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LC2015's Guide To 600 Points

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  • 21-08-2013 8:00pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 45


    Hi guys,

    Starting 5th Year next week, and aiming for 600 points.
    Got 8 A's & 3 B's in the JC with almost no study. I owe this all to

    1. Paying attention in class
    2. Doing homework
    3. Studying for any small 'class tests'

    I presume the Leaving Cert is a bit different, so I'm going to prepare all my notes this year while following the above strategy. Then I'll be fully ready to start r̶o̶t̶e̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ...I mean studying effectively in sixth year. In all honesty though, it's a flawed system and anyone can do well just by putting a bit of time into it, along with a bit of aptitude & exam technique too of course.

    I'm doing the "big three" along with business, biology, construction & italian.
    Realistically I only need about 350 points, so I'm not really sure why I'm going for A's....I guess I'm just intrinsically motivated?...I suppose anything less than 550 or so and I wouldn't be reaching my potential, I just want a challenge really.

    Anyway I'm using Growly Notes for Mac to study. OneNote is a great alternative for Windows users. Personally I just hate having to take out books to write & study. I prefer this method for many reasons,

    1. You can study anywhere
    2. Your notes are automatically synced across all your devices
    3. You don't have to use big bulky books
    4. You don't have to worry about awful handwriting
    5. You can type a lot faster than you can write
    6. Your notes are a lot more organised
    7. You can import exam papers & marking schemes as pdf's
    8. You can search for a keyword and find all relevant exam questions with that keyword in seconds
    9. You can do exam questions side by side with the pdf, and if you get stuck you can find the marking scheme solutions to a question within seconds
    10. You can import audio & video to your notes

    One of the reasons I procrastinated so much with the junior cert was that I just hated writing, I hated having to go upstairs take out all my books, sort through all my horrible notes, random pages & illegible handwriting.

    This is a 100 times better - I can study on my phone before a test, or at home on my ipad or my mac. I can read notes, do exam questions, listen to audio notes, gather online resources, test myself, and it's all there and ready to go.
    No more missing pages either, everything is online & backed up to my dropbox so I can take them with me.

    I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with them when this is over. If this is as effective a study method as I'm hoping it will be, then I will probably package this as study software and sell it to future students. It would be kinda nice to have something other than a good grade to show for at the end of this. Plus I wont have as much time to work on my business, so this would provide extra motivation & " supplementary income" if you will ;)

    Here's a a nice screenshot of what I've done with it so far, have a look at the search bar on the right. As you can see I've searched for "interest group" and it has returned all my notes, as well as exam papers & marking scheme with "interest group" as a keyword. It's such an invaluable tool.

    03tq.png

    Here's another screenshot showing the imported exam papers

    ee4p.png

    Anyway I'm going to finish this off first but I'll keep you posted.

    Any questions just ask!

    :)


«1

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 850 ✭✭✭0mega


    Fair play if you keep this up for two years, but I think a lot of LCers can relate that the way you organise yourself for the first week of school isn't always how things pan out long term :p


  • Registered Users Posts: 45 LC 2015


    0mega wrote: »
    Fair play if you keep this up for two years, but I think a lot of LCers can relate that the way you organise yourself for the first week of school isn't always how things pan out long term :p

    Cheers, but there's no way I could actually study for two years, I'd burn out!
    I'm gonna tackle 5th year the way I would any normal year,

    1. Pay attention,
    2. Do Homework
    3. Study for any small class tests & summer exams

    That should be more than enough to get me through the year, but I'll also be adding to my online notes as I go along. Any notes, handouts, tests - everything has a folder. Any chapter revision at the of the text books too.

    That doesn't mean I'm going to be learning all of it though, just building up my online resources so I won't be panicking in 6th year. Everything will be organised & indexed into clear & concise notes. I actually enjoy making them, so it wont be hard to keep up once I get into a routine. Learning them is different, but sure there's no point in worrying about that at this stage! :)

    If anyone has mac too, I've no problem sharing my notes with you, we can collaborate on subjects.

    You can find growly notes here


  • Registered Users Posts: 835 ✭✭✭kingcobra


    Sure look at least you have ambition. If you make it three weeks doing all this sort of stuff you'll be off to a great start! Just don't fall behind in anything and sure you'll be grand :D


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,222 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    Sometimes hard work just isn't enough. Be self aware enough to stop flogging a dead horse if it becomes clear you will not do as well as you hope in a particular subject.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 255 ✭✭OiOshawott


    I think my brain exploded...


