FE1 Exam Thread (Mod Warning: NO ADS)

Hogzy

brian__foley wrote: »

Maybe we can grasp it - tell me, what questions did you do and why did you think you did really well? It's possible that whereas the material you put down may have been right, it wasn't on point. The examiner isn't a "hard" marker by any stretch of the imagination. If you set out what you did, we might be able to see where the difficulties may be.

Honestly, in my opinion, constitutional law is the easiest and most predictable paper on the fe1 course. Routinely similar stuff is examined and the examiner keeps examining peoples understanding of T.D. etc and keeps referring to this in the reports. People continue to fail largely because people (a) don't spot the issue (b) are not up to date (c) write "all they know" or (d) simply get things wrong. It's very hard to get things wrong in law, but the examiner himself had to note one year how people didn't spot that a question entirely about a newspaper raised press freedom issues.

The manuals (from wherever) are quite large, but save with regard to a few cases, you hardly need more than a few lines knowledge of each one and each "area" of the course is relatively condensable and digestible.

Brian, I will have to dig up last years paper as i cannot ,for the life of me, remember what questions i did. I am annoyed because i have passed EU (twice), contract and criminal yet I am struggling with Constitutional. I have sent it for a recheck but I am not relying on that. Maybe what i put down was off topic but this time i made sure that i fully understood TD as the examiner seemed quite annoyed that people didnt fully get it last time round. I know TD would have been relevant in 1-2 questions but my other questions i thought were relatively strong.

I really wish we could have our papers returned to us so as to spot where we made our errors.
Due to financial contraints i wont be able to repeat the Griffith Course again this time which is worrying because i loved the homework facility.

brian__foley

Hogzy wrote: »

Brian, I will have to dig up last years paper as i cannot ,for the life of me, remember what questions i did. I am annoyed because i have passed EU (twice), contract and criminal yet I am struggling with Constitutional. I have sent it for a recheck but I am not relying on that. Maybe what i put down was off topic but this time i made sure that i fully understood TD as the examiner seemed quite annoyed that people didnt fully get it last time round. I know TD would have been relevant in 1-2 questions but my other questions i thought were relatively strong.

I really wish we could have our papers returned to us so as to spot where we made our errors.
Due to financial contraints i wont be able to repeat the Griffith Course again this time which is worrying because i loved the homework facility.

Well, if you can dig it out and go through what you did we can figure out what may be going on. Just as a general point, it is unlikely that an issue or case will ever be relevant (or you will be given credit for it) in more than one question. If you are referring to the same thing twice, there will be a problem. In theory, standing is an issue in every problem question but we just all "know" that it isn't really what the question is about.

tony28

Just got my results today and failed Tort again-does anyone else find this subject really hard, i sat the 8 in one go and passed 7 but again tort i find impossible,ive been with GCD and whilst the other courses were very good and i passed them does anyone have any advice on how good the independent college course on tort is as I may change over -and yes i know it could just be me but the fact that i passed the others makes me think it isnt down to my exam technique-any ideas/suggestions/queries

CFOLEY85

tony28 wrote: »

Just got my results today and failed Tort again-does anyone else find this subject really hard, i sat the 8 in one go and passed 7 but again tort i find impossible,ive been with GCD and whilst the other courses were very good and i passed them does anyone have any advice on how good the independent college course on tort is as I may change over -and yes i know it could just be me but the fact that i passed the others makes me think it isnt down to my exam technique-any ideas/suggestions/queries

First off, well done on passing 7 out of 8, thats an achievement in itself.
Currently I am studying Tort with Independent and Im finding the lecturer very good. He's great a simplifying the material and also gives additional handouts per chapter, highlighting the most relevant and important information for the exam. He's very approachable and can be contacted at any time.

Since you've passed 7, could you tell me what you thought of EU and the GCD lecturer? Im studying EU with GCD and Im finding it very tough and difficult to get a grasp of and understand. I dont know if its just me or the way in which the lecturer is choosing to lecture the subject??

Ruby83

CFOLEY85 wrote: »

First off, well done on passing 7 out of 8, thats an achievement in itself.
Currently I am studying Tort with Independent and Im finding the lecturer very good. He's great a simplifying the material and also gives additional handouts per chapter, highlighting the most relevant and important information for the exam. He's very approachable and can be contacted at any time.

Since you've passed 7, could you tell me what you thought of EU and the GCD lecturer? Im studying EU with GCD and Im finding it very tough and difficult to get a grasp of and understand. I dont know if its just me or the way in which the lecturer is choosing to lecture the subject??

I have to say that out of all the lecturers in GCD, I found the lady doing EU the best. Its a massive subject and she tells you what you need to focus on. I was totally confused for ages and couldnt really grasp the free movements without totally confusing myself and in the end I got it. My advice would be, dont stress about it now but just take each section at a time without trying to get the big picture because I did that and totally confused myself. It does all come together eventually but its just a matter of going over and over it. I'd also advise doing the homework on a very consistent basis and it forces you to get your head around each separate topic. The good thing (the only thing probably) is that the questions each year are pretty similar and predictable. Best of luck anyway!

ananas

CFOLEY85 wrote: »

Since you've passed 7, could you tell me what you thought of EU and the GCD lecturer? Im studying EU with GCD and Im finding it very tough and difficult to get a grasp of and understand. I dont know if its just me or the way in which the lecturer is choosing to lecture the subject??

