Best Subjects To Repeat For The Leaving?

Rebeccar18

Hi,

I'm thinking of repeating the leaving cert in a private college and was wondering which subjects would be the best to pick up for the year? I am in no way a mathematically or scientifically minded individual so I was thinking of picking up history (as I'm good with words) along with repeating English and my original subjects business, economics, German and music.

Thanks guys!

alaskayoung

I know you say that you are not scientifically minded but I'd really really recommend you taking up Ag Science. I only took it up at Christmas and got an A1 in it and it didn't take up very much of my time compared to other subjects. Granted, I put A LOT of work into the project which is quite time consuming but aside from that it's very manageable. None of the course content is particularly challenging but there is quite a bit of learning to do. Compared to the other science subjects, it doesn't have the same highly specific answers though and is more flexible in terms of marking. Like any other subject you do have to put the work in but I think overall it's a great option for repeats.

Rebeccar18

alaskayoung wrote: »

I know you say that you are not scientifically minded but I'd really really recommend you taking up Ag Science. I only took it up at Christmas and got an A1 in it and it didn't take up very much of my time compared to other subjects. Granted, I put A LOT of work into the project which is quite time consuming but aside from that it's very manageable. None of the course content is particularly challenging but there is quite a bit of learning to do. Compared to the other science subjects, it doesn't have the same highly specific answers though and is more flexible in terms of marking. Like any other subject you do have to put the work in but I think overall it's a great option for repeats.

Well done! Sounds like a viable option however, I'm not sure if I would be able to keep myself consistently engaged in the subject throughout the year as I have no interest in it. But hey it's all in the objective of achieving our ultimate goal. Thanks!

Mr Murphy

Hi, I'm thinking of repeating as an external candidate. Would taking up Economics in a year be hard to self-teach? You could take up Classical Studies I heard it's a handy A.

Rebeccar18

Mr Murphy wrote: »

Hi, I'm thinking of repeating as an external candidate. Would taking up Economics in a year be hard to self-teach? You could take up Classical Studies I heard it's a handy A.

Hi. The economics course is short enough, there is simply section A short questions and section B long questions, both sections have a wide variety of choice and have a balanced amount of both micro and macroeconomics questions. However the paper is marked quite prudently and the answers are very meticulous at HL. I would probably advise against taking on economics if you're not prepared to put the maximum effort in as that is what it really requires, irrespective of it's short volume of material, the microeconomics section can be quite tricky, both macro and micro are marked equally as hard. Micro also presents itself with a few equations and some basic mathematical stuff which is fine once you get the right method. Micro also presents itself with quite a lot of diagram drawing which can be such a pain! Personally our teacher wasn't great and combined with my ineffective study skills and work ethic I only ended up coming out with a HL C3. Nearly all the class failed the mock. But that shouldn't turn you off. So, to finally substantiate all that conjecture above, I would definitely recommend you take on economics but it's imperative that you put in maximum effort! Hope I was of some help I'd be afraid to take up classical studies, I heard the failure rate is very high besides it's not offered at the college where I'm thinking of repeating :O ps Since you're thinking of self teaching yourself, you must ensure you know how to answer the question properly! The questions are tricky and it's easy for oneself to get into a tangent answering a question in economics and subsequently end up getting no marks for it! Exam strategy is so important, everything goes beyond the material in book in HL, you must have more than an understanding of it, you must be able to apply it to both the posed question and language in the papers as there's quite a bit of lingo in economics. Self teach yourself with maximum effort by all means for the year but perhaps subsidise that with a few grinds, it certainly wouldn't hurt and would definitely assist you in increasing your subsequent grade. Exam strategy is imperative. Good luck!

Mr Murphy

Thank you so much i appreciate it, what Economics book did you use? I'm prepared to put in a lot of work this year. I would definitely recommend taking up History if you are good with words as the examiners like to see that, also dates are a key factor in History, some daunting essays but don't be turned off it as it is an extremely rewarding subject to take up, also you get a research topic worth 20% so technically all you need is another 20% to pass the exam, you'll be fine! You could take up Geography as it isn't a science its a social, also you have another research topic to do, most of my year did extremely well in the exam, also the failure rate is very low at 3%.

Rebeccar18

No problem! We used a book called positive economics but even our teacher agreed that there was a lot of futile tangents in the book. I would definitely recommend any book but the one we used! I'm sure if you go into a reputable bookshop they'll recommend the most popular economics book for you, nearly all my revise wise books were recommended to me by the bookshop this year as my school didn't really believe in them books. Anyway yeah any book but positive economics Thanks! I know see I'm hoping to get As in my subjects and really increase my points next year so perhaps expecting an A in a subject I just picked up is very wishful thinking.. Although one of my friends who did history did nothing for 5th and 6th year, got an E in the mock and then came back getting an A1 in the leaving, you never know

Mr Murphy

I will do that thanks so much! Exactly you never know what can happen on the day of the leaving cert, this years history didn't go quite as planned for me I still got a B1 though so it's not all bad. Where are you thinking of repeating.

Rebeccar18

Yeats College in Waterford