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SPREAD YOUR SUBJECT WISDOM TO US 5TH YEARS!!
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18-08-2012 9:00pm#1Ok so Im going to be in fifth year this September and I remember a thread that used to be around just like this one but now I can't find it, so please, any surviving 5th or 6th or above and beyond years, spread your knowledge on what you thought got you those As or Bs in the leaving in whatever subjects. Ill get the ball rolling with my subjects : Irish, English, Maths, Geography, French, Physics, Chemistry. GO GO GO!!! Any study tips/revision books/handy websites for these and any other subjects which were useful to you, please post em !!!!!! Thankssss!!!
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This generally applies to every subject but especially Chemistry, KEEP ON TOP OF IT! Chemistry is a fairly manageable subject if your always working on it, making notes on each chapter, constant revision and doing extra questions etc etc, but it is an almost impossible subject to study a lot of it in a short period of time (such as the night before your Christmas exams!) Chemistry is mostly a matter of understanding it and that can only really be built up by just constantly keeping at it!
Also something I find with Chemistry is that I have to constantly pay attention in class, if I miss a few seconds I find that the rest of the class makes zero sense! Well that's what I think anyway
For French I went on a French exchange and it helped no end, but obviously this isn't always practicable so listening to French radio on the internet helps hugely with the listening which most teachers would say is the hardest aspect of the course because while your teacher might speak French fairly slow the people on the tape go so fast and the only way you can get used to that is by listening to someone who genuinely speaks French!0 -
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You've probably heard this before, but watching french films (or films in whatever language you're studying) really helped me with my accent, and just helped me sound a lot more natural. I felt a lot more comfortable in my oral exam because I knew that my accent was fairly decent and in the moment I could concentrate simply on what I was saying, not how I was saying it.
For English, I wouldn't learn any poetry quotes properly until I had written a good essay and then I would take the ones I used in it, as I knew I could realistically fit those ones into an answer. Learning quotes can be daunting, and some teachers make you feel you have to learn off about twenty per poet, which is ridiculous! Only learn what you need.0 -
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moosemann0001 wrote: »Thats a great idea, any good French films?
Off the top of my head, some I've watched are Amelie, La Vie en Rose, Entre les Murs, A Very Long Engagement, Le Premier Cercle, Les Choristes (of course
) and La Haine, which is on youtube! Ooh and the original LOL is a very teen friendly french film. :P
If you're finding it hard to pick films to watch, try find a French actor you like and watch some of his/her movies you like. :pac:
Also, I edited my first post to include some English advice. 0 -
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moosemann0001 wrote: »Thats a great idea, any good French films?
Off the top of my head, some I've watched are Amelie, La Vie en Rose, Entre les Murs, A Very Long Engagement, Le Premier Cercle, Les Choristes (of course) and La Haine, which is on youtube! Ooh and the original LOL is a very teen friendly french film. :P
If you're finding it hard to pick films to watch, try find a French actor you like and watch some of his/her movies you like. :pac:
Also, I edited my first post to include some English advice.
Ok thanks for that! I'll try and watch a few maybe at christmas! Yeah I saw, I love english, thanks !0 -
I got an A1 in Irish and A2's in French (</3), English (more </3) and geography (:D), HL, so I'll try give some advice.
Irish: Learn the language, not notes - don't rote learn. It's the most important thing. On the day none of my learned off essays came up (well, not rote-learned...I had to actually learn stuff about the Irish language in case it came up, that kinda thing) so I just made up 5 pages on a letter. Wasn't sure how it went but it clearly worked! Know the conditional and know your cases. Also another small problem a lot have is the comprehension "genre" questions - keep it simple, I just said "it's a factual piece as we see facts like..." and "it's personal as he talks about himself e.g..."
For the oral, learn off your picture sequences and be able to have a conversation. Easier said than done but it pays off, 40%!
Don't neglect poetry/prose if you want to get an A. I'll admit that I have no idea wtf happened in Oisin i dTir na nOg because I missed it and never caught up :L Don't forget to learn about each poet too, that came up this year and I imagine it'll be a regular thing.
French: Listen to French music! It's the best. :P Keep good notes, learn idiomatic language, know your tenses inside out, just try and enjoy it is really all I can say.
