Changes in the Leaving Cert course in the coming years?

I.Am.A.Panda

Hey, next year I'll (hopefully) be starting 5th year, and from what I've heard there's set to be some changes.

1) There's supposed to be an increase in the Irish oral from 25% to 40% of the marks from 2012 on. Does this mean starting with the 2012 leaving cert?

2) A source has told me that from next year on there will be a new Maths in place, with there being no choice in the actual exam.

Also any other speculated changes in the area of English, French, Economics, History, Business, Geography and Biology are welcome .

unknown13

I.Am.A.Panda wrote: »

1) There's supposed to be an increase in the Irish oral from 25% to 40% of the marks from 2012 on. Does this mean starting with the 2012 leaving cert

I wish this was the case at the moment because I am doing little work for this oral compared to my German one and am getting high marks in it.

ciano1

I.Am.A.Panda wrote: »

2) A source has told me that from next year on there will be a new Maths in place, with there being no choice in the actual exam.

Thats Project maths..My school is one of the 24 around the country thats testing it out..Well Paper 2

Paper 1 will be trialled next year.

The new course won't be nationwide for at least another 2 or 3 years

In our paper 2, theres no choice of questions. We must do them all

pathway33

I.Am.A.Panda wrote: »

Also any other speculated changes in the area of English

In 2012 the single text shakespearean play will be Hamlet. This is unusual because the 2011 play is also Hamlet. Usually there is a different single text shakespearean play in consecutive years.

Maybe they started to feel sorry for the repeat students who had to do a new shakespeare play

I.Am.A.Panda

ciano1 wrote: »

Thats Project maths..My school is one of the 24 around the country thats testing it out..Well Paper 2

Paper 1 will be trialled next year.

The new course won't be nationwide for at least another 2 or 3 years

In our paper 2, theres no choice of questions. We must do them all

Oh. My source was wrong then. Do you find Paper 1 easier than Paper 2 so far?

I.Am.A.Panda

pathway33 wrote: »

In 2012 the single text shakespearean play will be Hamlet. This is unusual because the 2011 play is also Hamlet. Usually there is a different single text shakespearean play in consecutive years.

Maybe they started to feel sorry for the repeat students who had to do a new shakespeare play

As in, the text for next year is the same as the one chosen for this year?

unknown13

pathway33 wrote: »

In 2012 the single text shakespearean play will be Hamlet. This is unusual because the 2011 play is also Hamlet. Usually there is a different single text shakespearean play in consecutive years.

Maybe they started to feel sorry for the repeat students who had to do a new shakespeare play

They rotate between Lear, Hamlet, Macbeth and Othello every four years.

pathway33

unknown13 wrote: »

They rotate between Lear, Hamlet, Macbeth and Othello every four years.

That's right. So why are they changing the system in 2012? http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/cl0013_2010.pdf?language=EN

unknown13

pathway33 wrote: »

That's right. So why are they changing the system in 2012? http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/cl0013_2010.pdf?language=EN

The poets look bad. I think 2010 has been the best year for poetry in a while.

pathway33

I.Am.A.Panda wrote: »

1) There's supposed to be an increase in the Irish oral from 25% to 40% of the marks from 2012 on.

Is the aural worth 20%?

Does that mean the written paper will be shortened?

I suspect there's information about this on either www.examinations.ie or www.education.ie but anything to do with the irish syllabus is all as gaeilge. Any one know where you can get this information in english? I thought there was some governmental bi-lingual law regarding documents

Ruski

Well they cannot change the Geography course and the science courses because they changed those in the past decade. I don't know how they can change language courses. There really isn't much that can be done.

The English course changes every year, so I don't think that can be changed as well, other than sacking Shakespeare and/or putting more modern and likable poets on the course (eg Jack Kerouac or something).

pathway33

Isn't the new subject 'politics and society' supposed to be examinable from 2012?

implausible

pathway33 wrote: »

In 2012 the single text shakespearean play will be Hamlet. This is unusual because the 2011 play is also Hamlet. Usually there is a different single text shakespearean play in consecutive years.

It's not unusual - Macbeth was on for a few years in a row lately.

unknown13 wrote: »

They rotate between Lear, Hamlet, Macbeth and Othello every four years.

Yes, this was true, under the old course ten years ago:rolleyes:

Now, they mix the tragedies from the old course with other Shakespearean texts such as The Tempest and As You Like It.

pathway33

deemark wrote: »

It's not unusual - Macbeth was on for a few years in a row lately.

Yes in 2003 and 2004. I'd call an occurrence after an 8 year gap pretty unusual

implausible

pathway33 wrote: »

Yes in 2003 and 2004. I'd call an occurrence after an 8 year gap pretty unusual

One's definition of lately depends on one's age I suppose.....

'As You Like It' was up in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and Twelfth Night has made quite a few appearances. Macbeth has been on the syllabus more often than any of the other tragedies (I could be wrong, can't be a*sed checking past papers, just sick of teaching it). The point I am trying to make is that there is no real pattern in the LC English syllabus. The Dept are trying not to have the course as predictable as the old one was, so it will continue to change every year, probably without a discernible pattern.

pathway33

if AULI was up 3 years in a row then i take back everything i said

spurious

pathway33 wrote: »

Isn't the new subject 'politics and society' supposed to be examinable from 2012?

Certainly not nationally that soon, as that would mean it being timetabled this autumn.
AFAIK the syllabus hasn't even been finalised. After that comes piloting for at least one exam cycle and then it goes national. I wouldn't hold my breath.

Princessxx

I.Am.A.Panda wrote: »

Hey, next year I'll (hopefully) be starting 5th year, and from what I've heard there's set to be some changes.

