Am I f*cked for the Leaving Cert?

Gavin "shels"

So since the oul Leaving Cert 2008 is over (minus the results in August), so I got my 5th year Summer exam results (I know only minor exams and all) back there last week, but all the exams were parts of LC pass papers so basically it was like doing the LC but with the sections you learned in the year. So to say the least my results were poxy:

(O)Maths: C (I'll definitely improve on that, surprised I done so bad)
(H)English: D
(H)Physics: C
(O) Irish: D (My weak point is the Poems and Pros, didn't answer any of the questions on the paper which was worth about 30%)
(O)French: C (My weak point is the aural, only got 50%, and I got 80% on my oral)
(H) Geography: D
(H)Business: D



So basically summing it up I'll have to work my arse off, most advice people give on here is to do all your homework in 5th year and that's it. I done that missed about 1 or 2 homeworks and well I didn't succeed to say the least.

The subjects I really feel I'll struggle in will be Irish (4 people in a class of 20 odd passed Ordinary Irish on the exams, sums up the teaching) and Business (Teacher doesn't know a thing, she does everything page by page from the book). Summing it up two classes with shocking teachers, so I'll be putting alot of work in myself, mostly more than the others (minus Physics).

In the Leaving Cert I'm aiming for about 380 ish, looking to do something in I.T.

So what do people recommend? Fancy posting some websites which you used to revise? etc...

andrew

Doing your homework isn't enough, you've gotta study too! The best I can give is to begin making notes this September. I find notes are really helpful. They force you to look over everything in a particular chapter and to understand it before you put it down. So make notes, and use these notes to study. You still have a whole year left. You can get a crapload done if you try. good luck!

Gavin "shels"

andrew wrote: »

Doing your homework isn't enough, you've gotta study too! The best I can give is to begin making notes this September. I find notes are really helpful. They force you to look over everything in a particular chapter and to understand it before you put it down. So make notes, and use these notes to study. You still have a whole year left. You can get a crapload done if you try. good luck!

Cheers, my plan was to start making notes after the first week of school (back on the 27th August), basically so I don't kill myself in the first week.:D

Thanks for the advice.;)

cHaTbOx

Mate If you really want to do well I'd be inclined to do some study over the summer.I know you don't want to here this but when the Sh*t hit the fan this year for me ,doing the work over the summer really pulled me through.It's three months till you go back(think its nearer 2 now) and then 5 months till mock or so then 4 months till leaving.So you have a year.But If you go back into 6th year not doing anything then you are basically starting from scratch.Doing it this way you could read a business book for half an hour each nite .do a maths past paper over a weak.Listen to some french music some of its ok and you get better at telling what a word is.You are not ****ed at all,it's a year away and the Leaving |Cert for me wasnt on my main list of priorities this year.It's about litttle and often.:)

Mark200

Gavin shels wrote: »

So basically summing it up I'll have to work my arse off, most advice people give on here is to do all your homework in 5th year and that's it. I done that missed about 1 or 2 homeworks and well I didn't succeed to say the least.

The subjects I really feel I'll struggle in will be Irish (4 people in a class of 20 odd passed Ordinary Irish on the exams, sums up the teaching) and Business (Teacher doesn't know a thing, she does everything page by page from the book). Summing it up two classes with shocking teachers, so I'll be putting alot of work in myself, mostly more than the others (minus Physics).

In the Leaving Cert I'm aiming for about 380 ish, looking to do something in I.T.

So what do people recommend? Fancy posting some websites which you used to revise? etc...

You sound like what I was like in 5th year I guess. Scary actually, you have exactly the same subjects I did except I did German instead of French. I had a similar points goal too, and I have Computer Science at the top of my CAO at the moment :P

Doing homework isn't enough really, you have to makesure you do it to the best of your ability. Don't worry about having to use the book when doing your homework for a new topic for a week or two, but after that you should try doing questions without looking at the book.
Pay attention in class too.


Tbh I did **** all study until the last month or two. I think I got about 380 in my LC (that's what I calculated from how well I think I did in every subject).

Starting to write notes at this stage would be a great idea and a huge help. A lot of my time was spent just writing out notes, because really when you're a month away you will not want to be flicking through your huge books. Get two or three big binders too to keep them in.

For English and physics index cards are a huge help. English for the quotes (play, pros, poetry) and physics for the formulae. If you have those ready to go and flick through them every day then you'll be sorted. Definately get index cards.


Are you doing higher or ordinary level maths?