English: Unlike most people I don't actually think reading is all that important. I read one book in 5th/6th year and always scored highly in my short stories by just reading other people's short stories online and knowing synonyms for words so I could make alliteration in the B parts if I needed it to be sort of cheesy. If I found a nice phrase I'd write it down and read over them every now and then - I fit a handful in my essay and I wouldn't be surprised if it helped with my grade.
Geography: This was a real pain in the ass :L Came out of the exam convinced I'd gotten a C because it was an awful paper, but the most important thing is that it's done in SRPs and an SRP is subjective. For example I learned about the operations of Dell as an MNC and the question asked you to look at how an MNC's corporate strategy influenced its opening/closing of branch plants...I had no idea of their corporate strategy but I defined it (SRP) as "making profit while minimising wastage" or something disgustingly generic as that. :L Then I rambled on about their operations, painstakingly pointing out how that linked back to its strategy. I barely even answered the 80 mark section at all so I guess it scored well!
Hope that was some help, good luck. 0 -
Wow thanks so much for that! Any chance you could give some examples if the phrases in English.? Yeah I can't wait for geography, although I'm not looking forward to all the SRP learning!!! Thanks so much!!I got an A1 in Irish and A2's in French (</3), English (more </3) and geography (:D), HL, so I'll try give some advice.
Irish: Learn the language, not notes - don't rote learn. It's the most important thing. On the day none of my learned off essays came up (well, not rote-learned...I had to actually learn stuff about the Irish language in case it came up, that kinda thing) so I just made up 5 pages on a letter. Wasn't sure how it went but it clearly worked! Know the conditional and know your cases. Also another small problem a lot have is the comprehension "genre" questions - keep it simple, I just said "it's a factual piece as we see facts like..." and "it's personal as he talks about himself e.g..."
For the oral, learn off your picture sequences and be able to have a conversation. Easier said than done but it pays off, 40%!
Don't neglect poetry/prose if you want to get an A. I'll admit that I have no idea wtf happened in Oisin i dTir na nOg because I missed it and never caught up :L Don't forget to learn about each poet too, that came up this year and I imagine it'll be a regular thing.
French: Listen to French music! It's the best. :P Keep good notes, learn idiomatic language, know your tenses inside out, just try and enjoy it is really all I can say.
English: Unlike most people I don't actually think reading is all that important. I read one book in 5th/6th year and always scored highly in my short stories by just reading other people's short stories online and knowing synonyms for words so I could make alliteration in the B parts if I needed it to be sort of cheesy. If I found a nice phrase I'd write it down and read over them every now and then - I fit a handful in my essay and I wouldn't be surprised if it helped with my grade.
Geography: This was a real pain in the ass :L Came out of the exam convinced I'd gotten a C because it was an awful paper, but the most important thing is that it's done in SRPs and an SRP is subjective. For example I learned about the operations of Dell as an MNC and the question asked you to look at how an MNC's corporate strategy influenced its opening/closing of branch plants...I had no idea of their corporate strategy but I defined it (SRP) as "making profit while minimising wastage" or something disgustingly generic as that. :L Then I rambled on about their operations, painstakingly pointing out how that linked back to its strategy. I barely even answered the 80 mark section at all so I guess it scored well!
Hope that was some help, good luck.0 -
moosemann0001 wrote: »Ok so Im going to be in fifth year this September and I remember a thread that used to be around just like this one but now I can't find it, so please, any surviving 5th or 6th or above and beyond years, spread your knowledge on what you thought got you those As or Bs in the leaving in whatever subjects. Ill get the ball rolling with my subjects : Irish, English, Maths, Geography, French, Physics, Chemistry. GO GO GO!!! Any study tips/revision books/handy websites for these and any other subjects which were useful to you, please post em !!!!!! Thankssss!!!
English- My score A2
Quick tip-Get your notes from as many sources as possible, by or borrow a different poetry book from the one you have in class, INVEST IN KEY NOTES ENGLISH
Maths- My score C1
Quick tip-I was hopeless at maths by got a C1 by doing one exam questiona day, I'm sure someone can advise you better than I can
Geography- My score A2
Quick tip-Buy the Sue Honan revision book and learn it off by heart, I did one exam question every few nights too
Physics- My score A1
Do exam papers from the earliest possible stage, do them as you complete chapter, www.thephysicsteacher.ie has questions arranged by topic
French- b2
I had a clown of a teacher and failed the mocks, from then I forgot about learning the language and just learned phrases off, search boards for some helpfel phrase threads. I did get lucky by having a really handy oral however0 -
I'll send you a PM with a few!moosemann0001 wrote: »Wow thanks so much for that! Any chance you could give some examples if the phrases in English.? Yeah I can't wait for geography, although I'm not looking forward to all the SRP learning!!! Thanks so much!! While the SRPs are tedious, once you go outside physical geography its easier. Physical requires processes and explanations but in regional its waffle tbh...I made up mine on the day. :L Once you learn, for example, that tourism in America is helped by wine, you automatically know another SRP - that vines are part of American agriculture. And no problem. 0 -
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Yeah I'll just power through them!! Haha thanks
I'll send you a PM with a few!moosemann0001 wrote: »Wow thanks so much for that! Any chance you could give some examples if the phrases in English.? Yeah I can't wait for geography, although I'm not looking forward to all the SRP learning!!! Thanks so much!! While the SRPs are tedious, once you go outside physical geography its easier. Physical requires processes and explanations but in regional its waffle tbh...I made up mine on the day. :L Once you learn, for example, that tourism in America is helped by wine, you automatically know another SRP - that vines are part of American agriculture. And no problem. 0 -
Irish (A1)- Never stop speaking it to anyone you can. Speak it among your friends at school. If any of your parents have Irish, speak it to them at home (I was lucky enough to have a mother from the Gaeltacht so she had perfect Irish). Read in Irish - I read Peig, Séadna and the Tóraíocht outside of school work and they were brilliant stories and not hard to understand. Listen to music and read the lyrics while listening. Singers like Iarla Ó Lionáird are fantastic.
English (A1)- Read, read, read. I can't emphasise that point enough. I'm not saying that you need to be reading Ulysses by the end of the year. Harry Potter is great, if you haven't already read it. Even chic-lit if you have to! Reading is good for Comprehensions, Compositions and general spelling. Books like New Explorations came with a CD of notes. Print them off in the school if you can so that when you go to use the notes, you don't come on here or on Facebook! Of course practise makes perfect so keep handing up extra assignments to your teacher no matter how sour they get with you by the end of the year!
Maths (A1) - I did pass Maths so I don't think I can help you very much here, except to tell you to keep practising past exam questions and read any notes your teacher gives you.
French (B3)- Like Irish, listen to music. Edith Piaf is very clear and helped me to learn pronunciation of liasons and general words. Also, listen to the Aural exams to help you before the oral. The speakers speak incredibly slowly so it can be handy! If your teacher doesn't do practice orals with you, ask him/her anyway.
Biology (B3)- Read all of your notes over and over and over again! Repetition is vital to understanding all the formulas and things. It is easy to forget the practical experiments, so keep on top of writing them up. My teacher was very strict about having them up to date and we were so lucky when the inspector came to look at them that they were all done. Apparently, if they're not all there, you can be docked marks. And they're so very, very important for Section B of the paper itself!
Music (B2)- Listen, listen, listen. We got Bohemian Rhapsody this year so concentrate more on the others, but don't neglect it because if it isn't in the long q, it'll be in the short one. They say that ye are bound to get Barry, but I'd be watching Romeo & Juliet too. Know your Irish dance tunes. I got caught out this year and said Single Jig when it was a Slip Jig so know the difference! Don't rely on one Irish Music essay. Lots of people expect North America to come up but I'd be watching out for a composer like Ó Riada or Ó Suilleabháin maybe next year. Pick good entertaining music for the practical. I played piano and played When I'm 64 by The Beatles, a Chopin Prelude, The Meadow by Alexandre Desplat, Moonlight Sonata Mvt. 1 by Beethoven, The Entertainer by Scott Joplin and Mise Éire by Ó Riada. Also, if you've done any RIAM piano exams, go for the sight reading as the unseen test. It's about Grade 1 standard! Practise for the composing of course
Home Economics (A2) - There is nothing whatsoever to say about Tíos except to study, study, study. That's all you need do. The course is so broad that you don't actually have to do the Social Studies section if you don't want to because it comes up every year in only one question - one long question so it would reduce the ualach oibre if you like! Make sure you have your Task Book done properly - it's 20%
DCG (A1)- Put every effort you can into the project at the start or the year. You could have a pass going into the exam already. I spent all my holidays working at it and I managed to get an A1 in the end! It's tedious work but it all pays off when you have a bit less pressure on you at the end of the year for the DCG exam. For the written paper, you should practise the exam papers and ignore the samples that came with test papers. We only did one in our class because the teacher said that they were unrealistically hard. If you are doing the roofs, for Section C, make sure you know the 2 that didn't come up this year for obvious reasons. Know a car park for roads if you'll be doing them. Also, disregard everything you know about comhtréith (intersecting solids, I think they're called) and study the solaid ag tadhaill (tangential solids?).