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  • Registered Users Posts: 503 ✭✭✭Kat97


    Those notes look great! I suddenly feel very un prepared for 5th year :p


  • Registered Users Posts: 300 ✭✭positivealf


    The junior cert results havent been released yet, so how did you get 8 A's and 3 B's results?


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,181 ✭✭✭dee_mc


    The junior cert results havent been released yet, so how did you get 8 A's and 3 B's results?
    I'm guessing s/he did TY?


  • Registered Users Posts: 300 ✭✭positivealf


    dee_mc wrote: »
    I'm guessing s/he did TY?

    Ah! thx


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,823 ✭✭✭DublinArnie


    I'm starting my LC study in two weeks and i'm doing TY :p. #625Points2016 ;)


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,311 ✭✭✭Days 298


    I'm starting my LC study in two weeks and i'm doing TY :p. #625Points2016 ;)

    Wouldn't be so sure! The 25 points is up for review after the next LC.


  • Registered Users Posts: 300 ✭✭positivealf


    I'm going to try and get over 625 points for LC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,823 ✭✭✭DublinArnie


    I'm going to try and get over 625 points for LC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Trying isn't good enough mate.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,311 ✭✭✭Days 298


    Trying isn't good enough mate.

    Damn right trying aint good enough. Everyone know the proper way is to write the answers all over your body and go to the toilet during the exam :P


  • Registered Users Posts: 45 LC 2015


    spurious wrote: »
    Sometimes hard work just isn't enough. Be self aware enough to stop flogging a dead horse if it becomes clear you will not do as well as you hope in a particular subject.


    Yep I know what you mean. I have plenty of friends that put in what seemed like twice as much work as me in just to get a B at ordinary level, and that was still a brilliant result for them. Aptitude definitely comes into the equation, but also exam technique. That's why the exam papers, marking schemes and curriculums will be my bible for the next 2 years. In particular the outcomes section.

    For example, here's the outcomes for Business Section 3.
    On completion, the student should be able to:

    3.4.1 define management;

    3.4.2 identify the importance of management skills in areas such as home,
    school, local community, Government departments and business
    start-up;

    3.4.3 list the characteristics of managers;

    3.4.4 explain the basic management skills;

    3.4.5 explain the central role of communications in business and
    management;

    3.4.6 identify and explain the main barriers to effective communications;

    3.4.7 demonstrate business data in the following written forms: memos,
    reports, and business letters; draft a visual presentation from given,
    data;

    3.4.8 identify the duties of a chairperson and secretary and draft an
    agenda and minutes of a meeting;

    3.4.9 distinguish between the methods of communication;

    3.4.10 discuss the importance of general communication skills (HL);

    3.4.11 differentiate between enterprise and management (HL);

    3.4.12 explain the contribution of both managers and entrepreneurs to
    business (HL);

    3.4.13 discuss the nature of management activities and their linkages (HL).

    Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I can be asked anything other than what's on the above list. So in my notes, I'll make sure to answer every every question. This, along with good exam technique and understanding of the marking scheme is 10 times better than any textbook or revision guide in my opinion.

    In terms of subject choice, I chose the 4 I did best in for the junior cert, so I'm not too worried about them. English, Irish & Maths would be the hardest for me.
    Having said that, I still got B's in higher level, so I'm not the worst at them either.

    English - I just don't like it as a subject. I prefer subjects where you just learn, understand & write down facts. You're either right or wrong, it's black and white. It's enjoyable in class for the most part, but it's too unpredictable for me in an exam.

    Irish - Not my worst subject, I'm just not looking forward to the workload. It's just one of those where you have to learn so much for every percent, and only a fraction of what you end up covering comes up on the actual exam.

    Maths - Took me a while to get the hang of project maths, but once you get your technique right I find it easy enough. Although I'm not sure what the jump from JC to LC maths is going to be like. The extra 25 points is really a huge motivating factor for me - as I know there's a subject & a half of work required to do well in it.

    In your opinion, how different is the leaving in terms of workload & overall difficulty?


