Geography?-A joke?

Sangre

Is it just me or is geography the biggest joke of a subject in the leaving. I think its the one subject that doesnt get harder after the leaving, theres just more to learn (except the field study but that is a gaurenteed question so its easy to learn)

Theres so much choice in the subhect E.g do 3 out of 5 questions and in them do out of four, i think except you have to do the Ordenece survey(ohhh noo)

I think its just really unfair when you compare it to subjects like Hnours maths and Biology if you put even half the work you would ion those subjects you'll get an A.

HAs any1 else noticed this?

P.s i might be a bit wrong on the format of paper

damnyanks

Your pretty much right apart from one or two things its almost the exact same as junior cert. If you want to do some subject and put way more effort in I guess you can do that instead, I'd say the marking for geography is pretty strict.

Oeneus

Remember those little "tick the boxes" things in the Junior Cert? They're gone:(.

The Ordinance Servey is the fun bit! It's the rest that is just so boring. I've nearly fallen asleep twice during all that Population Study and crap about Urban and Rural differences and ocean currezzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz.

MetroDuck

Junior Cert geography(higher) was so great. I thought I was going to fail coz I didn't study. The only reason I got an A is coz I could tick those boxes with such deadly accuracy and also spent an hour in the exam aesteticly colouring in my excessivly large maps. I just don't see the point in the 'make a copy of this ordinance servey map' thing. It's too much of an art/tech.g thing...

If geography for the leaving is as easy as you say, then i'm starting to regret picking Applied Maths instead... I wonder if it's not too late to switch?

rachel

... I wonder if it's not too late to switch?

I took it up two weeks ago...

(major course change decision, had to have a second science subject and I wasn't going back to chemistry)

Victor

I never got to do LC Geography and Applied Maths. And I'm probably barred (by colleges at least) from doing them now (I did similar subjects in college). Do the easy subject, do them well and get the A's abd B's. Do not necessarily take them for granted though.

Repli

It's easy!
Just know which questions you're going to do and revise them.
Eg. I'm doing map, photograph, regional geography and fieldwork, all of which i know are going to come up, so there's no point in revising ALL the coursework

Sangre

Originally posted by MetroDuck
picking Applied Maths instead...

Just wondering if your good at honours maths is applied maths harder or easier. im doing it (in 5th year) but i cant rally tell yet, its an extra subject so is it worth it? the choice in it is pretty good tho

Lenny

OMG
Did the higher papers get "tick the boxes" jobs in the JC?
I did Ordinary, and got an A too, but don't remember doing any ticking the boxes?
Anyone wana correct me here?
what year did you guys do this in though?

MetroDuck

Applied Maths is a lot harder than honours maths! It may start off easy in 5th year but take one look at the past papers(if you can find a shop that actually sells them) and weep.

It's a good subject if you're really good at maths or if continually study and try questions... but it's very easy to fall behind if you don't do the homework etc. But one good point: after doing applied maths for a while, honours maths becomes easy!

In the Summer exams I failed maths and applied maths miserably but then I got my act together and got a B in honours maths(such an improvement). I only just managed to pass applied maths though... (41%). Hopefully I'll do better in the mocks!

If you're doing 8 LC subjects it's a good idea to drop one and focus on the other 7.

If you're good at cramming consider doing business studies(If you're not already doing it). It's by far my easiest subject.

MetroDuck

I did the junior cert in 1999 and higher georaphy did start off with some 'tick the box' action. In the first two pages there were all these little pictures and questions like "what is this". They also had some crazy pie chart where they give you some headings and you have to put them in the right pie-segments. It was hilarious! The population pyramid question was a complete joke too!

Victor

Originally posted by MetroDuck
Applied Maths is a lot harder than honours maths! It may start off easy in 5th year but take one look at the past papers(if you can find a shop that actually sells them) and weep.

I think that comment is unfair to the subject and to anyone who is considering doing it. It may not suit you, but it does suit others.

Kraken

if it was really hard you would be really complaining. Just let it be.

MetroDuck

I'm not trying to condemn the subject Victor, I just think the exam is too difficult for a Leaving Cert standard. It's not just the little twists they put into part (b) of every question, the time constraints are a problem too... 6 questions to be answered in two and a half hours -25 mins per question. And each question takes a lot of thinking before you can start it unless you've come across a very similar question before.

But as I said before:

It's a good subject if you're really good at maths or if continually study and try questions...

...and also if you can get your head around some of the harder concepts, it's possible to get a very good grade...

...but for a dumbass like me there are easier subjects available (imho).

b20uvkft6m5xwg

There is no question that Geography will not fry the brain of effort by you, in attempting to understand the subject. The difficulty lies in how it is marked. There are only about 2% "A" grades, and the skill of the subject is in how you impress the examiner thro' your exam technique.

Dont under-estimate it...like virtually all LC subjects its all about memorisation and application. If you dont do both, you wont get that "A"

saik

iirc, the applied maths last year was awful,and i didn't even do it, but there were an awful lot of people complaining about it at the time - that's how i remember . i don't think that this gives you a good idea about the subject though.... it just shows that the department made a balls of the exam paper
applied maths is very (VERY) useful to you if you want to do engineering or something like that - and it's a pity i didnt do it (boo hoo)
people who are great at maths can clean up with honours maths, applied maths and physics, as these all overlap

Rebel18

I took up Applied Maths and unfortunetly will have to do it in one year From what i have seen so far it is a mixed bag in terms of difficulty, it seems to me that ever year you get 2-3 really difficult questions that are hard to answer. As for the questions themselves?