Gavin "shels"

Mark200 wrote: »

You sound like what I was like in 5th year I guess. Scary actually, you have exactly the same subjects I did except I did German instead of French. I had a similar points goal too, and I have Computer Science at the top of my CAO at the moment :P

Man that's crazy, Computer Science will be probably high up on my CAO come next year aswell.:eek:

Mark200 wrote: »

Doing homework isn't enough really, you have to makesure you do it to the best of your ability. Don't worry about having to use the book when doing your homework for a new topic for a week or two, but after that you should try doing questions without looking at the book.
Pay attention in class too.

I did, that's the reason I've loss some confidence.

Mark200 wrote: »

Starting to write notes at this stage would be a great idea and a huge help. A lot of my time was spent just writing out notes, because really when you're a month away you will not want to be flicking through your huge books. Get two or three big binders too to keep them in.

For English and physics index cards are a huge help. English for the quotes (play, pros, poetry) and physics for the formulae. If you have those ready to go and flick through them every day then you'll be sorted. Definately get index cards.

I'll take that into mind, probably get started on notes this Monday, just give me time to organise myself this week.

Mark200 wrote: »

Are you doing higher or ordinary level maths?

I done Higher up until about January, then after my poor Christmas exam result added up the amount of work I was putting in, I decided it was best to drop down. Now I have time to put more time and effort into my other subjects since ordinary Maths is quite easy for myself (I'll be looking at an A for the Leaving).

scholes19

Gav Sels, just get the head down from sept. making your notes, taking your time to do so cause you will depend on them, as you can disgard your text books!
Revise what you do in school every night! Revising what you do in school nightly is key to remember info!
Listen in class and keep on top of your hw!
As keano says: "fail to prepare,prepare to fail" therefore keepin on top of stuff and setting down study plans and sticking to dem is also crucial to your success!;)
Best of luck with it next year Gav just remember that the rest of your life can be made easier if you put the effort in!

PrivateEye

1) Dont listen to the 'I'm mad and I dont study' brigade in school. Get the head down. They are too, they just wont admit it.

2) Dont sacrifice a social life. If you do- you'll go mad. Not worth it.

3) Nightly revision (not killing yourself like, just looking over what you did that day BRIEFLY) is key- esp. in something like business. Business is easy enough, but a huge course- so you have to stay on top of it.

4) Prioritise. Dont spend a long time studying something you like and are good at . I did that at first. "Jesus, I hate German- I'll look over history" No point- didn't benefit me.

5) I promise- I am probably the most ordinary bloke you'll ever meet. Went football every week up until the end, had enough nights out for a B list celebrity and acted the bollocks in school, the above is how I wish I did things. Seriously, it's important you take the year seriously from the start. I got very into the "I'll start next Monday" stuff- DONT DO THAT!!!!

6) Shels are crap. Start following the Supersaints :pac:

drunknmunky_69

its not too late to start studying...from sept get ure head into the books, keep revising over what you area covering and you'll do fine.

If its any help i have some really good business and irish notes. No use to me now so they're ures if you want them

zuroph

Gavin "shels" wrote: »

So since the oul Leaving Cert 2007 is over (minus the results in August)

yeah you're in trouble......its 2008.

eoin2nc

Yeah your screwed. No point working now its too late. Sure you only have 11 months left

~Candy~

i am kinda freaked out abit by the whole going-to-the-leaving cert thing - - !!i dunno why ...that shouldn't happen like!!:(
err one of my bestest friend decided to repeat 5th yr ..i was there..ummmm

anyway. the only result i am happy with is business..98%.. well f**ed up french so badly..and still w8ing for mine maths!!

for business, i think i ve got a good enuff text book 'business today'i don't know are you using that book? well i just highlight the important stuff and the keywords and mark the so-called NB sections ..in the end of each chapter they give you a summary diagram and keywords..which is gr8 when it came to revising..i just test myself with that...lyk i make sure i no what the words means.and the keywords kinda helps you to recall as well if you know what i mean..if you don't use that book you could do the summary tingy yourself..

well i do make note on subjects like home ec, but i got this revise-wise for business , it's handy enuff, it basically like the short summary of the text book ..they only give you the keywords like(which helps u to recall) and tells you the important sections in each chapter..But they kinda skip sections(not-so-important ones according to them).. i think i will start making my own note next yr on the important sections only...


there is so much in business ...!!i wish i ve got a photographic memory or sumthing -_-

paddy111199

Hi, I am a business studies teacher (go easy on me:)).

