hardest subject

aine-maire

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

Don't know how scientific this is - I have derived a list of the hardest subjects to the easiest based on the number of A1's awarded at higher level only, these numbers are a percentage of the number of A1's awarded based on the number of candidates taking the exam

Art
Construction Studies
Geography
Home Economics
Classical Studies
...
Physics & Chemistry
Applied Maths
Latvian
Japanese
Russian
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That's all well and good...but there's going to be a small percentage of people getting A1s in art because so many people do it as they perceive it as 'easy', or a doss class. (at least in my school:rolleyes:)
And all of the 'easiest' ones are subjects that are not commonly taken. People are only going to do Russian, Japanese or Latvian if they're good at it because they're not generally offered in schools.
Also Applied Maths is near the bottom because so many perceive it as terrifyingly impossible and therefore only do it if they're competent at it.

That's my take on it anyways...;)

Creeping-Death

Higher Maths, from someone who's done the leaving twice, its not only hard, but the work thats needed to get an A1 is much more than in any other subject. And ive always been pretty good at maths but leaving cert higher is a joke its so difficult

aine-maire

Yeah, it is hard but it's really doable........like the same type of questions come up every year really.

It really depends on your own personality and the amount of work you invest!

bythewoods

How the hell is geography so high up in that list?
It's the simplest subject ever, and I'm surely not the only one saying it.

The reson there's less A1s, I guess, is because so many people sit it. People who are less likely to be aiming in the 500+ points region take it because it's apparently an easy paper? So the ammount of poor grades negates the ammount of A1s or something?

PurpleFistMixer

Fair few people in my year did pretty poorly in Geography in the LC, expecting to get A1s actually...

I think just nobody gets an A1 in art (grumble grumble). It's such a mad subject, how can you learn what is essentially a subject in itself (art history) while spending most of your time drawing is what I want to know.

But yeah, the list is flawed. Russian etc. is done by fluent speakers obviously. What could be more interesting perhaps is a grade distribution curve for each subject. If you could be bothered. : p Art is just hideous and wrong, though. They may as well say that A2 is the highest mark you can get. (I may be slightly biased because I got an A2, admittedly...)

A subject is hard if you don't enjoy it, I find. Or perhaps better put, you will do worse in a subject if you don't enjoy it. "Hard" isn't a problem if it's something you're interested in. (Though if you simply cannot add, I don't recommend you do honours maths.) I'd say when I was doing my LC the hardest subject was possibly Applied Maths, because I was doing it outside school, and unlike most other subjects, it requires you to actually solve problems and think laterally now and again, instead of just reiterating a formula you've learned off for answering a question. That said, it wasn't the subject I did worst in in the LC. I did worst in French... because I spent the 2 years of LC French doodling in frustration. At least my French notes were a sight to behold.

rebel girl 15

bythewoods wrote: »

How the hell is geography so high up in that list?
It's the simplest subject ever, and I'm surely not the only one saying it.

quote]

They are very hard with the marking scheme because they can only give a certain number of A1's

JSK 252

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

That said, it wasn't the subject I did worst in in the LC. I did worst in French... because I spent the 2 years of LC French doodling in frustration. At least my French notes were a sight to behold.

If my memory serves me correct. You got an A2 in French didnt you?

PurpleFistMixer

JSK 252 wrote: »

If my memory serves me correct. You got an A2 in French didnt you?

Aye. And Art. Despite all the hours of French spent drawing.

Fad

and she's bitter about 2 A2's


(Why am i up at 3 32?)

eVeNtInE

This post has been deleted.

PurpleFistMixer

I'm not bitter about it, I was merely making the point that while I didn't find French particularly hard or anything, I wasn't interested in it and frankly didn't enjoy the classes, so I did (comparatively) badly in it. Art was just because nobody ever gets A1s in Art ever, which I am slightly bitter about.

KnifeWRENCH

bythewoods wrote: »

How the hell is geography so high up in that list?
It's the simplest subject ever, and I'm surely not the only one saying it.

The reson there's less A1s, I guess, is because so many people sit it. People who are less likely to be aiming in the 500+ points region take it because it's apparently an easy paper? So the ammount of poor grades negates the ammount of A1s or something?

I'd say that people see Geography as a doss subject, go through 5th and 6th year thinking "oh this is easy" and then get to the Leaving Cert and realise "Oh wait, this is actually quite a tough paper."

Geography has always been considered one of the easiest subjects (and, in fairness, Junior Cert Geoegraphy has very little work compared to other JC subjects!) but it was the only subject where I was desparately caught for time in the LC. You have to write a load of SRP's (significant relevant points) to get the marks, but you must also stick strictly to a time plan so that you answer every question. And of course there's the fieldwork study.

When it comes down to it, Geography really isn't any easier than other LC subjects. I did well in Geography because I enjoyed studying it and worked really hard at it, not because it was easy.

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

A subject is hard if you don't enjoy it, I find. Or perhaps better put, you will do worse in a subject if you don't enjoy it. "Hard" isn't a problem if it's something you're interested in. (Though if you simply cannot add, I don't recommend you do honours maths.)

