Starting 6th year is extremely overwhelming. Pressure of the LC looming, mocks seem just around the corner, all the long study hours, and the year has just begun.
Whether you’re aiming for 625, or want to just sane through the LC, here are absolute 10 essentials to help kickstart this important year right.
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When it comes to making study more efficient, revision books are going to be game-changers. These books are where the H1 lies.
When I was preparing, of course I used textbooks and resources, but revision books helped me become exam-focused, more organised with revision, and way more confident in general.
After the revision books, these were the ones I used the most.
Practicing past papers is one thing, but writing them out in official-style exam booklets takes your preparation to the next level.
My advice would be to get these booklets sooner rather than later. Start of the year is the perfect time. The trick to getting close to the H1 is to do as many exam Qs as possible.
I would highly recommend buying them.
3. Get the correct notebooks
This may seem like a small thing, but having the right notebooks is important.
This will get you into the exam-mindset, and help you mimic exam conditions when studying.
For subjects like Accounting, I would only use a spiral bound flipping notebook, and for Maths, I would only use the project maths copies – for close to exam condition graph papers.
For the other subjects, I would use just a normal ruled notebooks.
4. The correct study resources:
On top of textbooks, revision books and exam booklets, I highly recommend using some of these other resources too:
Again may sound trivial, but stationary is most important. There are some things that are allowed to be used in the LC, and some that are not. This list isn’t exhaustive, but good place to start:
✅ Do’s
Use black and blue pens (keep extras!)
Bring two calculators (always have a backup, just in case)
Use highlighters:
To mark key parts of questions
In Accounting (e.g. P&L vs Balance Sheet)
In Chemistry for bond diagrams
etc.
Use a see-through, bendable ruler, perfect for graphs and diagrams
❌ Don’ts
Try not to use Tipp-Ex: examiners may still award partial marks for crossed-out work
Avoid erasable pens: exams are scanned and erasing can cause issues
I would recommend buying whatever stationary you want from Amazon. I always found local shops to be WAY more expensive.
Calculator ~ €14 (allowed to use in LC as of time of writing!)
5. Organisational tools:
Some absolute must-have products I use for organisation are the following. These helped me stay sane throughout the LC. Knowing that your desk is organised, and you have a solid study plan are super important, especially to let you feel confident.
Before I started 6th year, I did a mass online shopping spree, to get me set-up for the year. This is what I ordered!
Tools to help with study planning:
To-Do List Tear-Off Pad
Extremely useful to keep on top-of things. This allows you to make a list of what you will be studying on the day – and then tick of each chapter as you get it done.
The satisfaction of having a complete to-do list is un-beatable.
The LC is a scary time. But don’t worry, you’ll do just fine.
These were the things that helped me kickstart my final year of school, hopefully they can help you too.
Hope you found this article useful. On Student Expresso, you’ll find tons of articles to help you with the LC journey!
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The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by The Leaving Cert 2026 Checklist: What Every 6th Year Needs and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.
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