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,845 ✭✭✭Noccy_Mondy


    LC 2015 wrote: »
    Hi guys,

    Starting 5th Year next week, and aiming for 600 points.
    Got 8 A's & 3 B's in the JC with almost no study. I owe this all to

    1. Paying attention in class
    2. Doing homework
    3. Studying for any small 'class tests'

    Just continue on like you did for the JC. It seems like you are one of those people that picks things up when tought and you dont forget them. I'm like that anyway, some people dont/cant understand if thats the way you learn. I did the leaving this year and didnt study till the nights before and i got 485. Realistically,if you start your "serious" study from easter of LC year on you will be flying it. Best of luck anyway, even though it is ages away :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 300 ✭✭positivealf


    LC 2015 wrote: »
    Yep I know what you mean. I have plenty of friends that put in what seemed like twice as much work as me in just to get a B at ordinary level, and that was still a brilliant result for them. Aptitude definitely comes into the equation, but also exam technique. That's why the exam papers, marking schemes and curriculums will be my bible for the next 2 years. In particular the outcomes section.

    For example, here's the outcomes for Business Section 3.



    Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I can be asked anything other than what's on the above list. So in my notes, I'll make sure to answer every every question. This, along with good exam technique and understanding of the marking scheme is 10 times better than any textbook or revision guide in my opinion.

    In terms of subject choice, I chose the 4 I did best in for the junior cert, so I'm not too worried about them. English, Irish & Maths would be the hardest for me.
    Having said that, I still got B's in higher level, so I'm not the worst at them either.

    English - I just don't like it as a subject. I prefer subjects where you just learn, understand & write down facts. You're either right or wrong, it's black and white. It's enjoyable in class for the most part, but it's too unpredictable for me in an exam.

    Irish - Not my worst subject, I'm just not looking forward to the workload. It's just one of those where you have to learn so much for every percent, and only a fraction of what you end up covering comes up on the actual exam.

    Maths - Took me a while to get the hang of project maths, but once you get your technique right I find it easy enough. Although I'm not sure what the jump from JC to LC maths is going to be like. The extra 25 points is really a huge motivating factor for me - as I know there's a subject & a half of work required to do well in it.

    In your opinion, how different is the leaving in terms of workload & overall difficulty?

    If you're not looking for to English it just means that perhaps you just have a good memory, in my opinion English is more of an art and the best way to do well in it is to read everyday. I find it that English can come useful during exams when you don't know what you're talking about.


  • Registered Users Posts: 45 LC 2015


    Just continue on like you did for the JC. It seems like you are one of those people that picks things up when tought and you dont forget them. I'm like that anyway, some people dont/cant understand if thats the way you learn. I did the leaving this year and didnt study till the nights before and i got 485. Realistically,if you start your "serious" study from easter of LC year on you will be flying it. Best of luck anyway, even though it is ages away :)

    Cheers for that, it's good to know what kind of benchmark I can expect from tackling the leaving the same way I did the junior cert. I literally covered each subject in 3 hours each night before the following exam as my "serious study" ...but I did put 110% into my classwork & homework, so I guess that was a contributing factor. Anyway congrats on the leaving, that's a great result :)
    If you're not looking for to English it just means that perhaps you just have a good memory, in my opinion English is more of an art and the best way to do well in it is to read everyday. I find it that English can come useful during exams when you don't know what you're talking about.


    A big part of it is understanding too, rote learning is only useful to a certain extent. Take science for example, you could try memorising loads of equations, facts and whatnot, but if you genuinely understand the material you don't have to study it again, it just comes naturally. I don't know, maybe that's just me?

    What I hate most about english is having to write dozens of pages. It can be enjoyable in class learning the material though, I just don't like the essay writing aspect. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I absolutely love it, it kinda depends what topic I get and what mood I'm in that day. I'm prone to writers block, and that's never a good thing when it comes to exams. :(

    I can definitely see how it's more of an art form though. I did art for the junior cert, and even though I got an A, I hated it. 1st & 2nd year were very enjoyable but 3rd year was a nightmare for me. I hate the way you can put a lot of time into a drawing and it can still look terrible, the way so much depends on how you do on the day, and the way your nerves/mood can really have a negative effect on your work. With other exams, you just write down what you know - you're either right or wrong, it's easy. I really had to work at english & art to do well in them for my junior cert.


