Leaving Cert 2014 OT v2.0 - Official Bitch & Moan thread

Hotale.com

Badwulf wrote: »

How many hours sleep should I be getting a night? Is 7 ok?

I'll aim for 9 from now on...

I honestly think it's better to stick to a pattern though, no point sleeping 4 hours next Monday and 12 next Tuesday.

Katie1289

robman60 wrote: »

I think the titles are too specific to go in with something prepared. Otherwise, it'll look a bit forced I think. Remember the "P" marks!

Ah I don't think so. I haven't seen a paper or mock that I wouldn't be able to do with my store y! It's not 100% like but with a few changes it's no problem. My teacher actually advised me to do it she said it's the only part of the paper you can really know what you're doing and pre-prepare.

bb1234567

Hotale.com wrote: »

2 come up every year.

This year there's 3 on our course, GVAV, cultural context and theme or issue.

Study 2 and at least one will definitely come up.

I'm not studying them, just reading/watching the works. :P

Is literary genre actually not on our course or did our teachers just choose to do the other 3 instead?:pac:

And would 4 poets be enough??
Im thinking dickinson, heaney, larkin and yeats Id be safe enough right

Poliana.xo

For GVAV, do you have to talk about characters when not specifically asked? the question in my mock was
'The general vision and viewpoint of a text can be changed or reinforced by the ending of the text'

Nothing on characters or relationships, so I just discussed everything in general, talking of characters only where relevant. But according to my teacher, that is the reason I didn't get full marks, as apparently I have to bring in my characters more explicitly..

Hotale.com

bb1234567 wrote: »

Is literary genre actually not on our course or did our teachers just choose to do the other 3 instead?:pac:

And would 4 poets be enough??
Im thinking dickinson, heaney, larkin and yeats Id be safe enough right

Yep there's no literary genre.

I think 4 is enough really, you've all the most likely covered.

Hotale.com

Poliana.xo wrote: »

For GVAV, do you have to talk about characters when not specifically asked? the question in my mock was
'The general vision and viewpoint of a text can be changed or reinforced by the ending of the text'

Nothing on characters or relationships, so I just discussed everything in general, talking of characters only where relevant. But according to my teacher, that is the reason I didn't get full marks, as apparently I have to bring in my characters more explicitly..

That is one mank question...

little sis...

A friend of mine wrote a short story that her teacher recommended her to re-write in the actual exam because it was so good.
She said she's not using it in her exam because she thinks it's cheating and would not reflect her ability in exam conditions.
I admire her maturity about it tbh because English paper 1 is testing your ability to write on the spot and under pressure.
The fact that English teachers themselves even advise it just baffles me.

BUT in saying that, if I had a great short story prepared and a suitable question on the day I would probably use it. I'm not as 'moral' as my friend I guess

Poliana.xo

little sis... wrote: »

A friend of mine wrote a short story that her teacher recommended her to re-write in the actual exam because it was so good.
She said she's not using it in her exam because she thinks it's cheating and would not reflect her ability in exam conditions.
I admire her maturity about it tbh because English paper 1 is testing your ability to write on the spot and under pressure.
The fact that English teachers themselves even advise it just baffles me.

BUT in saying that, if I had a great short story prepared and a suitable question on the day I would probably use it. I'm not as 'moral' as my friend I guess

I guess I'm immoral then, I would prepare everything if it was at all possible :pac:

Hotale.com

little sis... wrote: »

A friend of mine wrote a short story that her teacher recommended her to re-write in the actual exam because it was so good.
She said she's not using it in her exam because she thinks it's cheating and would not reflect her ability in exam conditions.
I admire her maturity about it tbh because English paper 1 is testing your ability to write on the spot and under pressure.
The fact that English teachers themselves even advise it just baffles me.