Although you may not be impressed with your results this summer I have to say I am impressed with the way you have reflected upon them. Believe me you are realising this just in time. Many dont realise this until it is too late.

If you are finding the business course difficult there are resources out there to make life a bit easier on yourself. First of all I would highly recommend the Business mag that is distributed in LC year and to be honest it is very "exam focused" but condenses the course.

skool.ie can also be helpful.

TBH you should focus on exam questions and be clever about your study, the "whole reading the text book" is rubbish, pick the relevent sections and practise exam technique (timing).

hope this helps and best of luck!

~Candy~

eoin2nc wrote: »

Yeah your screwed. No point working now its too late. Sure you only have 11 months left

yea only 11months 1week and 2days ..lol ..but i heard time flies in 6th yr esp after xmas, the orals particles and all that is that true?

~Candy~

paddy111199 wrote: »

Hi, I am a business studies teacher (go easy on me:)).

Although you may not be impressed with your results this summer I have to say I am impressed with the way you have reflected upon them. Believe me you are realising this just in time. Many dont realise this until it is too late.

If you are finding the business course difficult there are resources out there to make life a bit easier on yourself. First of all I would highly recommend the Business mag that is distributed in LC year and to be honest it is very "exam focused" but condenses the course.

skool.ie can also be helpful.

TBH you should focus on exam questions and be clever about your study, the "whole reading the text book" is rubbish, pick the relevent sections and practise exam technique (timing).

hope this helps and best of luck!

hey teacher:p

how cud you get the business mag?

and is it necessary to read the business magazines to know the current business affairs.?..know the % of the inflation the unemployment rates etc?

paddy111199

The Business Magazine would be ordered by your teacher, if they do not mention it to you, then you need to mention to them that you are interested. They should have some copies from previous years anyway, and they usually cover the same topics year in year out ,as the course does not change. So even if you know someone who got them last year that would suffice. The magazine normally goes through sample answers, condenses the course and also gives you some helpful hints. But do not expect this to perform miracles, it is just something to point you in the right direction.... The textbook on the other hand usually gives you stories to help you understand the concept at hand and definitions. Use it for this. So the magazine is usually v helpful in the mocks for example, when you don't have as much time on your hands....
It is good to read the papers and keep an eye out for what is happening in the economy, this can be useful for examples in your answers, but don't worry too much about it. The examiner really wants to see if you understand the concept of inflation, but if you can give an example to illustrate that, well that is just brownie points!!! Usually the textbook will have examples, but just see how old your one is, your teacher will probably refer to current examples throughout the class anyway, so keep your ears open... And remember timing is important, a lot of very clever students loose out because they write all they know, you will hear about significant relevant points next year. When you hear that listen!!! It basically means you can say a lot of very relevant stuff without waffeling, be precise!
Anyway, I am off to leaba land, its way past boring teachers bed time!

Peleus

If i could go back in time... I would have made a lot more notes in Fifth year. At the start of sixth year, especially for maths, i stated to get organised and it helped. but when i tried to look back on stuff that i did in fifth year, it was impossible. didnt really write any notes in fifth year and really regret it now.

So you should try to revise all you did in fifth year and make some notes on some subjects. get a folder, and an A4 yellow copybook etc for each subject. In sixth year English i had an A4 copy for my comparative and Poetry and another one for homework and my single text. I wrote all my notes in those throughout the year and it really helped coming upto exams. Dont write all your notes on pieces of paper cos they go all over the place and piss you off.

So basically try do some notes on stuff you did in fifth year over the summer. That will really help when you're studying for exams. and get organised for sixth year. be able to take down everything that is said in class, cos it wont go in otherwise.

oh, and another thing, try really hard for the xmas exams. It's good to have results for Xmas knowing you tried your best for them. I barely studied for my xmas exams and because of that my results were sorta useless cos i didnt know if i could get better etc... If you study really hard for them, you'll know what you can get in the leaving.

If you do all that you should definately improve your results and it really takes that heat off when it comes to the actual leaving. if i didnt work hard at the start of sixth year i would have had a nervous breakdown during the leaving.

Usually you'll get better in the Leaving than in your school exams. My results were 460 in Xmas '07, 450 in summer '07, 485 in Xmas '08 and i reckon i got 475 in the leaving. (but thats just because my Xmas results were marked too easy.)

sorry for rambling on, good luck in the leaving and try to get a head start over the summer.

Gavin "shels"

PrivateEye wrote: »

1) Dont listen to the 'I'm mad and I dont study' brigade in school. Get the head down. They are too, they just wont admit it.