  • Registered Users Posts: 141 ✭✭HPMS


    I was Iike you for Junior Cert. I studied for class tests, did my homework and listened in class. And I came out with the same results as you. This year I did my leaving cert and took the same method with a little extra before the mocks and then a lot extra for two weeks before the LC and I came out with 595. Now, I'm not saying to do minimal amounts of study or anything but you sound like me in that you could just pay attention and do your homework and still do well so in my experience the LC only requires a little bit extra than the JC. Just make sure you understand everything as the year goes on otherwise you'll make things difficult for yourself before the LC! Best of luck with it! :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 20 Delpo


    I have faith in you! :)


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  • Registered Users Posts: 45 LC 2015


    HPMS wrote: »
    I was Iike you for Junior Cert. I studied for class tests, did my homework and listened in class. And I came out with the same results as you. This year I did my leaving cert and took the same method with a little extra before the mocks and then a lot extra for two weeks before the LC and I came out with 595. Now, I'm not saying to do minimal amounts of study or anything but you sound like me in that you could just pay attention and do your homework and still do well so in my experience the LC only requires a little bit extra than the JC. Just make sure you understand everything as the year goes on otherwise you'll make things difficult for yourself before the LC! Best of luck with it! :)

    Wow 595 that's amazing! :)...didn't think it was possible by just doing what I'm doing, makes me wonder if I'm going to unnecessary lengths?

    What subjects did you do just out of interest?
    Sunny!! wrote: »
    I just finished the leaving cert and just discovered these podcasts online one day. I think the information on these are invaluable and it only costs a tenner! The title says its for college but is equal usable for getting through the leaving.

    Hope its ok to post a link here!
    <Snipped link to pay site>

    Thanks for that, I'll check it out.

    You've just reminded me of a brilliant site too, I can't remember the name but it lets you convert all your written notes to mp3, it's very handy!

    I know most of you don't have growly notes, but I'd be happy to share any mp3s I make, and if you need notes on a particular topic, I can give you them in text format :)

    Also, check out these podcasts made by edco, they seem pretty good
    http://www.edco.ie/podcasts/leavingCert.htm

    and more by RTE -> http://www.rte.ie/radio1/podcast/podcast_gettingitright.xml

    Edit: Here's the text to mp3 site -> http://www.robobraille.org/Mp3Accounts
    There may be a better one out there, but I haven't looked.

    I've just done a quick test with roborbraille, it's pretty decent considering it's a free service. You just attach your text as a document and email it to them. They'll send you back a link to the mp3 within a few minutes.

    Here's a link to a sample business mp3 -> http://www.sensus.dk/sb4/sb4amrsp/rba01-23-08-2013-3924.mp3

    It's just the objectives & outcomes from the curriculum. I forgot to take the numbers out so ignore them. Obviously it sounds a bit robotic but that's to be expected. I also did some italian notes and they sounded a lot better, so I may just use it for that.

    It might be worth hiring a voiceover artist on elance, they could cover a lot of notes in a few hours, plus they'd sound a little bit more..."enthusiastic" ...I'm not much of an auditory learner though, but it may be useful to some of yous. Just a thought,


  • Registered Users Posts: 20 Delpo


    Hiring a voice over artist would be going a bit far in my opinion! You could always record yourself talking if that helps you.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,231 ✭✭✭Fad


    LC 2015 wrote: »
    A big part of it is understanding too, rote learning is only useful to a certain extent. Take science for example, you could try memorising loads of equations, facts and whatnot, but if you genuinely understand the material you don't have to study it again, it just comes naturally. I don't know, maybe that's just me?

    The further you get into LC Science the more it becomes rote learning AND understanding.

    A lot of JC science is essentially lies, like basic approximations of the truth to give you an idea of something but at the same time are very far from actual facts.

    Being able to understand it is one thing but being able to real it out during your three hour chemistry paper in June '15 is another. There's massive chunks of definitions to learn, calculations to practise, concepts to understand, diagrams to learn or be able to read and interpret, all the mandatory experiments to learn. Rabble rabble rabble.

    You're probably going to be fine, or more than fine but remember, you're a kid, act like one sometimes. Being aware of the exams in two years is important but so is having a bit of fun and not studying, so is bunking off and having experiences of not having any real responsibility (dont do it that much and dont blame me if you get in trouble...).

    It's the summer for a few more days, you should be off trying to enjoy your last few days of freedom for a while, not micromanaging something that you will have to adapt anyway.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭hfallada


    Do whats best for you and not what your teacher keeps saying. I got an A1 in LC business by learning off the book and highlighting the the important info. I repeated and my new teacher kept telling us to write out the important info into hardbacks(business is the most text heavy subject is more about buzzwords and nailing the question and zero marks for an essay). Eventually I stopped going to her useless class, as I was speaking time that I should have been learning notes, but was writing out chapters into a notes copy. I didnt kill myself with the subject and still go A2( I focused on my subjects that needed some serious work).

