Is it time I called it a day in HL Maths?

beaverfever

So I just started 6th year and already have a bit of a problem in the form of HL maths. I am currently doing Irish(OL), Biology,History,English,French,Chemistry and Maths (all HL). I am aiming for 500 points. I did well in my 5th summer exams except maths where I got 28% I had intended to stick at the Hl, get a grind and work my butt off to pass it. Now however after my teacher today telling me how much she recommends I do OL and because I realised just how much work I would need to do I am thinking different. I think it would be putting far too much pressure on me and would risk not having enough time for sufficient study in my other subjects. The only thing stopping me dropping down is the fact I would be left with only 5 HL subjects and wanting 500 points. I would then need an A1 in one of my OL subjects and 3 A2's and 2B1's from my HL subjects.
So what do you guys reckon, stay in HL maths and concentrate hugely on it at risk of my other subjects suffering or drop to OL Maths, work really hard in my HL subjects (all of which I am quite good at ) and try to get my 500 points that way?

peekachoo

its a bit of a pickle alright.
I myself failed maths all the way through 5th year and was told time and time again to drop to OL. But being as stubborn as I am I didn't want to! So i really worked away for 6th year and came out results day with a D1 - that's an unreal grade for me!

Having said that i do feel like my other subjects suffered a little. It's just up to you, how much work do you feel you can put into it? If you feel like you'd be willing to put into time to focus on your maths, but not lack on your other subjects, I'd say go for it. Those 25 points come in fairly handy.

mad turnip

Maths does require a huge amount of effort, but you might notice the maths will overlap into chemistry (I did phyiscs and I know it overlaps in there) but at the end of the day if you NEED 500 points doing maths will help you get alot closer to that, but I believe quite a few fail maths summer 5th year and get decent results in the leaving, I myself got a b3 from a very close fail but this was several years ago. At the end of the day the maths will require the most effort but if your even considering a science (engineering) at 3rd level you defiantly want to be doing the maths.

beaverfever

Thanks guys, I talked it over with my parents again and I think I'm going to drop down! Time to start working my balls off in those other 5 subjects And no there is next to no Maths in Chemistry just basic OL JC stuff

11Charlie11

If you drop down in maths you are left with only 5 higher level subjects. I was the same as you and failed maths in the mock (got 32%) and was on the verge of dropping but didnt in the end. I came out then with a D1 which gave me 80 points! I suggest keeping higher for another while and see, just keep doing your home work etc.

GrezzC

Can't agree enough with the above posters, really worth sticking with but nobody can really understand how hard somebody else will find something. I moved up externally in about 3 months with online tutorials (paid for pre-recorded stuff) and got my D which was a big factor in my points. 28% is only 10% off passing. They award D grades with a 2% tolerance if I'm not mistaken.

mad turnip

If I was you stick with it, even if you plan to drop staying in the honours class will just push you that much harder and if you still feel the same drop after the mocks and that way you'll line yourself up for an easy A1 rather than getting a little lazy the first few months, but since you;ve already decided I'd stay with it for a while just for the fact you can attempt to move at the same pace as everyone else!

beaverfever

OK I think I'm gonna try stay up till the pres at least and who knows I might even pass Thanks guys :cool:

Pov06

Stick with it. I kept failing my exams in maths in 5th year. I got 14% in the summer test in 5th year.

In 6th year I got D's and E's in most tests except for a test in the Circles question where I got an A.

In the mocks I got a D3, scraped 40%.

In the actual thing I ended up with a C2. I am so happy that I ignored every recommendation from my teacher and it was frustrating and demotivating to see the teacher trying to get me down to ordinary.

I didn't even take any grinds either, practiced the exam papers for about a week before the maths exam, couple of hours a day.

crow2

I got 495 points in the leaving.

I got B2+ in all subjects except for Maths which I got D3. I got 25% in mocks for HL maths.

I had a really bad teacher and also neglected the subject.

The thing is they don't let people fail in Maths,they adjust marking scheme so most people pass HL.

Do what you think it's best.

yournerd

DONT DROP

Daniel7740

i dropped and im sorry now that i did.

a lad in my school neve got above 25% in any maths test he did (even in may) and ended up with a C3 in the leaving.

stick with it till the mocks at least and see how it goes from there

Scuid Mhór

peekachoo wrote: »

its a bit of a pickle alright.
I myself failed maths all the way through 5th year and was told time and time again to drop to OL. But being as stubborn as I am I didn't want to! So i really worked away for 6th year and came out results day with a D1 - that's an unreal grade for me!

Are you me

the_syco

beaverfever wrote: »

So I just started 6th year and already have a bit of a problem in the form of HL maths. I am currently doing Irish(OL), Biology,History,English,French,Chemistry and Maths (all HL). I am aiming for 500 points.

The course that you hope to do; is it a mathsy type course, or will you even use maths at all in it?

peekachoo

Scuid Mhór wrote: »

Are you me

idk
Am I you
Is this like parent trap?

