People who got 500+points in 2009 Leaving cert....

NightOwl91

I hope there isnt a title like this floating around lol
But anyway....I need to get 500-550 points
:eek:
So, I was wondering, if anyone got 490-550points, any advice?
To get that amount of points, how much study or homework should I be doing, what should I be doing when studying, when do I revise 5th year stuff etc, how much should I use my papers etc and any study tricks or tips? And how much study is advisable on weekends? ETC!!
Please help!!:D

zoom!

I haven't done my LC yet but I can guess what they're gonna say...

Be organised, keep study consistent and overall just work hard to make sure that you know everything you need to know in June. Theres not escaping it... the amount of points depends on the quality and quantity of ur study so stop posting and start studying :P But remember not to over do it... 5 hours is plenty on a day off like these

Eire-Dearg

I was originally aiming for 550, when I took a fancy to Veterinary in Dublin.

I haven't opened a book this mid-term.

No chance.

DancingQueen:)

I was aiming for high points until about half way through 5th year, didn't think it would be so hard. I'm still aiming for the high 400s but i think i'd be lucky to get that because i'm finding it really hard to just sit down and study.

As regards to getting high points i think it depends on each person. It might take one person 10 minutes to learn something and another person 40 minutes. I just think you need to keep up with all the work you have to do in school while revising 5th year things as much as you can. And test yourself regularly. Best of Luck

NightOwl91

think its possible to get 500points or more , even though i did very little study last year?
Like, I study now everyday....will i make it??:eek:

DancingQueen:)

Yeah of course. But just make sure when your studying every day your putting in the right amount of effort and studying the right things. If i 'study' one night for 3 hours sometimes i'll only get a small amount of work done and spend the rest of the time distracted!

NightOwl91

DancingQueen:) wrote: »

Yeah of course. But just make sure when your studying every day your putting in the right amount of effort and studying the right things. If i 'study' one night for 3 hours sometimes i'll only get a small amount of work done and spend the rest of the time distracted!

Heres the plan: 2hrs of Homework a night
3hrs of study a night
(not in full study blocks but i break every 30-35mins...I kinda need those serious 30mins to actually take in info)
Bed by 10 lol

Then about 8hrs on saturday AND sunday...


Is it enough?


....Thank god theres coffee....

DancingQueen:)

I'm sure it is fair play though, i know i couldn't do it What do you want to do when you leave school as a matter of interest?

NightOwl91

DancingQueen:) wrote: »

I'm sure it is fair play though, i know i couldn't do it What do you want to do when you leave school as a matter of interest?

2bh, I just wanna do the LC once and give it everything I got.
7months isnt too much to give up compared to what im going to get out of it in the longrun...thats how im lookin at it anyway to keep me sane haha

I want to do general nursing in UCC....thing is, i need 500pts and over to secure a place a midwife told me on the open day....the joy

:eek: Coffee......:rolleyes:

RandomIrl

a little bit every night, proper focused study, writing out your own notes,learning them checking them testing yourself. Doing exam papers, writing out essays. Learning notes if thats what you want.

The most important is balance, do something you enjoy to break up the monotonous routine... and most of all sleep, dont burn yourself out..

Id say..1.5 hrs- 2hrs after homework on weekdays
and a good 3-5 hours on a saturday and sunday( it wont eat into your weekend if you get up early enough)
then increase it after christmas..
MOST IMPORTANT IS SLEEP...........................LOTS OF SLEEP.
you are wasting your time studying/going to school tired, get a good nights sleep every night.

tangowhiskey

I did my LC last year and I got 500 points (not bragging, just saying:D).

OP, despite what teachers may say, it is still relatively early. I wasn't overly-stressed until the New Year/Feb. mid-term.

As everyone above said, be organised, keep on top of your written homework as well as revision and get a good night's sleep.

I was doing ~2hrs a night written homework and then another 1-2hrs on revision. It sounds a lot but if you get yourself into a routine, it becomes easier. Remember, the homework stops sometime in April/May when the teachers realise that you need to study!

There really is no quick-fix to getting high points, but I'll try and help. I don't know the subjects you're doing, so apologies if these are irrelevant.

For a subject like Biology, I found Essentials in Biology (something like that) by Mona Murray to be a God-send, it's a summary book. Eason sell it for ~€7. We only got it in March/April, but it was much better than wading through the textbook we had. Having said that, you need to read through the chapter first. What I did was to summarise the summary, it was sticking in my memory.

The main point is to be able to pick out the main points/key phrases/key words etc; ask your teachers if you need help.

If you have time over the holidays and up until the New Year, do extra questions/essays etc and ask your teacher to mark them - they should be glad to help. This is especially helpful in English and Irish.

For Irish/other languages (I did Italian), it helps to build up a "word-bank" of vocab, and to practise different essays (Irish).

Maths was my most hated subject (because of the teacher, not the course). The only way to tackle it is to do exam questions.

As for the weekends, I don't think I ever studied on a Friday or Saturday. On Sunday, I just did ~3hrs revising what we did the week before.

Also remember that there are projects/aurals/orals that guarantee you some marks.


I hope I haven't scared you - this was just me, not everyone can and will do the same. Others have different ways of study - you need to find the one that's right for you.

I'm sorry that this post is never-ending, I hope I haven't bored you.

Finally: enjoy the experience - it will be over in 7 months or so, and then you'll be a "good-for-nothing" college student. And Feel free to PM me if you wish.

Good Luck!

ayumi

TerryAW wrote: »

I did my LC last year and I got 500 points (not bragging, just saying:D).