BUT in saying that, if I had a great short story prepared and a suitable question on the day I would probably use it. I'm not as 'moral' as my friend I guess

Can she send it on to me and I'll use it? :pac: I'll thank her when I get my A1

Aspiring

little sis... wrote: »

A friend of mine wrote a short story that her teacher recommended her to re-write in the actual exam because it was so good.
She said she's not using it in her exam because she thinks it's cheating and would not reflect her ability in exam conditions.
I admire her maturity about it tbh because English paper 1 is testing your ability to write on the spot and under pressure.
The fact that English teachers themselves even advise it just baffles me.

BUT in saying that, if I had a great short story prepared and a suitable question on the day I would probably use it. I'm not as 'moral' as my friend I guess

No matter how good it is, it must have been suited to a certain title, and our title won't be exactly the same so she might have lost marks for just writing it out. Strange advice from a teacher

AtomicKoala

Poliana.xo wrote: »

speeches are the way to go :P

Seriously all you need to do with speeches is get indignant and engage with the audience.

onethreefive wrote: »

Do you mean continuously writing them out over and over again? I might try that.

That sounds horrific! I've only ever done that for two Irish essays, and well, I do OL now History is kinda bad but at least it's always something different

LoveLamps wrote: »

Does anybody have ANY tips for frebch reading comps? Im just guessing (and not well) here.
Its too late to broaden my vocabulary(although its not bad as is)
Any tactics, question words to look out for?

It's probably too late to broaden your vocabulary to be quite honest. But you can try, I just feel you'd be better off look at syntax, verbs etc.

For anyone thinking of repeating (:eek:) seriously build up a good vocab folder. I'm really happy I did, even if I know pointless verbs like to wilt (se flétrir) :pac:

Katie1289

Is anyone focusing on certain aistes for Irish?
Or poems.
Or stories.

Peregrine

I've used earlier composings for mocks and a few other exams. I'm horrible at composing and if I think all the topics are crap except one which suits a previous story/article etc. that I've written..I'll use it. I won't learn them off though.

Apparently examiners can spot them..I don't understand how though..it would still be crap For me, sometimes it's really a choice between rewriting an older composing or leaving the question blank :eek:

bb1234567

For the Macbeth question, could a really minor character actually come up? like what characters have ever come up in the character question apart from banquo, lady macbeth and the man himself?

Katie1289

Nimrod 7 wrote: »

I've used earlier composings for mocks and a few other exams. I'm horrible at composing and if I think all the topics are crap except one which suits a previous story/article etc. that I've written..I'll use it. I won't learn them off though.

Apparently examiners can spot them..I don't understand how though..it would still be crap For me, sometimes it's really a choice between rewriting an older composing or leaving the question blank :eek:

Hahahaha super sleuth examiners taking a sniff of each paper
'they had it prepared?!?! ' *dramatic F stamp on paper in Red ink* :P

little sis...

Hotale.com wrote: »

Can she send it on to me and I'll use it? :pac: I'll thank her when I get my A1

Haha yeh I said that to her too:p Jokingly of course. I would never be able to use someone else's essay. So I guess I'm slightly moral?:p

Poliana.xo wrote: »

I guess I'm immoral then, I would prepare everything if it was at all possible :pac:

Me too...too bad I never wrote a good short story :rolleyes:

AtomicKoala

bb1234567 wrote: »

For the Macbeth question, could a really minor character actually come up? like what characters have ever come up in the character question apart from banquo, lady macbeth and the man himself?

The witches! Banquo only ever came up in '87 :eek:

webofnotes.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/macbeth-past-and-sample-exam-questions/

Everyone look through this, it's amazing. It goes back to 1953 :pac:

Hotale.com

AtomicKoala wrote: »

That sounds horrific! I've only ever done that for two Irish essays, and well, I do OL now History is kinda bad but at least it's always something different

I've filled three 300 page A4 refill pads... :mad:

AtomicKoala wrote: »

The witches! Banquo only ever came up in '87 :eek:

webofnotes.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/macbeth-past-and-sample-exam-questions/

Everyone look through this, it's amazing. It goes back to 1953 :pac:

Can we've the '79 paper please? :rolleyes:

thelad95

bb1234567 wrote: »

For the Macbeth question, could a really minor character actually come up? like what characters have ever come up in the character question apart from banquo, lady macbeth and the man himself?

