Leaving Cert. Possibilities?

Coeurdepirate

So, I just finished TY and I'm going into 5th year in September. The course that I want to do was 420 points last year, so I'm aiming for 440 in the leaving. The subjects I'm doing are English, Irish, Maths (obviously) French, Biology, Chemistry & Business.
So, what I want to know is if the following results would be hard to achieve for an average student. In 5th year I'm just gonna do my homework every night and study for tests. But in 6th year I'll do homework + an hour of study until Christmas, and then 2-3 hours after.
To be honest, I didn't do my homework in 3rd year and started studying a bit about 3 weeks before the JC and was in the top 10 results in my year.

HL English - B1 (I love English)
HL French - A2 (My best subject. I'm probably if not the best in my year. Also, I'll be getting grinds, because my course includes French.)
HL Biology - B2 (Meh. I'm sorta indifferent about Biology, but it's an easy pass apparently.)
HL Chemistry - C2 (I hear it's extremely difficult, but it was my favourite part of Science in JC!)
HL Business - C1 (Picking it up at higher level after not doing it for JC, so will be putting a lot of work into it.)
OL Maths - A2 (My second best subject, I enjoy Maths, and come on, it's pass!)

Ruski

Why are you asking this? Of course they're not hard to achieve, once the finger is out. And as long as you follow your plan of doing ALL your homework and study routines works out, you'll get it. Just don't worry. As I am currently coming to the light at the end of the tunnel, I'm finding that the Leaving Cert is not this big scary monster that everyone makes it out to be.

Just keep cool and put the hours in.

Wayne 91

Coeurdepirate wrote: »

So, I just finished TY and I'm going into 5th year in September. The course that I want to do was 420 points last year, so I'm aiming for 440 in the leaving. The subjects I'm doing are English, Irish, Maths (obviously) French, Biology, Chemistry & Business.
So, what I want to know is if the following results would be hard to achieve for an average student. In 5th year I'm just gonna do my homework every night and study for tests. But in 6th year I'll do homework + an hour of study until Christmas, and then 2-3 hours after.
To be honest, I didn't do my homework in 3rd year and started studying a bit about 3 weeks before the JC and was in the top 10 results in my year.

HL English - B1 (I love English)
HL French - A2 (My best subject. I'm probably if not the best in my year. Also, I'll be getting grinds, because my course includes French.)
HL Biology - B2 (Meh. I'm sorta indifferent about Biology, but it's an easy pass apparently.)
HL Chemistry - C2 (I hear it's extremely difficult, but it was my favourite part of Science in JC!)
HL Business - C1 (Picking it up at higher level after not doing it for JC, so will be putting a lot of work into it.)
OL Maths - A2 (My second best subject, I enjoy Maths, and come on, it's pass!)

With that amount of study you'll surely get 600 points:p.. And how can you be predicting what you;ll get when you havent even done the subjects at leaving cert level yet?.. But anways i wish you all the best:D

Coeurdepirate

That's a lot of study? Really? Wow... Basically I wanted to know if what I'm planning on doing would let me scrape the points! I didn't think it was enough at all...
But as usual, I'm overestimating myself... those 3 hours of study after 6th year xmas will likely turn into 2.5 hours of procrastination...


And I'm trying to predict it basing on how I found them at JC level and how many points I need for my course.

Wayne 91

Coeurdepirate wrote: »

That's a lot of study? Really? Wow... Basically I wanted to know if what I'm planning on doing would let me scrape the points! I didn't think it was enough at all...
But as usual, I'm overestimating myself... those 3 hours of study after 6th year xmas will likely turn into 2.5 hours of procrastination...


And I'm trying to predict it basing on how I found them at JC level and how many points I need for my course.

well it is imo anyway. I didnt do study at all for the last two years. Just did my homework and studied a few days before the Leaving cert started. Ive one exam left and id say il get roughly 400-420, that will get me my course. After i did TY i had no focus whatsoever. You seem pretty focused and determined so i doubt you will have any problems with getting those results.

Coeurdepirate

Wayne 91 wrote: »

well it is imo anyway. I didnt do study at all for the last two years. Just did my homework and studied a few days before the Leaving cert started. Ive one exam left and id say il get roughly 400-420, that will get me my course. After i did TY i had no focus whatsoever. You seem pretty focused and determined so i doubt you will have any problems with getting those results.

Wow, you must be really naturally intelligent. Thanks!

blubloblu

I've got an exam tomorrow that I haven't done much study for. You'll be ok.

Wayne 91

Coeurdepirate wrote: »

Wow, you must be really naturally intelligent. Thanks!

