Need to aim for 570+ points ...

darraghtobin

I need to get about 570 points in the leaving cert, and i honestly dont know how to start studying, i studied throughout 5th year, got 570 points in christmas test and then 545 in the summer tests, im able to completely focus and motivate myself but i just dont know how i should plan it out or how long to spend or what to focus on (i dont have an aspiring group of friends or a very good school)... any help would be great i do english maths irish french accounting biology and economics all higher

andymann

First of all, it is encouraging that you're trying to be proactive far out. Enjoy your summer though. If you need 570+ like you are saying, you will need to spend time, productive time getting to grips with each of your subjects course material, exam papers, and marking schemes.
I'm not going to go into minute detail into study plans, etc. Do your homework first of all to the best of your ability. Set small, achievable goals for subjects each week. Where possible, get your teachers to mark extra exam questions you do at home. Schedule time for social and sporting activity each week. Even if you are not into sports per se, go walk the dog/ get a friend and go for a jog. This is very important. With respect to orals: practice speaking under pressure. Ask french/irish teacher to stay for 15-20 mins after school once a week just conversing. Correct basic sentence structure is crucial. I was in your position in a way when it came to being in a group with low aspirations. It is a disadvantage in many aspects. What I tried to do is think of each subject individually on a national level. There will be people in Ireland getting an A1 in <insert subject here>. What am I doing to be one of those?
Source: 615 points in LC 2014.
Any questions feel free to send PM.

darraghtobin

Thanks i just came back from a intensive irish course in the gaeltacht so sorry for the late reply, next week im going to the institute of educatiom for another intensive course aswell, my main problem is i literally dont know where to start, 5th year was pretty easy in that i could only study what we had done and there wasnt that much of it but the thought of 6th year is just boggling my mind. Only one or two of my teachers seem to be exam focused in that they know what comes up and what the examiner wants - most of my teachers dont have a clue about it! and the fact that my group doesnt see this as a problem means that ill have to try and find all of this out myself.. thanks for replying

rainbowtrout

darraghtobin wrote: »

Thanks i just came back from a intensive irish course in the gaeltacht so sorry for the late reply, next week im going to the institute of educatiom for another intensive course aswell, my main problem is i literally dont know where to start, 5th year was pretty easy in that i could only study what we had done and there wasnt that much of it but the thought of 6th year is just boggling my mind. Only one or two of my teachers seem to be exam focused in that they know what comes up and what the examiner wants - most of my teachers dont have a clue about it! and the fact that my group doesnt see this as a problem means that ill have to try and find all of this out myself.. thanks for replying

andymann has covered an awful lot in his post. To add to that: if you achieved the equivalent of 570 and 545 in your christmas and summer tests in 5th year you must have been studying solidly through the year, this will stand to you next year.

In terms of knuckling down to work, getting high points is partly knowing the material and partly exam technique. What you could do each week is take a different topic and do the exam questions on it. Correct them yourself against the marking schemes. Take notice of where marks are awarded, or if specific phrasing is required, particularly in science based subjects. Have a look at the maths solutions and note where marks are given for how you work out a solution.

In terms of topics, you could for example take algebra and work through all the past papers and do all the Part As and Part Bs one weekend, if you don't understand a question go back to your book and see if you can find an example that will help or go through the solution in the marking scheme. If all that fails ask your teacher, but perhaps ask at the end of class rather than disrupting a class where the teacher is teaching calculus and you want your algebra question answered.

Same goes for other subjects. Questions tend to repeat themselves over the years, it helps to become familiar with the language in exam questions and what those questions are asking you, so you don't interpret it incorrectly.

darraghtobin

Ya i tried to really ease the workload for 6th year, thanks for the advice, youve made things a lot simpler

malnurtured

I just got 580 points this year. I got 555 in the pre and like 540 in the summer tests. It's definitely achievable, but to be honest I didn't see myself getting the points until I opened the brown envelope a few days ago.

Keep consistently studying most stuff, you can leave one or two subjects for cramming a few weeks beforehand (that's what I did) if you know the rest of your subjects well enough that is.

Getting 550+ is actually very achievable in my opinion, though it does get tough from then up. I'm sure you'll do it if you have the work ethic.