Don't worry I won't be, there's not really many of them in my year anyway thank god.

PrivateEye wrote: »

2) Dont sacrifice a social life. If you do- you'll go mad. Not worth it.

I never planned on.:cool:

PrivateEye wrote: »

3) Nightly revision (not killing yourself like, just looking over what you did that day BRIEFLY) is key- esp. in something like business. Business is easy enough, but a huge course- so you have to stay on top of it.

Point taken, I've found that myself. We finished basically the whole course but instead of going through it better our teacher has suggested getting another book, doesn't seem logical.

PrivateEye wrote: »

4) Prioritise. Dont spend a long time studying something you like and are good at . I did that at first. "Jesus, I hate German- I'll look over history" No point- didn't benefit me.

I'm usually good at that anyway.;)

PrivateEye wrote: »

5) I promise- I am probably the most ordinary bloke you'll ever meet. Went football every week up until the end, had enough nights out for a B list celebrity and acted the bollocks in school, the above is how I wish I did things. Seriously, it's important you take the year seriously from the start. I got very into the "I'll start next Monday" stuff- DONT DO THAT!!!!

Haha I promise I'll be starting next Monday.

PrivateEye wrote: »

6) Shels are crap. Start following the Supersaints :pac:

Indeed we are crap but aw well. Pats are actually my local team but it was because of a combination of Joe Reynolds (ex Pats and Shels) and my Dad.:D

Gavin "shels"

Cheers everyone for the replies, all the points were taken (minus supporting Pats).:p

ironictoaster

I'm in the same position as well. My 5th year Summer results wore woeful. I was considering taking grinds for English during the Summer.

BJC

You're totally screwed...TOTALLY!! May as well give up now...you're wasting your time....




God, I love the beauty of hindsight =P

Gavin "shels"

BJC wrote: »

You're totally screwed...TOTALLY!! May as well give up now...you're wasting your time....

Grand job PLC course in Crumlin College it is.:pac:

Reganio 2

My 5th year summer results were woeful and so were my mocks but I am just to laid back I can't get hyped up to go right I have to do some studying. Everything just kind of rolled off me. People smoke to become as laid back as me .Seriously mate just study. As much as your mates say lets go here and here just say nah I can't if they are doing the LC they will understand but if they aren't I guarantee they will be there when you are finished.

yay_for_summer

~Candy~ wrote: »

yea only 11months 1week and 2days ..lol ..but i heard time flies in 6th yr esp after xmas, the orals particles and all that is that true?

Yes. Absolutely true. Work from September to December, it'll stand to you massively. You can get really bogged down in practising for orals and doing projects and stuff after the pres and the time is just gone before you know it. I know people say the pres don't count, but if you work towards them the stuff does come back to you in May/June.

emmanuels-baby

hey listen...i did feck all in 5th year and walked away with 540 in the LC...do not stress! you COULD study over the summer...(i didn't)...if you're having trouble in a subject(like irish) i would seriously recommend institute grinds(fridays or saturdays) they cost a pretty penny but if you're struggling they're totally worth it(providing you actually READ the notes)
honestly, just take it handy, my study method for 6th year was not based on time(i found that saying i was gonna do "3hours tonight" only made me delay starting those hours and actually never getting around to actually doing them) i would recommend you say "tonight i'm studying the lungs, female reproductive system and genetics" (or whatever)...study ONLY them, make notes, KNOW them, and STOP!!! some topics might take longer(ie. only 2pages of info) others might take ages...but this means that your study is based on topics rather than time so you're not under a stupid time schedule which will only turn you off anyway(imo)

as for english...(well the essay part)...there is always a section of photos and an essay option to write an essay based on one of those photos...so what i did was-write an essay, have it corrected...again and again and again...one year based on ONE essay which i could fit ANY photo into(remember-the essay has to have some "valid" connection to the photo but this is easily done!!!!)...got an A1 in english and i hold this method responsible for clinching it!

as for geography...just learn numbers and names!!!!(numbers=populations, amount of money involved, year of whatever etc...names=obvious) yoou need like 30 srp's per essay..you can write them in POINT FORMAT so learn them that way..easy peasy!!!

as for orals...record yourself saying the sentences for whatever and listen to it whenever you get the chance!!!! cannot say enough about how effective this is!!!


oh and yeah don't give up your social life...i hit town every saturday night...just don't get too locked or you won't bother studying on the sunday(hangover flashback ) the folk in my year who locked themselves away didn't get as high points....have FUN!!!!

hope that helps...if i can give any more info-just ask!