OP, despite what teachers may say, it is still relatively early. I wasn't overly-stressed until the New Year/Feb. mid-term.

As everyone above said, be organised, keep on top of your written homework as well as revision and get a good night's sleep.

I was doing ~2hrs a night written homework and then another 1-2hrs on revision. It sounds a lot but if you get yourself into a routine, it becomes easier. Remember, the homework stops sometime in April/May when the teachers realise that you need to study!

There really is no quick-fix to getting high points, but I'll try and help. I don't know the subjects you're doing, so apologies if these are irrelevant.

For a subject like Biology, I found Essentials in Biology (something like that) by Mona Murray to be a God-send, it's a summary book. Eason sell it for ~€7. We only got it in March/April, but it was much better than wading through the textbook we had. Having said that, you need to read through the chapter first. What I did was to summarise the summary, it was sticking in my memory.

The main point is to be able to pick out the main points/key phrases/key words etc; ask your teachers if you need help.

If you have time over the holidays and up until the New Year, do extra questions/essays etc and ask your teacher to mark them - they should be glad to help. This is especially helpful in English and Irish.

For Irish/other languages (I did Italian), it helps to build up a "word-bank" of vocab, and to practise different essays (Irish).

Maths was my most hated subject (because of the teacher, not the course). The only way to tackle it is to do exam questions.

As for the weekends, I don't think I ever studied on a Friday or Saturday. On Sunday, I just did ~3hrs revising what we did the week before.

Also remember that there are projects/aurals/orals that guarantee you some marks.


I hope I haven't scared you - this was just me, not everyone can and will do the same. Others have different ways of study - you need to find the one that's right for you.

I'm sorry that this post is never-ending, I hope I haven't bored you.

Finally: enjoy the experience - it will be over in 7 months or so, and then you'll be a "good-for-nothing" college student. And Feel free to PM me if you wish.

Good Luck!

what course do you do now at college?

Calum196

Well I got 515 last year... still repeating though... but anyway

The absolute, number 1, main thing is that you have 6/7 subjects that suit you... There no point hoping the god will be good and give you an A1 in English if you cant write good essays now, that go's for any subject. If you dont think you are working for and have the ability for (you need both) an A1 in a subject, you need to treat it like an anchor on ship that you need to cut off.

Seriously, people starting 5th and 6th year for the first time usually really do not
understand the level of work that is required... I'll give some tips on the subjects I'm familiar with...

Chemistry/Biology/Physics - WRITE IT DOWN WRITE IT DOWN WRITE IT DOWN, seriously if you cant write it, you dont know it, you dont know if you know it unless you can write it. Reaction process, equations, definitions, the lot. You could read a book for hours and not get anything done, or at least anything your going to remember in 6 months time. Exam questions are very important too, get the marking schemes online too... From about easter to june thats all you should be working on. If your learning about Bohrs theory or cell structure two weeks before the exam, you may as well close the book... your ****ed.

Languages (not irish) - Verbs + Unusual Nouns + Some nice cover all fancy phrases (15/20) + the main grammer points = A1 in your written paper... its really not a lot of work.

(-Nathan-)

Calum196 wrote: »

Well I got 515 last year... still repeating though...

.

HQvhs

Just be structured and organised, and work at a steady pace.

Have a target for each exam, with the ultimate goal being for the LC itself, and work towards that.

It's often said, and may be a cliche, but getting high points really just needs focus and a little work, often.

Also, *do not* cram!

Lawliet

HQvhs wrote: »

Also, *do not* cram!

Meh I wouldn't knock the cramming, I did nothing in geography all year and managed to get an B1 after six hours of cramming

But, yeah, generally not advised unless you really are genuinely f**ked.

Leeg17

Got 510 last year, very happy with it :rolleyes:

What I did was just evening study in school (4-6), and then maybe 7.30-10.30 most days, on weekends maybe 5 hours sat and sunday.

Mostly it's about being organized, going over stuff again and again, and talk to teachers if you're getting stuck on certain parts of the course, I know I did.

There's no must for time studying, some people get it first time, others don't and that's fine. For me, I found I remembered stuff by writing it out, mostly short concise bulletpoints, only write down the stuff you need to know!

Good luck!

TheCandystripes

and start using exam papers early. get into the mind of the examinor/corrector.

GeeNorm

Pick your school and pick your subjects well. Top 5 schools all average about 510-520 per student.

Obviously late in the day but if institutes are an option, they seem exam orientated.

Applied Maths used to guarantee min 80 points not sure what the shoe-ins are now

meathawk

I got 490 by just working in class like for English I'd just do the essays given but never learn them off.English was a bit of a night before kind of thing as were physics and geography.Got Bs and As in them.Maths was the thing I worked for, I did grinds for a few months and eventually got a B but it was really the only thing I thought was worth working at.French is tricky, my only C in the leaving cert was in french and I thought I had gotten atleast a B.For languages if I were to do it all over again I'd concentrate hard on french.I'd nearly go as far as saying to learn things off for french and don't be overly confident after the mock orals work with consistency I just sort of thought I was sorted and placed little time and emphasis on french.Oh I'd strongely advise people not to do Classics I worked solidly for two weeks(study I mean I would always do class work) to get that B, I'd say Economics would be a lot better and easier.

All in all the key is instead of panicking use your time on doing a part of an exam paper.I used revise wise for every subject except for English and Irish.I used wikipedia a lot for geography and making up my own little statistics.I was never much of a note writer I'd usually just read things, but for longer questions in the papers I'd write a sample answer but learning stuff off really wasn't for me.It's risque-involved and lame.For maths I did purely exam papers really.
that is all

Cool Mo D

It's been a few years since I did my leaving, and I got over 500, without doing lots of study. But the one thing I did do was be very organised.