1) There's supposed to be an increase in the Irish oral from 25% to 40% of the marks from 2012 on. Does this mean starting with the 2012 leaving cert?

2) A source has told me that from next year on there will be a new Maths in place, with there being no choice in the actual exam.

Also any other speculated changes in the area of English, French, Economics, History, Business, Geography and Biology are welcome .

Hey Im doing the leaving cert in 2012 and I just got information on my books and stuff for next year our oral is chainging to 40% in Irish for both levels and in the actual exam the stuff is going to be like emails and blogs and texts and stuff there like moderniseing it and as for maths yeah whole new thing its meant to be some sort of project well thats what it says on my book list..and we have no past exam papers for it just sample ones but they say it shoukd go in our favour for the exam because we are the first year doing it in the coutry(apart form the schools who did a trial of it) they should be marking it easier...im all a bit confused about it as well..and as far as i know some other subjects are chainging as well...

aine92

You prob know this already but Im not sure when but theres a choice in Irish now between An Triail and Poetry and instead of the one you leave out, theres a new grammar question. I presume that starts for 5th years of 2010.

ceol18

HL irish syllabus is changing
Stair na gaeilge is being cut
Also the number of poems is being cut down, and the oral becoming a larger part of the marks

Mazda

pathway33 wrote: »

Does that mean the written paper will be shortened?

Yeah teachers will have a choice whether to do An Triail or the honours poetry. They're changing the honours poems as well, only going to be 5 poems from 2012 on.

bubblz

deemark wrote: »

One's definition of lately depends on one's age I suppose.....

'As You Like It' was up in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and Twelfth Night has made quite a few appearances. Macbeth has been on the syllabus more often than any of the other tragedies (I could be wrong, can't be a*sed checking past papers, just sick of teaching it). The point I am trying to make is that there is no real pattern in the LC English syllabus. The Dept are trying not to have the course as predictable as the old one was, so it will continue to change every year, probably without a discernible pattern.

Was it not othello that was up in 2008?

irish_man

unknown13 wrote: »

The poets look bad. I think 2010 has been the best year for poetry in a while.

Don't worry I'd say boland will come up
:P

Conor108

Only good change would be to scrap the LC. Continuous Assessment ftw:D

aine92

irish_man wrote: »

Don't worry I'd say boland will come up
:P

lads Boland is tipped for 2011...shes so coming up.

Conor108

aine92 wrote: »

lads Boland is tipped for 2011...shes so coming up.

Im gonna enjoy this forum next year minus the pressure:D (hopefully)

marooose

ciano1 wrote: »

Thats Project maths..My school is one of the 24 around the country thats testing it out..Well Paper 2

Paper 1 will be trialled next year.

The new course won't be nationwide for at least another 2 or 3 years

In our paper 2, theres no choice of questions. We must do them all

For 2012, you will be tested on one question only in the new "Project Maths" format. That question is Statistics and Probability.

JamesJB

According to my teacher (I finished LC this year) all the information about the new Oral percentage, Stair, choice with poetry/An Triail etc. is true. They're making HL Irish less of a gauntlet. This year's sixth years are the last to sit the rather tough (imo) paper. I suppose if you like the oral the new system will relieve a lot of weight, whilst making the course an actual language course instead of what it is now...

RH149

As You Like It has been on the course a lot but not as the Single Text Shakespeare.....don't have time to look through the old papers but pretty sure it's just been on the List of Comparative texts - its usually the old reliables (Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello and King Lear) which are rotated as the Single Text. I though it was pretty odd to have Hamlet on for Single Text again this year.
I doubt if the English Syllabus will change for a long time as it was only examined in 2001 for the first time.....not considered old yet. Think of the cost of all the inservice training if it changed again so soon. The Department aren't likely to spending money if it doesn't have to.

Coeurdepirate

I.Am.A.Panda wrote: »

Hey, next year I'll (hopefully) be starting 5th year, and from what I've heard there's set to be some changes.

1) There's supposed to be an increase in the Irish oral from 25% to 40% of the marks from 2012 on. Does this mean starting with the 2012 leaving cert?

2) A source has told me that from next year on there will be a new Maths in place, with there being no choice in the actual exam.

Also any other speculated changes in the area of English, French, Economics, History, Business, Geography and Biology are welcome .

The Irish thing is right, I'll be doing the LC in '12 and the oral is now worth 40%. There's also a new book, which apparently is more focused on learning how to speak Irish than Irish poetry. After 10 years of learning it I'll finally be taught how to conjugate verbs, woohoo!

Three chapters from the current Maths books have been made more modern, and those chapters are in the Project Maths booklet. And yeah, we have no choice afaik.

Coeurdepirate

marooose wrote: »

For 2012, you will be tested on one question only in the new "Project Maths" format. That question is Statistics and Probability.

No, we'll be tested on 2. They're introducing two every year from 2012

Chuchoter

marooose wrote: »

For 2012, you will be tested on one question only in the new "Project Maths" format. That question is Statistics and Probability.

Are you sure? I think its the whole paper two for 2012? :S

Coeurdepirate

crayolastereo wrote: »

Are you sure? I think its the whole paper two for 2012? :S

It's not, it's 2 questions in 2012, 4 questions in 2013 and then the full paper in 2014!

Chuchoter

Coeurdepirate wrote: »

It's not, it's 2 questions in 2012, 4 questions in 2013 and then the full paper in 2014!

I see! Thats good, I don't really like the whole 'how do you feel about this question' crap it seems to go on with! :P

musicloverx

im doing the lc this year.,just missed out on the changes in the irish course which is a shame,.do think the honours course is a bit of a joke, stair na gaeilge and the poems etc doesnt really get you to concentrate on/learn the language itself..its about time they gave it an update