Repeat subject nightmare

F9Devil

Hi,

I sat the leaving cert 2012. I got 5 B's in higher subjects and failed Higher french and Ordinary Irish which means I failed matriculation for UCD and Trinity. It's have a nightmare few weeks since results.

Since I felt I had no choice in the matter I decided to repeat - and because I now need a 6th Higher level subject I decided to move from Ordinary Maths to Higher with the realistic goal of obtaining a C1 + 25 extra points. I got a C1 in Ordinary without paying much attention (not that I'm extrapolating this fact to Higher).

Only a couple of days into the repeat now and I already feel the pressure from Maths, I know that the move from O to H is basically like starting a new subject and that it'll take me time to learn the "Language of Maths" - if you will, but I'm extremely nervous that A: I'll fail Maths in June,B: I'll freak out the night before and drop to Ordinary leaving me with only 5 Higher (can't be done in my case) or C: Maths will take up far too much time and push other subjects too far out of the way.

My questions are..
Am I freaking out far too early to really know the reality of the Maths pressure?
If not, should I consider dropping Maths and pick up Business?


Thank you to anyone that answers

Cruel Sun

C1 in pass to a C1 in higher is unrealistic in my opinion. I'm also repeating and am hoping for a C3 in HL after a B1 in pass last year.

You should really talk to your career guidance teacher and the maths teacher.

dcam

It seems to me like you're putting yourself under a lot of pressure. A C1 in ordinary level to a C1 in higher level is a huge step. A C1 in HL maths is a 100 points -the same amount as an A1 in another subject such as business. You should be capable of a very high grade in business if you put in the work seeing as you got 5B's in HL subjects last year. Therefore I would probably go with business instead as it mightn't be as time consuming. Another option would be to try HL maths and business for a few weeks (if that is possible with your timetable) say til midtem and then decide which you think is working out best for you and drop the other. Best of luck whatever you decide to do.:)

RachEnnis

A friend of mine did the LC in 2011. She spent six months of the year abroad in America and flew back in May for her exams. She failed Math at Higher level miserably, even though she said she did work a math, with help from the teachers here in Ireland, but she didn't overwork herself. She repeated last year, kept on the higher math, freaked out at the start of the year like you did, but just kept at the math. I will admit, it took up a lot of her time, and I believe some of her subjects did suffer from all the time she spent on math, but she pulled up from failing miserably to getting a B1 in Higher Math.
So, it can be done if you're willing to put the work into it. But, just be careful about how much time it takes up.

Sunny!!

ill give you my blunt opinion ( ignore if you wish). Going from ordinary maths to higher maths is an absolutely crazy idea especially if you only got a c1. An A1 ol would stuggle(unless they dropped down on the day and have a bit of experience with it)


have you had any experience with hl at leaving cert? if not id just do business

aarond280

Never say never lads, when I was in 3rd year i was in a past class i moved up to higher before my pre mocks (Halloween Test ), I ended up getting an A in the Junior Cert. The thing in Maths especially Honours is that you have to do Exam Question after exam question you have to know how to do the questions you have to be able to identify what youl have to do when a question appears. - This comes with doing the exam questions. So exam questions. You are going from pass to honours (maybe if you decide) you have to work there is no sitting back and saying you'll do it tomorrow do it know do more do extra. If your teacher gives you two questions you do three. You will be the underdog the rest of the class will have a lot of the work done you will have to catch up. It won't be easy, put the effort and work in and hopefully you can get it. \if you don't understand something in class ask the teacher ( e.g. why do you do that, what happened the five etc.)

If you end up in June and you really feel you can't do, go to ordinary, it might give you a better result this year, anyway good luck if you feel you can do it try it and if you end up not being able to do it go to past. But what ever choose what you want Goodluck with whatever you choose

amyleaving

I hate when people say well if you panic at the exam you can just move down.. no. It is a different course don't do that , decide now if you can handle honours and stick with it ,if not start pass now, i know people in honours who dropped and they didn't fail the pass paper but they didn't do great as its not just easier it has different questions you haven't seen before.

BamBam92

going up to higher maths doesnt seem like the right thing to do (sorry!)
i got an a1 in pass maths 2 years ago and i would have never considered honours!
why dont you take up an extra 1? like ag science or summit? or keep honours french?
get grinds maybe??? i got sum and they defo worth the money!