As you go through each subject in class, make sure you fully understand it. Especially things like maths. Try and pay attention in class - it is so, so much easier to learn something when it's being explained to you, rather than from the book. If you don't understand something, ask questions then, not later.

The key is to know the material properly when you cover it in class. When you go back to study it in the weeks before your leaving, nothing should be new to you at all, it will just need freshening in your mind. Don't worry so much about study until later, just make sure to keep well on top of homework and especially oral language work. Then, a few months before the exams, you can start tackling exam papers open book, and when you're comfortable with that you should start practising full closed book exams by yourself. If you have enough of this done before the exams, you'll be set.

eoins2345

funnily enough i learned about bohrs theory for da first time 4 days before da exam an got an A1 so cramming can work if ya have enough time!

segaBOY

I got 545 however I went a weird way about it.

I realised that languages weren't my strong point and I could never achieve anywhere near an A1 in them but I still needed to keep them up for entrance to my college.

So I took on extra subjects and sort of ignored the languages. Did 9 subjects and didn't count English, Irish or French. Worked well ended up getting my course.

And of course plenty of study! If the subjects you pick interest you it really helps in my opinion. I really loved doing a lot of the subjects I picked so getting my points was that bit easier.

Good luck!!!

whadabouchasir

Calum196 wrote: »

Chemistry/Biology/Physics - WRITE IT DOWN WRITE IT DOWN WRITE IT DOWN, seriously if you cant write it, you dont know it, you dont know if you know it unless you can write it. Reaction process, equations, definitions, the lot. You could read a book for hours and not get anything done, or at least anything your going to remember in 6 months time.

I think that the best way to study is to find the way that suits you,and for me this wasn't writing out note.I basically just read the book and did exam questions for all my subjects including chemistry and physics. I did 4-5 hours per night between study and homework and a bit more on the weekends and got 590. The most important thing is to study based on your learninng style.To find out try different ones e.g flash cards,spider diagrams,reading or listening to recorded notes and then test yourself with a blank piece of paper. Best of luck everyone!

myfatherrsson

Everything you need is right here..
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055644307

Jam-Flys post on the second page is the best crash course to the LC Ive ever read!! Everyone in 6th year should copy, paste and print that and stick it to their walls! Its GOLD!

Danc124

I did an hour study and an hour homework every night regradless of weekends.I got 570.Everyones different though.

ironclaw

There is no golden rule so to speak. I got 500+ last year and suppose here are my tips

1) Study. Sounds stupid but the more you skive off the worse you feel. Just do a small bit. Its better than none and you will feel better after it. Forget studying at Midterms. Its not worth it. You'll be exhausted. Just do any homework you have and personal study

2) Keep notes and make small ones of stuff you never get. They do help.

3) Do all the exam papers you can get your hands on. I finished every exam paper available and would have done more if I could. You'll notice very quickly that the same questions appear year in, year out.

4) Quickly realise which are your best subject and stick to them. If you do 7 subjects be careful, however if you do 8 you can effectively drop one. If you ain't good at foreign languages do your best but after that pump the brakes and concentrate on other subjects. If you don't get it, move on.

5) What you get in June is what you get. Don't fool yourself is my advice. Points increases after repeating are minimal. Studies by numerous people/companies/orgainisations have shown its at best 25 / 30, tops 50. If you get 400 this year, you won't be getting 600 next year. Be realistic and remember there are avenues other than repeating. I amn't knocking repeating. Just do the work this year and move on.

6) Don't wish yourself out of secondary as its a huge shock to the system when you do. Treasure the time you have. Not everyone is made for college and not everyone is made for school, so treasure the time you have for both.

Best of Luck!

TheCandystripes

ironclaw wrote: »

There is no golden rule so to speak. I got 500+ last year and suppose here are my tips

1) Study. Sounds stupid but the more you skive off the worse you feel. Just do a small bit. Its better than none and you will feel better after it. Forget studying at Midterms. Its not worth it. You'll be exhausted. Just do any homework you have and personal study

2) Keep notes and make small ones of stuff you never get. They do help.

3) Do all the exam papers you can get your hands on. I finished every exam paper available and would have done more if I could. You'll notice very quickly that the same questions appear year in, year out.

4) Quickly realise which are your best subject and stick to them. If you do 7 subjects be careful, however if you do 8 you can effectively drop one. If you ain't good at foreign languages do your best but after that pump the brakes and concentrate on other subjects. If you don't get it, move on.

5) What you get in June is what you get. Don't fool yourself is my advice. Points increases after repeating are minimal. Studies by numerous people/companies/orgainisations have shown its at best 25 / 30, tops 50. If you get 400 this year, you won't be getting 600 next year. Be realistic and remember there are avenues other than repeating. I amn't knocking repeating. Just do the work this year and move on.

6) Don't wish yourself out of secondary as its a huge shock to the system when you do. Treasure the time you have. Not everyone is made for college and not everyone is made for school, so treasure the time you have for both.

Best of Luck!

Disagree with that if I'm honest. I know a few that repeated and both went up by a good bit. I gues it depends where your coming from, the higher you get the harder it is to go up but the people i know went up by a good 150 points. like if u get 300 points lets say and repeat u could definetly get for 450 no hassle.

goonyougoodthin

Just one piece of advice to reiterate what another poster said: study at a steady rate, don't go straight home and put your head in a book and study study study you'll only burn yourself out before Christmas and feel like crap and when you over work yourself like that you learn nothing at all and are wasting your time.