    Do what works for you. Remember with business its all about the business words like pro-active, stakeholders and most importantly the first word of the question. If it says evaluate give the pro and cons otherwise you will only get about 60% of the marks as you are asking the question. But not asking the questions fully


  • Registered Users Posts: 141 ✭✭HPMS


    LC 2015 wrote: »
    Wow 595 that's amazing! :)...didn't think it was possible by just doing what I'm doing, makes me wonder if I'm going to unnecessary lengths?

    What subjects did you do just out of interest?

    Thanks, I was shocked to say the least! I would like to say though that whatever you are doing, there can never be "unnecessary lengths". I firmly believe that the work you do in 5th year is as important, if not more, than the work you do in 6th year. Having said that though, what I did in 5th year was do my homework really, really WELL, listen in class at all times (except to the teachers who are complete wastes of time) and study well before each class test and Christmas|Summer exams. Anytime I felt like doing extra I did but to be honest, I never had much time so I really only did extra during the christmas/easter holidays.

    Then during 6th year, I more-or-less took the same approach but studied harder during breaks, and did a bit extra at weekends.

    I was always really busy though. Every Monday evening I had 2 hrs worth of choir practise, Tuesday the same, Wednesday I was doing another activity for 6 hours (half day in my school) Thursday I was free, and Friday I worked a part time job so I didn't have that much time to do much study during the week. By all means, if you do have spare time, do some extra work - it will definitely take some pressure off you for the actual LC!! But as I said, you sound like me in that you can recall things easily from doing homework and listening in class so don't stress yourself out. Good luck with everything! If there are any particular subjects you want my advice on, just let me know! Send me a PM, I'm happy to help. I got a good bit of help from fellow boards members this year so I feel like I should return the favour. :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 45 LC 2015


    HPMS wrote: »
    Thanks, I was shocked to say the least! I would like to say though that whatever you are doing, there can never be "unnecessary lengths". I firmly believe that the work you do in 5th year is as important, if not more, than the work you do in 6th year. Having said that though, what I did in 5th year was do my homework really, really WELL, listen in class at all times (except to the teachers who are complete wastes of time) and study well before each class test and Christmas|Summer exams. Anytime I felt like doing extra I did but to be honest, I never had much time so I really only did extra during the christmas/easter holidays.

    Yeah that's basically the approach I took towards the junior cert. The time & effort I put into homework & classwork during 1st and 2nd year definitely paid off. Studying for class tests really helped too. ..I guess that's just how our brains work, we're the lucky ones! :P

    Anyway thanks for the help & advice, really appreciate it!


  • Registered Users Posts: 107 ✭✭MWick94


    LC 2015 wrote: »

    4. You don't have to worry about awful handwriting
    5. You can type a lot faster than you can write



    One of the reasons I procrastinated so much with the junior cert was that I just hated writing, I hated having to go upstairs take out all my books, sort through all my horrible notes, random pages & illegible handwriting.

    While I admire your motivation, I think you are overlooking a key aspect of the leaving cert. You make it clear in the first post that you hate writing things out and that you are typing everything, but you won't have that luxury in the exams (unless you are get a special exemption due to physical reasons). You need to practice being able to handwrite essays and exam answers within the time allowed. You can type much faster than you can write, so you may struggle with completing exams in the time frame given.

    Just an idea you should think about :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 141 ✭✭HPMS


    MWick94 wrote: »
    While I admire your motivation, I think you are overlooking a key aspect of the leaving cert. You make it clear in the first post that you hate writing things out and that you are typing everything, but you won't have that luxury in the exams (unless you are get a special exemption due to physical reasons). You need to practice being able to handwrite essays and exam answers within the time allowed. You can type much faster than you can write, so you may struggle with completing exams in the time frame given.

    Just an idea you should think about :)

    +1


  • Registered Users Posts: 300 ✭✭positivealf


    I type x500000000 times faster than i write. I typed this message in 15 seconds, it would take me about 35 to write it out.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 434 ✭✭Sprog 4


    Days 298 wrote: »
    Damn right trying aint good enough. Everyone know the proper way is to write the answers all over your body and go to the toilet during the exam :P

    Then finding out that the answer you need is on your arse and you can't read it :D


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