions and life choices. Guidance plays a significant role in supporting students’ wellbeing and contributes to building internal and external resilience.
Guidance “encompasses the three separate, but interlinked, areas of personal and social development, educational guidance and career guidance”. (Department of Education and Science; 2005, pg. 4)
Guidance Counsellor & Guidance Team Coordinator: Mr Philip O'Brien
Guidance at Coláiste Abbáin includes:
- Options for Employment, Training and Third Level
- Links with local industry
- Career and College Research
- Individual Guidance appointments
- Job Applications - CVs, Letters of Application and Interview Techniques
- Study Skills and Exam Techniques
- Visits to Open Days and Career Exhibitions
- CAO Application both online and by paper
- Éacht Programme (Senior student meetings with Principal and Deputy Principal)
- Athena Tracking and Monitoring
- Careers Week
- Subject Teacher Talks
- Subject Fair
- Subject Option Support
- Guest Speakers
- Work Experience
Useful Links:
