Should I drop down to pass level?

Sloth

I've been doing French for just about 4 years now and I find it incredibly hard. I have no problems with Irish but I could never seem to get the hang of French. I got a B in my Junior Cert but I mean that was just through loads and loads of study, I just learnt off notes and noted what tended to come up on the course every year and through blind luck really I got my B. Now that I'm in leaving cert higher level its a whole new ball game, I feel I'm totally out of my league but I know if I put in a good bit of effort I could probably get through it ok again but the question is should I actually put in all that effort for so little return?
Pass seems so much easier and is about at the same level as higher level junior cert. I'm just wondering should I drop down to pass so that I can concentrate on other subjects or should I stick with it for the points? I heard that once you reach a certain level things kinda click in place but that doesn't seem to have happened to me yet and I wonder if it ever will. I like the subject but I just find it increasingly frustrating that I can't seem to get the hang of it. Any ideas on what I should do?

Dun

I'd advise you to continue on with it for as long as you can - I mean you can always drop down, but you can't go back up as easily. After a while, ask yourself if it is a detriment to your other subjects, and seriously consider it then. I'm presuming you're in Fourth year - I mean the post-transition year one (our school just skipped the numbering, so transition year was called that, and wasn't given a year number). If you are you've got quite a bit to go, and you should know better come your final year.

If you are in final year, then how did you do in your oral? If you haven't done your mocks yet, then definitely wait until after that. Remember that a low honours grade can be worth much more than a high pass grade points-wise.

Sloth

I'm in 5th year which for me is the second last year. I didn't do transition year, maybe I should have to have gotten some perspective on it but it's a bit late to be thinking about that now.
The thing is I usually score in normal tests in the C region (most of my other subjects I get Bs in) and it's only towards the big exams when I feel like I really have to knuckle down and study that I manage to get higher marks.

geo

i agree with dun do bheal to be honest, specialy with a language u should try to keep it up as long as u can...everythin u learn in honours will help you in pass anyway if u do decide to go down ...its not like maths wher u learn stuff in honours that u dont need at all in pass everythin helps in french...as long as u arnt completly lost and u are benifiting from it u should keep it up till christmas cos more then lightly the pass class is a doss class anyway so eitherway ull prob get a better grade in pass if u stay with honurs as long as possible

phreak

like geo says you might as well stay in higher level for a while longer until you are sure. the course is the same for both higher and ordinary. the only difference is the layout of the paper and you are expected to have a higher standard of french in higher level.

if you think you can pass higher level then stick with it. you're hardly gonna get an A in ordinary so you will get more points at higher level.

to help improve your french post here more often and people will help you out with mistakes etc.

dendenz

Try the message boards of http://www.wanadoo.fr I used to use that website and would post messages on the discussion boards there and people would help me