Organise your time for work but don't stress out, the way I worked out mine was say pick 2 subjects to study per weekday at night and alternate between them,(subject1) 45mins-1hour,(break)15-20min,(subject2)45mins/1hour and so on but remember just give it your best in June and don't be worrying it's not life or death.

orange_peel

Having gotten 600 last year I thought I’d come in and spread some of the wisdom

-A few basic things, such as knowing which subjects you will be counting are often overlooked, say if the max you think you can get in a subject is a C1, then take up something else which you know you have a better chance in. This especially applies to people who do not have an aptitude for languages and are struggling away with them when they could take up ag science o business and get an easy b1+ if it’s their kind of subject.

-Generally, write out your own notes in subjects.

-Don't burn yourself out too early, gradually build over the year. take a complete break at xmas so you will be in fine for form the pres, short beak after the pres, balls to the wall until the real deal.

-Make a realistic study plan and stick too it. Never sit down to study without an idea of what you want to accomplish. Never study while tired or hungry, it’s a waste of time.

-On the day you should have your timing sorted from before. Just stick to it, it really is that simple. This applies to every exam.

-Make unrealistic goals. For example my actual goal was 600 so I said my gal would be t0 get 95% or higher in the 6 exams Iwas counting. This was unrealistic but when I was studying this is what I geared myself towards and I ended up getting 95% or above in 3/6 anyways So say you want 450 points to be sure you get your course (430 points), aim for 500 points and sudy with this in mind and you will end up exceeding expectations. To summarise: aim for the moon, even if you miss you will be amongst the starts (or something).

Few general tips for the subjects I got A1s in.

Physics
Take advantage of the fact that it’s such a short course and know it inside out. Experiments are very important and are easy maks in section one, so know diagrams methods, units and be able to draw applicable graphs etc. There are a few interesting chapters on the electron, radioactivity, x-rays. Photoelectric effect, fission and fusion, thermioic emission etc at the end of the book and you are guaranteed questions on these even though there is so little in them so know these inside out! Option wise I did particle, which was interesting so I found it easy to study, but very few do the applied electricity question so if you ahve an aptitude ofr electricity definitely go for it! Do question 5 and 11 and 12 on the day. Do exam papers until you are blue in the face, then find past pre’s and do them until you are blue in the face. Similar questions come up every year.

Chemistry
Can be a tricky little subject at times, and frustrating to get the finer details on. I wouldn’t recommend doing question 5, its a sneaky one, seems easy but marked hard. Knw your experiments very well, especially titrations. I found rapid revision chemistry very good. Write up your own notes. Don’t bother with the option, maybe have an idea of it as backup, bit don’t waste too much time on it. Do question 5. With redox equations and balancing just practice. Can’t remember much of the other stuff inb the course, Oh ya know gases and gas laws for a few handy marks if it comes up. Do exam papers until you are blue in the face, then find past pre’s and do them until you are blue in the face. Similar questions come up every year.

Biology
This was the subject I had to work hardest to get an A1 in, because there is so much learning. Something like 70% of the marks can be obtained by just knowing section 1 and 2 and all the experiments, and this should be reflected in your study, ie know them inside out. Section 3 wise there might be stuff you can leave out, but be sure you know human reproduction and plants. I know plants are boring so just grin and bear it. Biology just needs time so just keep at it and don’t let it get the better of you. Obviously exam papers are important as well.

English
My best subject and one in which I had a natural ability so maybe I can’t help much here. Write essays when you get them for homework. I never learned anything off for English and if you have a flair for English you shouldn’t either, the examiner can spot stuff that is made to fita title. If you are not good at English then I suppose it would be advantageous to learn stuff off, maybe take a few topics and spend a while over them yourself and write out good essays on them which you can look over from time to time. Read newspaper articles, especially if you are in 5th year or before xmas in 6th year, and write down any nice phrases you see and get in the habit of slotting them into your essays. In comprehensions identify exactly what question is being asked and endeavour to answer it precisely. Have a structure for you answers, and introductory paragraph, a few paragraphs, depending on how many marks have been allotted, and a concluding article. Paper II know three poets, know two very well. For the shakespeaan play, have a good overall knowledge of the play and iuse this knowledge in your answer. Again, if you are weak you may want to learn stuff off.

German
I wont be much help here, because German came very naturally to me, What I found helpful was I kept a vocab notebook; basically any new word the teacher wrote on the board or that came up in a comprehension I jotted it down and learned it off. Well usually the words just stuck in my head, but def learn them because vocab is crucial in German.Start on the oral now, and learn them all; don’t do the half-arsed thing of learning 4/5. Just practice for the letter, and do tape at home to supplement the tape you do in school. Even put German on you iPod or whatever and listen a bit once a week for 10 mins and it will benefit you greatly in the long run.

Irish
Tough one this, because you get people who have excellent Irish coming out with B1s and A2s as they failed to acknowledge the importance of the beastly paper II. It’s just 30% of the exam, but it’s usually the one that stops people from getting As. I know its boring nd a terrible paper, but just put your head down and do it. As with any other language, start on the oral early and do ape ypurself. Go to tg4.ie ad watch aifric or anything else as gaeilge that takes your fancy. Do this regularly. For the aiste, it’s sad but you have to learn off phases and stuff and basically stuff them down the examiner’s throat. Do all the comprehensions in the exam papers and constantly build your vocabulary.