LCVP (DISTINCTION) - If you are in any way smart, you will put plenty of work into this too, if you're doing it. You could say that you'll never use it, but a friend of mine who got 535 still used is because he got a C2 in English. It's an easy 70 points if you put a certain amount of work into it. The exam itself is ridiculously easy so it should be easy enough to get a distinction.
General At the start of 5th year, you don't need to study. Keep on top of your school work and homework. If you don't understand something, don't be afraid to ask loads of questions. Even if the teacher gets sour with you for not knowing it, if they tell you the answer to the question, you get a result! Having a good time and keeping your head down are the most important things. If you really need them, go for grinds but not for subjects like Biology or Home Ec - all they need is diligent study.
By the by, I got 545 without grinds. I'm the only person in my class who didn't get at least one grind! 0 -
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moosemann0001 wrote: »When people say ' read for English ' do they mean like hardcore English novels like classic novels, or would Books like Hunger games or gone suffice.? Just wondering
They mean any novel, hunger games, harry potter, anything really0 -
Just good quality stuffmoosemann0001 wrote: »When people say ' read for English ' do they mean like hardcore English novels like classic novels, or would Books like Hunger games or gone suffice.? Just wondering I just read good short stories and descriptive writing and my grades shot up afterwards. My teacher even assumed I was reading books, but nah. As long as you find nice words and expressions it should be fine! 0 -
Oh righteo so thankyou.:)moosemann0001 wrote: »When people say ' read for English ' do they mean like hardcore English novels like classic novels, or would Books like Hunger games or gone suffice.? Just wondering
They mean any novel, hunger games, harry potter, anything really0 -
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Hahaha ohhhhh you and your ways
Hahahaha oh I'm blushing :Pmoosemann0001 wrote: »Thanks patchy !
you English genius you :P ha
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Most of it has been said so I thought I would comment on the subjects I received an A in.
English-A1- This grade actually took me by surprise as I usually only got A2s or Bs in class! Towards the end of the year though I got really worried and posted on boards looking for help. Unfortunately not many believed in my abilities here! Haha cannot blame them though the posts I made were bad. So this is what I did...
1. Everyday after I finished my homework I took time out to read the newspaper.
2. I re-read some of my favourite books. Whilst reading, however, I tried to appreciate the use of certain words. If a certain phrase caught my eye I took it down somewhere. I usually lost it later but I found that by simply writing it down it stayed in the head!
3. Do not give up. Like I mentioned before my essays in class were not the best. However the very last essay I did was the best in the class. Got a whole speech about it!
4. Add your own opinion throughout, they love that.
5. Lastly learn interesting information about your poets and playwright.
French-A2- Frankly I was disappointed with this grade as french was my favourite subject. I loved the language! I listened to jacques brel's music, I watched french movies and spoke in french all the time! I think the best thing you can do with french is to try and love it. If you love a subject it is so much easier. Trust me you can learn to love a subject when your study time is spent watching movies!
Biology-A1- Pure study. Most of it done the night before!
Business-A2- Pure study, no way around it. Most of it done the night before as well. Having recently got a D in a class test it was a big shock! Also I would say do not panic if you do not have an example, make up one. Be smart when dealing with this subject, you know most of it already.
Economics-A2- Very little study required if you break the subject down. Use real life examples. Also draw the market structures out one by one. Have a clear head for part Cs remember the answers is usually just common sense.
Maths-B3- Worked my ass off for this subject. I really cannot help you with it
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Thanks so much, I know that you would've loved to get an A1 in French , but an A2 is nothing to be annoyed at, well done.! Thanks again, your all so helpful .!!Most of it has been said so I thought I would comment on the subjects I received an A in.