Daniel7740

peekachoo wrote: »

idk
Am I you
Is this like parent trap?

or is it like me and thataone ? :eek:

peekachoo

Daniel7740 wrote: »

or is it like me and thataone ? :eek:

nothing will ever be that perfect lols

Daniel7740

peekachoo wrote: »

nothing will ever be that perfect lols

:cool: anything like it happening over in the new 6th years ot threads?

Canard

Guys, you know where to keep your OT chats, let's leave this thread for just replies to the OP's question!

clairec463

I failed my summer test, one of my three maths christmas tests and my mock at HL. Its not that i wasnt working more that i couldnt grasp how to go about the questions really and ended up with a c3 after doing a maths course in May! best decision ever was going to the course!

whoopsadaisy

I'd say stick with it if you're aiming for 500 points. The problem with HL Maths is that it just takes so much time and effort, stress and hassle especially if you're just not taking to it but I heard it all pays off so I'm hoping it will be worth it. I've been getting in the 40's and 50's through 5th year and I'm gonna stick with it with high hopes... Besides, we're the first year to take the proper Project Maths paper, they have to be a little nice to us

LC 2015

Guys I'd just like to add one thing, and I hope this is okay because I'm not giving you a referral link so I'm not benefitting in any way.

I signed up to mathway.com, and it's absolutely brilliant!
It will give you the answer to any maths problem for free, however with a premium account it will give you all the steps as well as great notes to help you. The premium account is just under €50/year but definitely worth it in my opinion.

You need to be careful how you use it, if you just cheat on your homework it's completely pointless, but if you're stuck on a problem and you put it in, it will guide you along the process and break down the problem step by step. It's better than any grinds!

It will do algebra, trigonometry ..anything, you name it!

I spent about 3 hours with it the other night on algebra homework, and by the end of it - everything just clicked for me!
Now I completely understand what we're doing in class, and I'm confident in getting a A. I know the course is like a subject and a half, but I never really knew how to study maths before. My teacher just used to say keep doing questions over and over and keep practising, but how can you practise if you don't know what to do in the first place? This changes everything!

Again I really hope this is okay, I didn't put a direct url in so I can't get a referral bonus or anything.

If I had this for the junior cert, there's no doubt I would have got an A instead of a B, the one part of algebra that I never understood just clicked for me! It took a few hours, but even still!

I'm not saying lc higher maths isn't going to require a huge amount of work, (IT IS!) but I've finally found a good way to study, so if I put the work in, anything's possible at this stage. If anyone wants to give me an example problem, I'll put it in and show you the notes and step by step instructions. You're allowed to publicly share notes so it's not a problem. You can also select a type of problem and it will give you a randomly generated worksheet to print off, so you can get loads of practise!

Melanoma

I strongly advise you as a teacher to consider sticking it out. I teach higher level and took on a class last year that had no teacher in 5th year for 2 months. They worked hard well hard for them and in the end 3 dropped out and 4 took the exam.

Ask yourself do you always fail to do homework. If you sometimes at least get it out and are always able to do some most of the time then why drop?

One of my students got 12% in the mock and then got a D3. I told him to drop and he risked failing. That said he was not going to drop so I did not waste his time arguing. We had not done probability or finished statistics which are handier and also geometry.

I found the 6th year maths easier when I did it and I reckon it might be. Currently teaching what would have been 6th yeat maths to my 5th years as it is combined class (small numbers).

Look its hard to teach slower kids in a big class cause if they get it once you go slower then grand but if you say 6 then it gets stupid as sometimes 3 or 4 get it and then 2 or 3 still dont and the others can not wait, If you have less it happens less often so you can tolerate it.

The one student I had that never could do anything herself dropped after the mocks and though she also got 12% her ability meant she really had to.

If you have a lot of practical subjects with projects make sure you have them finished ahead of time otherwise kiss higher level goodbye when you get over into them.

beaverfever

the_syco wrote: »

The course that you hope to do; is it a mathsy type course, or will you even use maths at all in it?

Nope next to no Maths in it

beaverfever

I dropped to OL a few weeks back and it was the best decision I've made in my life!
So much less pressure, so much more time for other subjects, actually enjoying school now!

dylanobyrne1

Well you're in a bit of a pickle there my friend, I got 37% in HL maths and was considering going down to OL, but I noticed OL wasen't for me as I would not achieve the best of my ability in the OL class but if I stayes in HL I may improve. So I suggest you stay in HL atleast until the mocks and if you do as bad in those you should be considering going down to OL. Ive attached the point scheme to give you an idea of the loss.

Pov06

dylanobyrne1 wrote: »

Well you're in a bit of a pickle there my friend, I got 37% in HL maths and was considering going down to OL, but I noticed OL wasen't for me as I would not achieve the best of my ability in the OL class but if I stayes in HL I may improve. So I suggest you stay in HL atleast until the mocks and if you do as bad in those you should be considering going down to OL. Ive attached the point scheme to give you an idea of the loss.

Don't forget the 25 extra points if you pass Higher Level too