Need any help give me a PM and I’ll be happy to give a few pointers

Lawliet

TheCandystripes wrote: »

Disagree with that if I'm honest. I know a few that repeated and both went up by a good bit. I gues it depends where your coming from, the higher you get the harder it is to go up but the people i know went up by a good 150 points. like if u get 300 points lets say and repeat u could definitely get for 450 no hassle.

I think if you put in your best effort first time round, then the probability of going up a huge amount of points, isn't great.
But for people who missed a lot of school due to illness, or simply dossed and did nothing all year, then there's a good possibility they will bring up their points a good bit this time round...provided they work of course.

pepsi1234

I got 545 points and the biggest thing that helped was to download the syllybuses (syllybi?) of each course so you know what they're looking for. Also get the marking scheme for some past papers and read the reports from previous years. All available online.
OP, maybe tell us what subjects you're doing as that might help. The LC was a doddle compared to uni exams so 'enjoy' it while you can

theowen

Lawliet wrote: »

I think if you put in your best effort first time round, then the probability of going up a huge amount of points, isn't great.
But for people who missed a lot of school due to illness, or simply dossed and did nothing all year, then there's a good possibility they will bring up their points a good bit this time round...provided they work of course.

I'd consider my self in that boat somewhat. I didn't study until after Feb. and slowed down again until 3 weeks before the actual LC. I got 400 points which I'd consider pretty decent with only 4 honours and the lack of study I put in. Now as I'm studying from the off, attending a much better school and have two extra honours I honesty think I can get 550+. Semi-rant over:rolleyes:

bythewoods

ironclaw wrote: »

5) What you get in June is what you get. Don't fool yourself is my advice. Points increases after repeating are minimal. Studies by numerous people/companies/orgainisations have shown its at best 25 / 30, tops 50. If you get 400 this year, you won't be getting 600 next year. Be realistic and remember there are avenues other than repeating. I amn't knocking repeating. Just do the work this year and move on

Oooooh, controversial.

Speaking for myself, yes, I only went up 25 points (From 550-575) but it was enough. Once you reach the high 500s anyway, it's hard to improve on points too much imo.
A friend who repeated with me (In a Public school, NOT a grind school or the likes)went from 410-545 and there were many others in the same boat. Most people who were in the 400s the first time 'round broke into the 500s, easily.

If you have to repeat, repeat. And unless you're going for medicine, you can drop your worst subjects when your repeating, like maths for example, and pick up easy points with the likes of Ag Science or whatevz.


I don't really have any major LC tips, OT.
For myself anyway, cramming's always been a Godsend. Wasn't much of a consistent worker both times 'round, but the things you learn the night before an exam and 5 minutes before going in save you.

XboxHero

Best of luck to everyone doing exams, I got 550 June just gone.
Here's what I did:

2 hours homework and 2 hours study Mon-Fri.
I's start around 5, that way you can have a break after school. I's study till 7, take a half hour break (Walks or something clear your head) then study till half 9.

It was hard, and I didn't do it every night. Don' feel guilty for taking a night or even a week off, I did all the time.

Weekends:
Studied 3 hours (11am-1pm) Took a 2 hour break and then a revision hour (3pm-4pm) of reading over what I learned in the morning. Again, not every weekend.

You have to pick and choose, you WON'T get everything done. I left a lot out, and if you overstudy, as some of my friends did, you'll burn out and mess up exams. Pace yourself, and please don't put pressure on yourself because it can ruin you, I know all about it.

Make sure you go out with friends AT LEAST once a week, and exercise because you WILL feel better. I know it sounds crap but eat well, fruits and stuff. Chocolate and stuff made me feel like crap but when I got healthy, I was used to eating well and my energy was always good and I felt positive.

Best of luck, learn but relax!

geansaibui

NightOwl91 wrote: »

2bh, I just wanna do the LC once and give it everything I got.
7months isnt too much to give up compared to what im going to get out of it in the longrun...thats how im lookin at it anyway to keep me sane haha

I want to do general nursing in UCC....thing is, i need 500pts and over to secure a place a midwife told me on the open day....the joy

:eek: Coffee......:rolleyes:

As a matter of interest what subjects are you doing?
I really want to do nursing too

Twilighter

I got 500 but I must admit, I didn't do a tap of proper revision until it came time for the mocks. I was always good with my homework and my essays and I was very organised which helped a lot with my revision.

It depends what you're good at aswell. I mean, I found French very easy and got an A1 in HL but then I had to work hard at English (never got higher than a C in essays, school tests, mocks etc) but even with the whole paper 2 catastrophe, I managed a B1. wayheyy.

So yeah, coming up to mocks I was doing about an hour and a half written homework and then maybe another hour and a half on a certain subject each night.

I did feck all at the weekends though, until after Easter.

Ah I miss the aul leaving cert, but I'm in NUIG now and loving it

Good luck!

shadub

I got 500 points last year. Usually I'd take about 30 minutes off when I'd come home from school and I'd watch tv/go on the computer. I'd get about 1 and a half to 2 hours of homework. I'd have dinner about 6.30 and I'd study from 7.00 to 9.00 each night.