The lecturer is good for EU with GCD but dear God, don't rely on the hints. I'm not saying anything bad about her, tbh she clarified the whole Lisbon thing really well, but she predicted alot of stuff that didn't come up. Once again I'm not blaming her for making predictions because there was a pattern every other year. In October it went out the window with repeating topics that came up the session before, no question on the Institutions. Everything I studied didn't come up and I ended up having to bluff like I've never bluffed before.

fe1manuals

Hi, if anyone is doing the Griffith Criminal Law course for the March 2011 sitting of the FE1's could they please let me know what it is like as I am thinking of signing up. Thanks.:)

steph86

hi,
do people think it is absolutely essential to take a copy of the blackstones into the eu exam?
I think that it could be more of a distraction than help for me but would appreciate to know how others got on. Is it easier just to learn off by heart relevant treaty articles and the necessary parts?
thanks.

ananas

steph86 wrote: »

hi,
do people think it is absolutely essential to take a copy of the blackstones into the eu exam?
I think that it could be more of a distraction than help for me but would appreciate to know how others got on. Is it easier just to learn off by heart relevant treaty articles and the necessary parts?
thanks.

Bring it in with you. You've so much to learn in EU anyways without having to learn off treaty articles. Just tab it according to each topic, like green tabs for FMOG etc. You can highlight the relevant articles as well. Don't learn off the relevant sections, thats a total waste of time.

Jev/N

steph86 wrote: »

hi,
do people think it is absolutely essential to take a copy of the blackstones into the eu exam?
I think that it could be more of a distraction than help for me but would appreciate to know how others got on. Is it easier just to learn off by heart relevant treaty articles and the necessary parts?
thanks.

It's better to have it, than not.

If you refer to a wrong section or misquote something, the examiner won't be very foregiving, even if you were recalling it from memories. For all intents and purposes, they will assume you've availed of the opportunity to bring it in

April 2008

tony28 wrote: »

Just got my results today and failed Tort again-does anyone else find this subject really hard, i sat the 8 in one go and passed 7 but again tort i find impossible,ive been with GCD and whilst the other courses were very good and i passed them does anyone have any advice on how good the independent college course on tort is as I may change over -and yes i know it could just be me but the fact that i passed the others makes me think it isnt down to my exam technique-any ideas/suggestions/queries

Try Val Corbet in independent colleges, excellent teacher.

corkgirl88

fe1manuals wrote: »

Hi, if anyone is doing the Griffith Criminal Law course for the March 2011 sitting of the FE1's could they please let me know what it is like as I am thinking of signing up. Thanks.:)

the griffith criminal law course is really good. the lecturer spends a good bit of time going through exam questions in detail which is really a huge help. I think it is worthwhile doing if you can.

padraig100

hi, i am just wondering what subjects to pick for the leaving cert if i want to study law. can anyone here help????

Hogzy

padraig100 wrote: »

hi, i am just wondering what subjects to pick for the leaving cert if i want to study law. can anyone here help????

You really are in the wrong thread... This is a thread for professional exams.

Open a thread in Legal Discussion and they should be able to give you a good answer.
There is no specific subject in the LC that is good in aiding your abilities to study law.
Having a good grasp of the English language is always a plus. The formation of a contract and Articles & Memorandum of association in Business will appear in the Contract and company modules of law. Albeit in MUCH MUCH more detail.

Obviously the sciences are not relative. IMO worry about getting the maximum points you can and not about what subjects will help you study law in College.

padraig100

Hogzy wrote: »

You really are in the wrong thread... This is a thread for professional exams.

Open a thread in Legal Discussion and they should be able to give you a good answer.
There is no specific subject in the LC that is good in aiding your abilities to study law.
Having a good grasp of the English language is always a plus. The formation of a contract and Articles & Memorandum of association in Business will appear in the Contract and company modules of law. Albeit in MUCH MUCH more detail.

Obviously the sciences are not relative. IMO worry about getting the maximum points you can and not about what subjects will help you study law in College.

thanks very much for your help!!

JCJCJC

Hogzy wrote: »

You really are in the wrong thread... This is a thread for professional exams.

Open a thread in Legal Discussion and they should be able to give you a good answer.
There is no specific subject in the LC that is good in aiding your abilities to study law.
Having a good grasp of the English language is always a plus. The formation of a contract and Articles & Memorandum of association in Business will appear in the Contract and company modules of law. Albeit in MUCH MUCH more detail.

Obviously the sciences are not relative. IMO worry about getting the maximum points you can and not about what subjects will help you study law in College.

Happy Christmas Hogzy - I can't resist this! (off-topic or not) If he's to understand the difference between a profit à prendre and Cuius est solum, eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos, a shot of French and Latin will help. If he's to understand the havoc wrought by the Norman invasion and all matters arising, he'll need history. If he's to understand why we have the EU, he'll need to know about post-war Europe.