English-A1- This grade actually took me by surprise as I usually only got A2s or Bs in class! Towards the end of the year though I got really worried and posted on boards looking for help. Unfortunately not many believed in my abilities here! Haha cannot blame them though the posts I made were bad. So this is what I did...
1. Everyday after I finished my homework I took time out to read the newspaper.
2. I re-read some of my favourite books. Whilst reading, however, I tried to appreciate the use of certain words. If a certain phrase caught my eye I took it down somewhere. I usually lost it later but I found that by simply writing it down it stayed in the head!
3. Do not give up. Like I mentioned before my essays in class were not the best. However the very last essay I did was the best in the class. Got a whole speech about it!
4. Add your own opinion throughout, they love that.
5. Lastly learn interesting information about your poets and playwright.
French-A2- Frankly I was disappointed with this grade as french was my favourite subject. I loved the language! I listened to jacques brel's music, I watched french movies and spoke in french all the time! I think the best thing you can do with french is to try and love it. If you love a subject it is so much easier. Trust me you can learn to love a subject when your study time is spent watching movies!
Biology-A1- Pure study. Most of it done the night before!
Business-A2- Pure study, no way around it. Most of it done the night before as well. Having recently got a D in a class test it was a big shock! Also I would say do not panic if you do not have an example, make up one. Be smart when dealing with this subject, you know most of it already.
Economics-A2- Very little study required if you break the subject down. Use real life examples. Also draw the market structures out one by one. Have a clear head for part Cs remember the answers is usually just common sense.
Maths-B3- Worked my ass off for this subject. I really cannot help you with it 0 -
moosemann0001 wrote: »Thanks so much, I know that you would've loved to get an A1 in French , but an A2 is nothing to be annoyed at, well done.! Thanks again, your all so helpful .!!
No problem! Good luck, do not let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do! I know it sounds gay but believe in yourself.0 -
For English, try to incorporate a bit of background information and one or two relevant quotes from critics/writers/the authors themselves into your poetry and single text essays. It's not necessary by any means, but it might be the thing that makes you stand out when it comes to paper two - I quoted Goethe for my Hamlet question and Seamus Heaney for my (Kavanagh) poetry question, and got an A1 0
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Haha will doo.!! Thanks again:)moosemann0001 wrote: »Thanks so much, I know that you would've loved to get an A1 in French , but an A2 is nothing to be annoyed at, well done.! Thanks again, your all so helpful .!!
No problem! Good luck, do not let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do! I know it sounds gay but believe in yourself.0 -
Yeah putting in some quotes from other people is a great idea, thankss.!!For English, try to incorporate a bit of background information and one or two relevant quotes from critics/writers/the authors themselves into your poetry and single text essays. It's not necessary by any means, but it might be the thing that makes you stand out when it comes to paper two - I quoted Goethe for my Hamlet question and Seamus Heaney for my (Kavanagh) poetry question, and got an A10 -
Chemistry-A1- Keep on top of it, pay attention in class! Know the experiments very well and the tiny details-colour change! Do three exps. Definitions are a must know! Practice exam questions and sample papers and mock papers but know how the marking scheme phrases the answers so in the LC you know the key words you must include in your answer! Chemistry is tough in that a little 3 mark question is almost a percent so concentrate! (Rapid Revision is a good book)
English-A2- Dont use prepared answers. The worst thing you can do is in the LC a essay or question comes up similar to an answer you wrote at school. Correctors HATE prepared answers and its probably irrelevant. Learn 4/5 poets well, dont study all 8!!! Know quotes but know the context in which the quote is said. In English think for yourself, form your own opinions about poets, characters and have some evidence to support you view!
Physics-B1-Much the same as chem:practice papers, know the key words from marking schemes, Experiments and Definitions are critical! Physics is fairly predictable so study the likely experiments v. well and know the rest to a high level. Know your option!
Maths-B2- PRACTICE
Bascially be smart about what you study to an A1 level!:D:D In chem and physics experiments! Not possible to study every tiny detail in every subject to an A1 level, so be wise and play to your strenghts. For now attempt to learn everything in detail! Good luck 0 -
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