As for weekends, I'd usually do about 3 hours, in blocks of 45 minutes.

barahsug

pepsi1234 wrote: »

I got 545 points and the biggest thing that helped was to download the syllybuses (syllybi?) of each course so you know what they're looking for. Also get the marking scheme for some past papers and read the reports from previous years. All available online.
OP, maybe tell us what subjects you're doing as that might help. The LC was a doddle compared to uni exams so 'enjoy' it while you can

I can't agree with this more!! I did Business, which I hated, and Economics, which I loved. Our Business teacher did exam questions the whole way through 5th and 6th year, by the mocks we had gone through all the exam questions once and most of them twice. But because I found it so boring I left it as my seventh subject and didn't go to any business classes after Easter, whereas I loooooooooooved Economics! It literally was the only thing I studied, but I never did any exam question and voila, I got B2s in both of them!

I got 510 overall, and the most important thing for me I think was not doing subjects I hated. I hated science for the Junior Cert so I didn't do any science subjects..but in fairness I had the luxury of not needing them, I'm sure there's any number of people who hate doing languages but have no option.

But yeah, I did feck all for the Leaving and was aiming for 400ish, so I can only put my results down to good old fashioned cramming!

French I got an A1 so I heartily, heartily advise doing a french exchange!!! That's what I did, and it worked for me! Obviously it's a massive help for the oral but even for the written opinion-y pieces, it's great to be able to talk about something you were doing while over there. And I don't think doing a French language course would be as good, with 2 or 3 weeks living with a family over there without hearing any English you'll be re-wired to think in French and you'll be flying it!

Irish I got an A2 and was expecting about a C, because I really messed up Paper 2. But I think that goes to show that with a good oral, good essay and good general knowledge of the texts you can do well in Irish without having to learn off reams of exam answers about an Bhean Óg or stair. I didn't understand the question for an bhean óg last year, so for those answers know lots of general stuff about the text, The stair question is equal to the same amount as the sliocht so don't freak about paper 2 too much. A little bit, but not too much!

Pass maths Usually, and maybe it's the same for honours I don't know, the question that was answered really badly in one year is repeated the following year. This year that was the case for the circle question as far as I remember. So I know it's a bit far away to be thinking about the morning of the maths exam but definitely get up half an hour earlier to cram those hard questions from this year.

Music I got an A2 and honest to God, our teacher was sh*t. not "the sh*t", just sh*t. The practical super important and easy to do well in, don't do like I did and chop and change which songs you're going to be doing on the morning of the exam like I did...it's a risk that paid off for me but i guess it wouldn't for everyone! Other than that I just listened to the works til I knew them backwards. Apart from Seachanges.....no one should ever have listen to that more than once, never mind listening to it til they know it backwards. We did go on some trips and things to see the works being played and interviews with the Deane himself so I guess they helped too! For the music theory, I did the ABRSM grade 5 theory exam in 4th year so most leaving cert stuff is covered in that, and I found our teacher tended to really over-complicate everything and confuse me, even though I knew what she was doing. So...make things simple in your head and then they'll be simple in the exam..Hopefully? not the greatest advice, i know.:P

English Like Pepsi1234 said get the marking schemes and know exactly what they're looking for.


But most importantly, don't freak out. Don't do nothing in 5th year per se, but don't learn things off by heart for the greater good, cos in June of the following year you won't remember it. Just understand what's going on and do lots of past exam papers and keep track of how you're doing in class tests. I think the key to the leaving cert is focusing on what you need to know for the exam instead of just learning, learning, learning..if that makes sense. I think it does. You don't need to study 4 hours a day to do well in the leaving. it doesn't do any harm, but working the system is easier I'm probably be biased, but I think working the system is easier for people who are good at languages, seeing as you have to do 3 of them.

TheCandystripes

Working the system. I haven't done it yet but thats exactly it. Good to see sound people out there. Thanks all past LC'ers for your advice

aine-maire

NightOwl91 wrote: »

Heres the plan: 2hrs of Homework a night
3hrs of study a night
(not in full study blocks but i break every 30-35mins...I kinda need those serious 30mins to actually take in info)
Bed by 10 lol

Then about 8hrs on saturday AND sunday...


Is it enough?


....Thank god theres coffee....

:eek: No way was I doing that much last year, you must be joking?

You'll be burned out before the mocks.
Save the crazy hours for just coming up to the exams. Seriously.

MikeyCyrus

study your arse off and get 500plus points or take it easy and have a good social life, in all honesty you wont make it throught your college course without a decent social life or people skills, i suggest u study that more and enjoy yourself, college aint no sweet ride after the LC, if your aiming high you'll have to study alot in your course to compete

Im not the best motivater am i? :P just being honest

ironclaw

MikeyCyrus wrote: »

study your arse off and get 500plus points or take it easy and have a good social life, in all honesty you wont make it throught your college course without a decent social life or people skills, i suggest u study that more and enjoy yourself, college aint no sweet ride after the LC, if your aiming high you'll have to study alot in your course to compete

Im not the best motivater am i? :P just being honest

Thats actually a very good point. College isn't a free ride folks. Don't think the work stops just after the LC because its a big lie. It really doesn't. You need to keep the work up. Unless you do a course that isn't too demanding. But if your course is up in the 450's, 500's then prepare yourself for another few years of work.

OxfordComma

I got 600 in my LC so hopefully any tips I have for the subjects I got A1s in will be helpful!

English: I really loved this subject and enjoyed studying it (if that's possible ). The most important thing to do if you want a good grade is just practise, practise, practise. Take every little thing your teacher gives you as homework and write it as well as you possibly can, and you'll see the standard of your writing improving over time. DON'T learn off sample answers or essays for ANY part of the course. It's a complete waste of time and could drag down your marks a lot if the examiner knows you've learned off an answer (and believe me, it'll probably be VERY obvious). Pick out three poets you LIKE (out of the five or six that are most likely to come up - preparing any more than about four is very unproductive and, tbh, a complete waste of time) and get to know them really well. Prepare plenty of quotes and formulate your own ideas on each poet's work - showing that you've connected with the poet's work is probably the most important thing. For Shakespeare, know the play INSIDE OUT - there's really no excuse for not being very familiar with the play. Prepare notes/bullet points for comparative, not full essays. You've got enough rote learning to do without making English boring as hell as well.