Linear Motion - One of the easiest questions
Relative Velocity - Can be tricky at times, mostly ok
Projectiles - Yuck, i can't get my head around these
Pulleys/Wedge - My favourite so far
Impacts and collisions - Easy most of the time
Statics - Tricky

I haven't done the rest yet but i heard the remaining topics are ok except for SHM

peterd

I find the 'ol geography easy and is definitely an "A", in the bag (if there is such a thing). Also, much of the course overlaps with the jnr cert. If you want easy, I heard the home economics course is great. I know it's not fair when you get the same marks for Hon/App Maths as to home economics, but we're all in the same boat :mad:

I'm actually trying out the Hon Math, App Math and Hon Physics combo which is actually nice cos the App math + physics overlap in several sections and then one makes it easier to understand the other too. (Catch my drift?)

What's the format for the App Math paper. Something like do 6/10 q's ?

Sangre

Originally posted by peterd
. I know it's not fair when you get the same marks for Hon/App Maths as to home economics, but we're all in the same boat :mad:

I'm actually trying out the Hon Math, App Math and Hon Physics combo which is actually nice cos the App math + physics overlap in several sections and then one makes it easier to understand the other too. (Catch my drift?)

What's the format for the App Math paper. Something like do 6/10 q's ?

Yeah its 6 out of 10 same ten every year! so with revision i'd say you could do fairly well and i agree with you on doing hon physics and a. maths cause its means you're constantly thinkinbg about the concepts and its easier to understand them.

Funny though a. maths has the highest percentage of A's in the leaving and geography one of the lowest but i guess its usually more studious students do a. maths and geography is consider a dos subject.

You know i heard from a bright guy that home economics/social scientific is hard you have to learn about the chemicals of food and such and law

peterd

It's something like 20% of applied math students get A's! But then again, it is only 20% of the top students that do it. e.g. 25 in hon. math class, 8 doing applied math (funny, all are doing hon. physics too). 20% of 8 is 1.6!

Is it just me or is geography the biggest joke of a subject in the leaving.

That's why we like it

rachel

You know i heard from a bright guy that home economics/social scientific is hard you have to learn about the chemicals of food

from what I've heard, if you're doing biology as well and are alright at it, you should have no problem there...

Sangre

YEah but what if you're not?Also you have to learn family law aswell its very broad. ahh well i dont do it so whos cares.

Does any here think hon.irish is way............ too hard, i mean there's so much learning never mind the language being a bitch what with tisheal ginideach (crap spelling!!!!!)

peterd

ho ho ho, don't get me started on hon. Irish! I plan on dropping down to pass before the leav. cos I don't need it anyway. I haven't a clue about the CAO apps yet, but can someone tell me if you need to count your grade in Irish as one of your 'best 6' ? I know it's compulsory to do the subject, but is it compulsory to count your final grade ?

Anyone here going to Opportunities on Monday ? (ie. day off school)

rachel

I dropped to ordinary in september and it is a joke compared to honours...
I had my mock paper 1 finished in half an hour and I'm aiming to get an A1 but I don't think it has to be counted in your final 6, you just have to have passed it for most colleges
some colleges don't even want it anymore... Just have another language instead...

Victor

Typically you only have to count your top 5 or 6 subjects for points. If there is a minimum standard for say, maths, that is counted separately. Jsut because it is a 'compulsory' subject for school, does not make it compulsory for points.

peterd

Cheers for clearing that up Victor. (sheesh, and they call themselves 'guidance' councilors)

Sangre

Thank god you dont have to count irish in yours points that would suck ass. im doing hon. irish but ill drop it next year, its too much effort and the great thing is you cover the ordinary coarse in honours and some more, so you can do hon. for ages and you'll still have ord. coarse done.


P.S IRISH IS TOO HARD, HOW CARES ABOUT HOW A FRIGGING POEN IS WRI|TTEN OR ITS METER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BaRcOe

I am doing my Field Studies prject and was wondering if anyone knows if theres Any Sample ones out there at all because I am finding it difficult to start part 2-3??

Any links to any examples of Field study would be great thanks.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

MetroDuck wrote: »

I'm not trying to condemn the subject Victor, I just think the exam is too difficult for a Leaving Cert standard. It's not just the little twists they put into part (b) of every question, the time constraints are a problem too... 6 questions to be answered in two and a half hours -25 mins per question. And each question takes a lot of thinking before you can start it unless you've come across a very similar question before.

Not at all, it's perfect for a leaving cert standard, even I dare say a bit easy as it's very easy to get very good marks without doing any hard maths, or those 'tricky bits'. You can get ~80 percent of the marks in most questions by writing down the information you're given in the form of equations. For anyone mathematically minded, that is easy.

Admittedly it would be hard for someone not good at maths but really no-one who is not good at maths should be doing applied maths.

Chunky Monkey

Geography is an easy subject but then so is biology. However if you don't put the study into both you won't get an A. There is a lot of fact learning and you're marked on SLRs (significant relevant points). If you haven't written the required amount of SLRs in your answers you'll lose marks no matter how eloquent your waffle is. Don't be so hasty to think you have an 'A in the bag' until you have learned every little SLR. It's an interesting subject (particularly if you do cultural studies for your option), enjoy it

justshane

I did L.Cert Geog at just the right time, they were bringing in a new format so they where throwing out decent grades:)