And as far as English goes, if he gets an A in higher level English, he'll know the difference between relative and relevant!


I've PM'd him with some advice - law isn't rocket science so he can pass on maths-physics.

Hogzy

JCJCJC wrote: »

Happy Christmas Hogzy

And Many happy returns.

padraig100 wrote: »

thanks very much for your help!!

IF i were you i would choose subjects that you enjoy so that you will have motivation to do well in those subjects. Remember the first hurdle is actually getting the points to do law in college.

padraig100

hogzy

thanks again!

JCJCJC

i'm fairly certain my school doesn't teach latin??

JCJCJC

padraig100 wrote: »

hogzy

thanks again!

JCJCJC

i'm fairly certain my school doesn't teach latin??

Hogzy - remember that he doesn't actually need a law degree. I would advise any law undergrad to tackle the FE1s in college using the general knowledge exam route. I would have flown through them if I had done them then, but we were told categorically in UL that you had to graduate first. An astute student could have the eight FE1s in the bag by the autumn of their final year in college, particularly on a four-year degree. On a three-year BCL degree, if you were really clever and had your TC sorted, you could be a solicitor less than five years after you started college,

Padraig - no latin isn't a disaster, it just helps. Do a modern european language, you might get into practising EU law somewhere in Europe, or even you might decide to do a post-grad in a european university. I'm tempted to say do Polish or Russian and you'll get lots of lucrative work in the District Court ;-)

Hogzy

JCJCJC wrote: »

Hogzy - remember that he doesn't actually need a law degree.

But he said in his OP that he wants to do a law degree/study law

JCJCJC wrote: »

Do a modern european language, you might get into practising EU law somewhere in Europe, or even you might decide to do a post-grad in a european university. I'm tempted to say do Polish or Russian and you'll get lots of lucrative work in the District Court ;-)

Good advise. German is also a good language to have if you want to go into corporate law. I had a friend who did law and German in UL and she did a placement with Mercedes Benz. She had 3 offers from 3 German companies and her grades arent exactly 1H's all around. She was very much a 2.2 2.1 student yet the choice of placements she had was unreal given the economic climate.

Although placement offers might not represent realtime job offers.

padraig100

[/QUOTE]
Padraig - no latin isn't a disaster, it just helps. Do a modern european language, you might get into practising EU law somewhere in Europe, or even you might decide to do a post-grad in a european university. I'm tempted to say do Polish or Russian and you'll get lots of lucrative work in the District Court ;-)[/QUOTE]

French is my language. law and french. i might do polish or russian as an extra subject or just as a course outside school. thanks for that!

mtucker

What's with the Law Society moving the FE-1s to the Red Cow Moran Hotel? Could they have picked a more awkward place?

_JOE_

How so?

The luas stops outside does it not?

Those getting the train to Heuston will find it convenient?

Hogzy

_JOE_ wrote: »

Those getting the train to Heuston will find it convenient?

People are hardly going to be getting the train from Limerick/Cork before EVERY exam so its NOT convenient at all to have it in the Moran Hotel. The RDS was within relative walking distance from the Dart (Lansdowne) anyway. I can guarantee that moving out to the red cow was a cost cutting measure from the cheapo law society. Cork venue was also canceled despite their being around 200 candidates.
Why they cannot have a venue in every city baffles me. If there are small numbers then just get a small venue.


Does anyone know if the Red Cow Moran will be doing any special Rates for FE1 students?

Paul1979

i cant believe they moved it to the mad cow roundabout, has to be the worst traffic area in ireland....unbelievable

_JOE_

Hogzy wrote: »

People are hardly going to be getting the train from Limerick/Cork before EVERY exam so its NOT convenient at all to have it in the Moran Hotel. The RDS was within relative walking distance from the Dart (Lansdowne) anyway. I can guarantee that moving out to the red cow was a cost cutting measure from the cheapo law society. Cork venue was also canceled despite their being around 200 candidates.
Why they cannot have a venue in every city baffles me. If there are small numbers then just get a small venue.


Does anyone know if the Red Cow Moran will be doing any special Rates for FE1 students?

I was only referring to those travelling from within Dublin. I understand Cork being dropped causing a huge inconvenience to those from the west.

My point was that the RDS wasn't convenient for everyone coming from within Dublin.

Hogzy

_JOE_ wrote: »

I was only referring to those travelling from within Dublin. I understand Cork being dropped causing a huge inconvenience to those from the west.

Cork is in the South Buddy.

_JOE_

Hogzy wrote: »

Cork is in the South Buddy.

I thought that would've gone without saying but apparently not. Obviously it's going to cause an inconvenience to Cork people.

Those travelling from the west + South...That better?

mtucker

Must be a cost-cutting exercise, I would have thought that the RDS (5 minute walk from the dart, 15 minute walk from 46A, 145 buses) would be handier for a larger number of commuters in the Dublin area than the Red Cow is going to be.

Still, a change of scenery and a trip out to west Dublin for a few days in March. Something to look forward to..

Jev/N

Thank God I'm finished, the idea of going to the Red Cow is ridiculous! Sorry to hear that for all the students concerned