Maths: The papers are absolutely ESSENTIAL here, as the questions in the book are a cakewalk compared to what you'll be facing in June. I did out every single maths paper I could get my hands on, and I spent about an hour on maths every night for the entire year (nerdy much?? ) It's a very very difficult subject to get an A1 in, and requires vast amounts of time, energy and plain old hard work. You've got to be able to cope with anything the examiners might throw at you.

French: Very difficult to prepare for. I found this subject rather frustrating at times :rolleyes:. At first I wasn't really sure how to prepare for it at all. The most important thing is to try and arm yourself with plenty of words 'n' phrases, and then just keep practising. The written section is the only one I really struggled with, but if you just keep doing out paragraphs as well as you can, it gets a little easier. Practise is essential for all other parts of the exam as well, especially the oral.

Chemistry: This was one of my favourite subjects, although it's quite tough at times. It's not like other subjects (apart from Maths and Physics, to a certain extent) - your ability to get your head around the later parts of the course is very heavily dependent upon your understanding of earlier parts, and there are many concepts that just keep reappearing over and over. You can't learn it (apart from definitions), you have to UNDERSTAND it. And that's something a lot of people struggle with. You need to know the course inside out to get an A1. I generally used to study a topic such as Organic Chem., then close the book, do out an exam question from memory and correct it with the marking scheme. That's definitely the best way to make sure you're ready for the exam.

History: Ugh, I really struggled with History. There's an absolutely gigantic volume of information to absorb for this subject, and the paper itself is invariably very nasty. You have to omit a lot of the course because it's just not possible to retain it all. Timing is absolutely vital - even if absolutely everything goes according to plan it's still very hard to finish on time, so you need to practise writing essays FROM MEMORY in less than about 40 minutes. Enjoyable stuff :rolleyes:

Music: There's not a lot in this course, but you do need to know it inside out. The Set Works are critically important, and there's really no excuse for not knowing them. Prepare a few topics for Irish Music too, because it's easy to pick up marks here if you put in the effort. For the rest of the written side of things, just keep practising and trying to improve all the time. Do out questions from the papers and correct them with the marking scheme - that's very helpful. Get your teacher to mark your compositions, esp. melodies. The practical is vital, and very easy to score well in - if you put in the effort throughout the year that is.

The most important thing is not to spend hours and hours studying if you're not being very productive. Don't think in terms of hours, think in terms of tasks. Decide what you're going to do each night, and then sit down and do it. Take notes for subjects like History and Chemistry - it helps keep you focused, and it's far more effective than simply reading the book (in my opinion).

Goober2810

Did the leaving last year and in fairness did very little just didnt know what course to do in college. but i started workin around easter and still got 500 pts.

my advice in to study smart. look at previous papers there are obvious trends and then try and work out what will come up.

this will get u decent results but to get 550+ ya havta put in the work!

Eliot Rosewater

Firstly, there is no one magic solution or cordial that will get you high grades. Different things work for different people. 1fahy4 saids she got an A1 in honours Maths by doing an hour each night. Pfft, I breezed it by doing Maths only every few days as "reward study" because I liked it and have a maths brain. I did the best in my class (honours, A1) and Im pretty sure I was one of the ones who did least work for it. Because I had passion and a natural ability.

So you can cram all you like, such as people have detailed above. But if you have passion or interest and a mind that takes to the subject at hand then you are more likely to score well. Some may think its too late for that. Wrong! Its never too late to start liking your subject. Thats where cramming fails - you invariably end up hating what your doing. I only got really into subject when I started studying for LC.

So try to get into the subject. I know this can be hard for some, but it can be done for most, especially the technical subjects like Maths, Physics and Construction Studies, etc.

Now for the more practicable stuff. Look, the LC is a system. I went into my Engineering exam so immersed in the system that I was smiling as I saw questions I recognized. I could have predicted the whole thing. So by playing the game I selectively learned what I needed to. More efficient study time.

Exam papers, and marking schemes are a must. One hour poring over past exams and schema's is better than 2 hours cramming (and that comes with the Eliot Rosewater guarantee of satisfaction :pac:). Seriously. If you aiming for a B what are you doing answering the abstract C parts worth like 0.2% of you exam? Know where the marks are and know which marks your going to get.

Finally, an exam like the LC is a tactical foray. Know what times certain sections are to be done in. Running over your section limit because you may answer it great? Tough **** - move on and come back later. The five minutes putting finishing touches on a question will never get you more marks than the 5 minutes put into the backbone of another question. In exams like Maths, Applied Maths, English and History you should be strict on this. Also know which sections you will do first. I went into my Tech Graph exam and turned straight to page 3 because I knew I would do best there. Stick to the game plan.

Best of luck guys. The LC suddenly shrinks in importance when your on this side of it. Theres much much more to life than study. And Im saying this as someone who did really well.

Neopolitan

ironclaw wrote: »

There is no golden rule so to speak. I got 500+ last year and suppose here are my tips

1) Study. Sounds stupid but the more you skive off the worse you feel. Just do a small bit. Its better than none and you will feel better after it. Forget studying at Midterms. Its not worth it. You'll be exhausted. Just do any homework you have and personal study

3) Do all the exam papers you can get your hands on. I finished every exam paper available and would have done more if I could. You'll notice very quickly that the same questions appear year in, year out.