MathsManiac

I don't quite understand why you're considering these particular options. Do you want to follow a career path for which Higher Level maths is required, or would be of benefit?

Why do you need a sixth higher level subject anyway? You might get more points from 5 Highers and an Ordinary, depending on your strengths and interests.

Are you going to give up French altogether? or do it at Ordinary level next time? Are you going to repeat Irish?

You'll only need to pass French OR Irish to meet the TCD matriculation requirement.

You'll need to pass Irish to meet the UCD one, but may not need a third language, depending on the faculty you're interested in.

Is there some good reason why you're not just keeping the same subjects as last year, staying at OL maths, and work a bit harder at French and Irish?

Or, if you've already met the entry requirement for Maths, you don't need to do it at all. Your post implies you were doing eight subjects last year. You could drop maths altogether, concentrate on your Ord level Irish and your existing six HL subjects, including French.

You need to think about what courses in what colleges you are interested in, and then chart the best route.

Higher level maths from an ordinary C in one year is a big ask. Not impossible, but may not be the best strategy to maximise your chances of getting where you want to be.

QueenOfLeon

Are the points you already have from your 5 B's in HL subjects and C1 in OL maths (so somewhere between 405 and 455) enough for the course you want to do? If so, you can use those points to qualify for the course next year, while only sitting the requirements that you need (French and Irish) this year.

If you do want to sit 6 subjects again this year in order to get more points than last year, do you know that you can drop subjects that you already have the requirement in? For example, if a C1 in OL maths/B in HL English is enough to fulfill the requirements of your course/college you can drop those subjects.

As regards maths...if you want a C1 + bonus points this gives you 95 points. Would you consider dropping maths altogether (if an OL C1 is enough for your course and college requirements) and taking up a new subject with the aim of getting an A in HL with possibly less work than maths (if you're finding maths particularly hard)?

luimneachgurl

Can someone help me in what is the best case scenario for me to only study Irish for the leaving cert in order to apply for the Hibernia primary teaching course. I am currently in UL in Limerick in my final year studying English and History but never got the C3 in Honours Irish. I don't think I would like to teach secondary but primary if anyone knows the best way to go around it.

Togepi

OP, I did ordinary level Maths for the Leaving in 2011 and then moved to higher for 2012. However, every Maths teacher I talked to thought I was crazy to consider moving up, and the two teachers I had (school teacher and grinds teacher) were very reluctant to allow me to go ahead with it because I had only gotten a B1 in ordinary level Maths. I convinced them to let me try though, because I couldn't possibly have done less work in Maths for the 2011 Leaving Cert, so I knew I was capable of better, and I knew I had a chance of getting a D because a) Maths was one of my stronger subjects in the past, and my DATs showed that I should be brilliant at subjects like Maths and Physics, b) I actually enjoyed Maths a lot, and c) I had a half-decent foundation to build on with an A in higher level Junior Cert Maths. (I'd advise anyone in the same situation to do higher, but otherwise I'd advise against it.)

Towards the end of the year I was worried that I had spent far too much time on Maths (I probably did too) and that it would drag down my other subjects (in the end it didn't, bar one or two maybe, and even at that it didn't drag them down much at all). For me, it ended up being the right decision. I got a B2 in higher level this year, but I got grinds for an hour a week for the whole year and spent LOADS of time on Maths all year. I also found Project Maths way easier than the old course (I got an A2 on Paper 2 this year), whereas most people hate it and find it more difficult.

It's a huge ask to move up to higher level if you haven't gotten an A in ordinary, and even at that, getting an A doesn't mean you'll pass higher. The course is hard enough to cover in two years, nevermind one, so I would advise you to do another subject if you've gotten a C in ordinary level Maths. There are actually a lot which are doable in a year (eg. Geography, Ag. Science, Phys/Chem and from what I hear, some business subjects,) just try to pick one you find interesting, as long as the course isn't too long or challenging for one year.

(It might also be worth noting that although I did well in Maths this year, the new Irish course and the different English syllabus for 2012 suited me down to the ground, so I spent no study time on those two subjects. I only did six subjects in total, so I really had lots of time to focus on Maths, and needed it too!)

Good luck with repeating, and feel free to PM me if you've any questions.