That's true in general, but I was an exception. My three best results in the Leaving were Geography, English and Irish. Of the three, Geog was the only one I enjoyed studying.
My favourite subjects were Maths & Physics, the two subjects I'm now doing a degree in at college. I only got a B2 in Maths because even though I love the subject I do find it difficult. I got an A2 in Physics after desparately trying for an A1.

It's actually really frustrating - I loved Maths, yet often struggled with it and I was always very good at English, yet I absolutely hated it (although we had a brilliant teacher for Leaving Cert, which made it a bit more bearable.)

bricky10

History, construction and maths!! they are really hard subjects to get A1's in!

LivingDeadGirl

My 3 options are all in the top 8 most difficult to get an A1 in :rolleyes:

phasers

Honours Maths for most people, but I have an amazing teacher and it's all grand. I'd say for me it's Irish, because I have THE WORLD'S MOST IMCOMPETANT WOMAN as a teacher.


There's no "hardest subject" tbh, everyone has different strengths

regob

its your bloody leaving cert, dont worry about whats the bloody hardest subject just sit down and do some bloody work. its a leaving get some god damn points. honestly what difference does it make discovering whats the hardest subject, hard or easy its a bloody subject just do it

Sea Devils

Personally never liked Home Economics. It was the only Science based subject I did so it wasn't too bad but couldn't grasp my way around the defintions e.g. "Omega 3 fatty acid" or define "dextrinsation":(.

Loved History though despite struggling with it. Was lucky enough to have a brilliant teacherwho was very enthuiastic about the course which made it bearable:)

Fad

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

I'm not bitter about it, I was merely making the point that while I didn't find French particularly hard or anything, I wasn't interested in it and frankly didn't enjoy the classes, so I did (comparatively) badly in it. Art was just because nobody ever gets A1s in Art ever, which I am slightly bitter about.

I wasnt being particularly serious, I think the time that was posted at might be an indicator of that, apologies.

Im am seriously apathetic towards french so, I cant see myself getting more than a B

xOxSinéadxOx

I just think they hardest ones are the ones I have the worst teachers in. Higher maths and Irish and english. I have **** teachers in all of them. it isn't fair :mad: I find french quite difficult even though I have a good teacher. and art history is hard for me cos I'm just interested really

ReacherCreature

Maths, Irish.

Head-wreckingly impossible!

hopeful_girl

math is impossible.

irish is cool.

but why all the silly stories and all that.

so out dated

Fad

hopeful_girl wrote: »

math is impossible.

irish is cool.

but why all the silly stories and all that.

so out dated

Those stories are great!

Also what else could they possibly put on the paper? (If there is something potentially relevant, tell me! I honestly dont know!)

galway.gaa

hate geography. too much learning off things

SligoBrewer

Fad wrote: »

Those stories are great!

Also what else could they possibly put on the paper? (If there is something potentially relevant, tell me! I honestly dont know!)

Paper 2 could be a whole subject on its own tbh. (And I'd love if it were.)

Fad

SligoBrewer wrote: »

Paper 2 could be a whole subject on its own tbh. (And I'd love if it were.)

I'd kinda prefer them together tbh.

No particular logical reasoning, I'd just prefer them to not to split them up.

I think I'm one of the few people who thinks the Irish course is grand though (And with this increase in the marks for the Oral, it'll be even better soon).

english4490

french because we just dod not do anything on the opinion/reaction pieces!

but overall its physics its sooo hard... but hating the subject and the teacher leaving after the pre's and coming back 2 days b4 we finished school didn help!:rolleyes:

We

-JammyDodger- wrote: »

It's completely subjective, thus impossible to say. If your weakness is learning large amounts, then I'd imagine it'd be biology or business etc. But if your weakness is more on the maths side, then it's bound to be applied maths or just maths. It really is impossible to say. For me personally, it's Irish.

I don't think that it's as subjective a matter as you believe in terms of/lack of innate ability determining the difficulty of a subject, more so, I feel the problem is just that people can't seem to differentiate between which subjects they do well in, and which subjects they think are easy..

Its when people can't seem to realise why they do well in a certain subject and come to a dumbass conclusion like, oh, I just 'get' maths...
The answer is no, you don't just 'get'maths.. you've been working consistently at it more than anyone else for the past 2 years, constantly refreshing the methods and techniques in your mind, just like someone striving for an A1 in biology would.

The subjects are a lot more alike than you think and 'natural ability' plays little part in peoples success. If people were just smart enough to realise the REAL reasons why they succeed/fail in certain subjects, they would be able to rationalize whether or not its actually a difficult subject, and threads like this would be completely viable

GVNDNN

For me it's french, dunno why i'm doing honours ;/

Gi joe!

Economics is by far the most convoluted out of my subjects.

Its 90% theory in a sort of 'know it or you don't' with loads of abstract ideas-elasticity!

But then again some guys in my class can just fly through it with very little work. Different strokes for different folks I guess:)

CaoimH_in

Music? someone? c'mon! Its nearly Impossible to get full marks in composing and the listening... ohhh the listening...