People were taking the mick about young seward and all that but Banquo and MacDuff could definitely come up as could the witches. Do people think there is enough on Malcolm?

oncex

thelad95 wrote: »

People were taking the mick about young seward and all that but Banquo and MacDuff could definitely come up as could the witches. Do people think there is enough on Malcolm?

just looking at that question page someeone posted.....

1971: Discuss the view that Lady Macbeth has more in common with the Witches than with Lady Macduff.


The minor characters are “sketched lightly, and are seldom developed further than the strict purposes of the action required” (A.C. Bradley). Discuss the characters of Malcolm and Macduff in the light of this statement.

Discuss the importance of Macduff in the play.


:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

courtney95

It's just dawned on me that I've never asked my old principle if I have to wear my school uniform as I'm sitting the exams in my old school..

I presume I have to right?

AtomicKoala

oncex wrote: »

just looking at that question page someeone posted.....

Well excuse me :eek:

I'll have you know I'm the Right Honourable Atomic Koala, King of the Andals, First Men, and eh, Sligo :pac:

Geekness1234

courtney95 wrote: »

It's just dawned on me that I've never asked my old principle if I have to wear my school uniform as I'm sitting the exams in my old school..

I presume I have to right?

I can't imagine any principle denying her student entry to the Exam Hall because she's not in uniform, it's the stuff Joe Duffy dreams off :P

Aspiring

oncex wrote: »

just looking at that question page someeone posted.....

1971: Discuss the view that Lady Macbeth has more in common with the Witches than with Lady Macduff.


The minor characters are “sketched lightly, and are seldom developed further than the strict purposes of the action required” (A.C. Bradley). Discuss the characters of Malcolm and Macduff in the light of this statement.

Discuss the importance of Macduff in the play.


:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

That Macduff one wasn't an actual an exam question I think, just a sample question

oncex

Aspiring wrote: »

That Macduff one wasn't an actual an exam question I think, just a sample question

Realised that as soon as I posted... thaaank god :pac:

oncex

AtomicKoala wrote: »

Well excuse me :eek:

I'll have you know I'm the Right Honourable Atomic Koala, King of the Andals, First Men, and eh, Sligo :pac:

haha sorry AtomicKoala it shant happen again :rolleyes:

Saskatchewan

I really despise accounting theory, in a decent subject, that I actually like, it just ruins it completely. Id rather an extra question or less time in the exam than to do theory. In a subject, that is practical, its completely pointless....

Hotale.com

I'm doing less study now than I've ever done throughout out the year, I just can't motivate myself to study...

thelad95

oncex wrote: »

just looking at that question page someeone posted.....

1971: Discuss the view that Lady Macbeth has more in common with the Witches than with Lady Macduff.


The minor characters are “sketched lightly, and are seldom developed further than the strict purposes of the action required” (A.C. Bradley). Discuss the characters of Malcolm and Macduff in the light of this statement.

Discuss the importance of Macduff in the play.


:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Two of those questions are samples. The question from 1971 were before the time of bell-curve marking and wall to wall gutter journalism that we have now.
Grades weren't as segregated as they are now and nowhere near the amount of people sitting the LC than there is now.

If a question like that came up now, there would be uproar up and down the country, Joe Duffy would receive 10000 phonecalls, this website would explode,there would be young wans and young fellas crying outside their schools on the front page of the Irish Times, and it would be a PR disaster for the SEC. Remember the Leaving Cert is an internationally recognised qualification and prides itself on it's fairness and ability to discriminate between candidates of different abilities. It's reputation has already been diminished with the project maths course, especially amongst engineering bodies.

Btw, the importance of MacDuff could easily come up. He's a pretty important guy.

bb1234567

AtomicKoala wrote: »

The witches! Banquo only ever came up in '87 :eek:

webofnotes.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/macbeth-past-and-sample-exam-questions/

Everyone look through this, it's amazing. It goes back to 1953 :pac:

I LOVE YOU this is so helpful