6) Don't wish yourself out of secondary as its a huge shock to the system when you do. Treasure the time you have. Not everyone is made for college and not everyone is made for school, so treasure the time you have for both.

Best of Luck!

+1 on this advice

I got 545 this year to my complete surprise. I felt I wasn't working as hard as I could from September to January but it worked out in the end. I did around 3.5 to 4 hours in total each night between homework and study and around 4/5 hours on Saturday and Sunday.

I made sure I went out once a week, it's what kept me sane! Try get one really good night's sleep at the weekend as well. Get a rest at the midterms, Easter and Christmas, you really need it.

Enjoy 6th year as much as possible, it might seem like it will never end at the moment, but it goes by really fast!

Best of luck!

orangetictac

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

Firstly, there is no one magic solution or cordial that will get you high grades. Different things work for different people. 1fahy4 saids she got an A1 in honours Maths by doing an hour each night. Pfft, I breezed it by doing Maths only every few days as "reward study" because I liked it and have a maths brain. I did the best in my class (honours, A1) and Im pretty sure I was one of the ones who did least work for it. Because I had passion and a natural ability.

So you can cram all you like, such as people have detailed above. But if you have passion or interest and a mind that takes to the subject at hand then you are more likely to score well. Some may think its too late for that. Wrong! Its never too late to start liking your subject. Thats where cramming fails - you invariably end up hating what your doing. I only got really into subject when I started studying for LC.

So try to get into the subject. I know this can be hard for some, but it can be done for most, especially the technical subjects like Maths, Physics and Construction Studies, etc.

Now for the more practicable stuff. Look, the LC is a system. I went into my Engineering exam so immersed in the system that I was smiling as I saw questions I recognized. I could have predicted the whole thing. So by playing the game I selectively learned what I needed to. More efficient study time.

Exam papers, and marking schemes are a must. One hour poring over past exams and schema's is better than 2 hours cramming (and that comes with the Eliot Rosewater guarantee of satisfaction :pac:). Seriously. If you aiming for a B what are you doing answering the abstract C parts worth like 0.2% of you exam? Know where the marks are and know which marks your going to get.

Finally, an exam like the LC is a tactical foray. Know what times certain sections are to be done in. Running over your section limit because you may answer it great? Tough **** - move on and come back later. The five minutes putting finishing touches on a question will never get you more marks than the 5 minutes put into the backbone of another question. In exams like Maths, Applied Maths, English and History you should be strict on this. Also know which sections you will do first. I went into my Tech Graph exam and turned straight to page 3 because I knew I would do best there. Stick to the game plan.

Best of luck guys. The LC suddenly shrinks in importance when your on this side of it. Theres much much more to life than study. And Im saying this as someone who did really well.

:rolleyes:
Once again, different things work for different people in the "USE MARKING SCHEMES" approach.
Sure I'd use them for checking final answers and if I ever got a question wrong, Im sure I would had a look at what mistake the marking scheme maker made.:D Luckily we tended to agree on most things.

But for theoretical answers I think sometimes too much emphasis is put on the marking schemes.
For me, It made studying alot easier to take a more hollistic approach. I ended up liking my 6 main subjects rather than them being chores.

Im not saying you're a SWOT Elisha Pinkpseudofeather (or whatever your name is) but just saying to the youngins' here to use the marking schemes as an aid, not as a substitute for the book. Marking schemes change. The comfort of knowing you can adapt to any question is pretty great.

ps mathsbank is a good challenge for the mathsgeeks

Eliot Rosewater

orangetictac wrote: »

The comfort of knowing you can adapt to any question is pretty great.

The comfort of knowing that Leaving Cert questions dont change that much is even greater.


Take, for instance, Construction studies. Theres like a number of diagrams to be learned off, something like 20 or so (it been a while). However even though I roughly knew all of them, I concentrated on the ones I predicted would come up by looking at patterns in the previous years. SO I could ake my study more efficient.

orangetictac wrote: »

just saying to the youngins' here to use the marking schemes as an aid,

Before you look down on the current LC's in a condescending manner, perhaps its better to remind yourself you were once in their shoes.

aoifeX

Ag_Ec_Grinds wrote: »

I got 545 however I went a weird way about it.

I realised that languages weren't my strong point and I could never achieve anywhere near an A1 in them but I still needed to keep them up for entrance to my college.

So I took on extra subjects and sort of ignored the languages. Did 9 subjects and didn't count English, Irish or French. Worked well ended up getting my course.

And of course plenty of study! If the subjects you pick interest you it really helps in my opinion. I really loved doing a lot of the subjects I picked so getting my points was that bit easier.

Good luck!!!

thats what im doing this year! except honours eng instead of maths. hopefully twill work for me to! did u ever find that 9 was to much? im begining to have my doubts:(

Dr Gradus

I got 480 last year and i'm a pretty lazy individual. My mock results were disgracefully bad and i decided to cop myself on at that stage, up until which i had done next to nothing.

Exam papers were the way to go in my opinion. Just get them out and do some questions. Even if you are stuck for answers you are learning just by understanding how certain things are phrased and how the exams are layed out. The LC doesnt really test anything except your ability to follow a consistent format and have learned off some key facts.

And if you are struggling at a higher level subject like maths and irish i would recommend dropping it rather than letting it drag down all your other subjects with it.