I used to be lol. I had 2nd highest grades in Jc but doin TY really just, well F****d me up :rolleyes:

johnmcdnl

right from the off i can see that your obviously serious about working anyways so that's the first hurdle passed..

but the most important thing is to do the subjects your interested in.. i see you saying that people say chemistry is hard... and people say biology is an easy pass.. i was told by everyone i asked that physics was SOOOO hard.. i've hardly done a tap for it over the 2 years other than listen in class and i reckon I've got a B in it for the leaving there today.... why - because I have a head on me for physics and I just generally like understanding the little things in the mechanical world or whatever... i like it so i can do really well at it...

if i'd done bio now even though it's "easier" than physics and chemistry or whatever I know myself I'd have hated every minute of it and hence I'd have done poorly..

just pick the subjects you think YOU will like... don't think about people saying such a subject is SOOO hard.... they just don't like the subject and therefore don't study it and then it's hard..

do what you like - you like chemistry - then do it... if you have a chemistry head on you and you work at it then you'll get a good grade come the leaving....

saying this don't be naive and think that chemistry or bio or any subject is gonna be plain sailing.. big step up from junior cert level...

and the last thing... PASS MATHS A1 = 60 POINTS.... as much as you might like maths remember that.... that's the same as getting a C3 in a higher paper... which do you think is more important.... just remember that too


good luck with whatever you choose in the end anyways - hope this helped

Captain-America

Ah I remember when I was like you OP, so optimistic about the Leaving Cert. Now it's about three hours to my Chemistry exam and I still don't know what mass spectrometry is.

Makes me laugh when I realise I had three years to just read that part of the chapter and I never did. Oh well.

chaoticmess

Coeurdepirate wrote: »

HL English - B1 (I love English)
HL French - A2 (My best subject. I'm probably if not the best in my year. Also, I'll be getting grinds, because my course includes French.)
HL Biology - B2 (Meh. I'm sorta indifferent about Biology, but it's an easy pass apparently.)
HL Chemistry - C2 (I hear it's extremely difficult, but it was my favourite part of Science in JC!)
HL Business - C1 (Picking it up at higher level after not doing it for JC, so will be putting a lot of work into it.)
OL Maths - A2 (My second best subject, I enjoy Maths, and come on, it's pass!)

Ok well for English just make sure you keep up with it. I left out a couple of poets until a few weeks before and some of the comparative, I got it done but it wasn't worth the stress.

I can't comment on French or Business.

For Biology, as long as you read what you've gone over every day in class and have an interest in it, you'll be fine. But if you're not interested, it is far from easy as there's a lot in it!
If you're not a Biology person and feel "indifferent" about it, maybe Geography would be the easier pass.

Chemistry, yeah it's hard. And there's a huge difference between Junior Cert and Leaving Cert. I thought I would love Chemistry because I liked Physics and Biology, but it's a lot different. I recommend you get a book and start looking through it, see what you think of it. Then, if you know you'll like at least you will also then be familiar with some of the course.

As for maths, if you did higher level for junior cert, keep up the higher level for leaving cert. There will come one chapter, different for everyone, that will be hard. And you have to be determined not to drop down at that point. It's only one chapter, and chances are you can probably either leave it out if you hate it that much, or if you came back to it a year later it would make much more sense.
Don't listen to other people saying it's hard if you like maths because they might like economics and you might hate it.

I think as long as you are consistent with your work, and don't get lazy after christmas of 5th year (which about 99% of people seem to do!) then it's not a big ask and should be very doable.

Another tip - always aim higher than what your course might be. If you think it'll go up to 440, aim for 460 or even 480 etc. It will save a lot of stress and worrying coming up to the results date in August if you feel you've done more than enough.

EuropeanSon

Keep up the higher maths. It's not as hard as people say. If you got even a B in your junior you'll have no trouble passing.

For chemistry, just do questions. And more questions. And more questions. Repeat until your exam, and you'll get a high B or an A, even if you are just average. Work pays off really well in chemistry.

Eire-Dearg

Coeurdepirate wrote: »

That's a lot of study? Really? Wow... Basically I wanted to know if what I'm planning on doing would let me scrape the points! I didn't think it was enough at all...
But as usual, I'm overestimating myself... those 3 hours of study after 6th year xmas will likely turn into 2.5 hours of procrastination...


And I'm trying to predict it basing on how I found them at JC level and how many points I need for my course.

An hour every night before Xmas and 2/3 there after, you'll be well able to hit the 500s.

EuropeanSon

We were told since 5th year that we should be doing 3 hrs per night. I only started doing any study after Easter this year, but it was about 3hrs per night.

Captain-America

Indeed. You really shouldn't be thinking this deeply about the Leaving Cert going into 5th year. Just concentrate and your homework.

MaggieNF

my god man don't do Chemistry!

i loved it in the JC!

but its eats away at you. constant definitions !!!!!


do dcg, project and paper aint too bad

Eire-Dearg

They make it harder as the years go on. He'll be doing it in two years time, although it might have got a tad predictable they'll definately have stepped it up a notch.

Grindylow

OP, comparing JC to LC is completely irrelevant.
What you may have found to be Chemistry/Biology in JC course probably will never be used in the LC Course. I, too, thought it would be so I picked Biology. Little did I know the amount of notes/theory involved, very little practical work at all. Experiment's are rarely done, and its practically all notes.
As for LC French, also completely different to JC French. In JC there was under 10 types of verbs, in LC, there's double that, at least. Writing opinion question's can also be very difficult depending on the type of question you get.

Behind you Joey

Study like mad.