Pres/Mocks?

Chris Martin

Probably been asked time and time again but clueless myself if it is same or different for different schools but when are the pres?

DaveMur1

Different in every school,usually the two weeks after mid term!

Chris Martin

Hmmm... Damn...
Best get cracking so,
Arent all pre papers the same though?

DaveMur1

Yes,there's examcraft & Debs companies , if you're interested in having a good cheat I can send you the link of a website where people post all the papers !Personally im not going to cheat, would prefer to see what I actually get rather than a fake 550-600!

Chris Martin

Seems counterproductive yeah,
No I won't cheat, same reasons, just doesn't seem to be a good idea like,
If your going to do it do it right... Same as leaving cert,
(This is in regards to the timing of the pres)
Bit of professionalism required surely...
Anyway, shant complain, nice to know I've an escape clause

DaveMur1

Ye it is good to know ,there's an emergency exit plan for when there's no study done & your really scared the week before your pre's but if you do constant study & cheat it's going to give you & parents false hope!

Chris Martin

And theyve that in excess as it is,
I shall study, get what I get and at least they know where I am then..
Then things will be taken off me, things will be said, a little "You can do it/ We have faith in you" speech then back on track :d

spurious

No, not all schools use either DEB or Examcraft papers.

Some schools have teachers who make up their own papers, plus there are at least two other smaller companies offering papers to schools at the moment.

gaeilgegrinds1

I write my own papers but sold them to a company last year so they'll be used this year by them and my new one used in my own class.

Chris Martin

So essentially pres are just like another test,
Theres nothing THAT exclusive about them bar the fact that they take the same amount of time as the actual Leaving Cert.
Not trying to play them down but always thought of them having much more significance.
Also, I'm taking that you're a teacher after quoting "my class," :P
Is there any direct resemblance between what comes up in the Pres and what comes up in the actual Leaving Cert exam...
Not trying to cut corners, just curious...

Desire to Aspire

No, there is no connection between the Pre papers and the actual Leaving Cert papers. Obviously, the same questions could come up, but that is pure coincidence.

Bbbbolger

Do the Mock paperstend to use things from this years news? As in a subject like Irish where the Essay title can be influenced by what was happening when the papers were being written (e.g. church scandal/government issues etc.)? Or will they just be completely random questions with nothing to do with current affairs?

gaeilgegrinds1

They're current. The essays are always current, actual papers written October.Retired teacher from my school writes them and says end of October when they choose from Foinse or other sources.

spurious

The actual papers, on the other hand, are mainly set by the previous summer.

The mock papers are set by businesses who are in it for the money. The SEC papers are set to reflect the syllabus and a number of other criteria.

The value of mocks? It's debatable - timing for questions can be done in house exams, any halfway competent teacher could make a fairly accurate assessement of what each student will get. If the purpose is to give lazy students a 'fright' that can be done in other ways too.

Whether the disruption caused to revision schedules and the school as a whole, not to mention the cost incurred, is worth it, personally, I don't think so, but like many things in Ireland we do them because we always did.

dizzymac

DaveMur1 wrote: »

Ye it is good to know ,there's an emergency exit plan for when there's no study done & your really scared the week before your pre's but if you do constant study & cheat it's going to give you & parents false hope!

Unless you're any way good at cheating, in which case you can do it in the real thing too, and it won't be false hope.

DaveMur1

dizzymac wrote: »

Unless you're any way good at cheating, in which case you can do it in the real thing too, and it won't be false hope.

Everyoe know's you don't actually need to be good at cheating to do it in the leaving cert hundreds of idiots come out every year braging about how they done it.Good thinking to whichever idiots decided one person was enough to watch 150 doing the leaving cert!!!

mulner92

Best off to just do them, don't bother finding out what comes up that is pointless. I found the pres were marked a bit harder than the actual leaving cert which was to my benefit. I came up by 25 points in the leaving cert proper. I know plenty of people who cheated their waqy in it and i imagine it served them no help in the actual thing unless they were incredibly lucky of course!

Chris Martin

Sure you're screwed when you get to your course then anyway...
Others around you have a general knowledge of the subject at hand while you're sitting there puzzled about everything bar the ins and outs of the Leaving Cert 2011 exam...
Rough enough, best to do some work I reckon :rolleyes:

seriouslysweet

Not trying to come across badly here but could you cheat to a good result? I really can only see how it might barely pass a person, it would almost take as much effort to plan the cheating as to actually study the information surely?

Desire to Aspire

If you're under pressure to do well in the Pres, I think you should cheat.

I'm doing the Junior Cert, and my parents would freak if I didn't do well. Obviously, I won't be able to have everything covered by then, so I'd like to know where to concentrate my study.

DaveMur1

seriouslysweet wrote: »

Not trying to come across badly here but could you cheat to a good result? I really can only see how it might barely pass a person, it would almost take as much effort to plan the cheating as to actually study the information surely?

Yes cheating could easily help someone to get an A.The modern cheater is not usually someone who is failing their classes,they are now people in the low B grade too lazt to get the A but know's what needs to be done.
An example of this was is where I seen someone with a 35euro online calculator ,with a usb slot that could exchange large essay type files that can be scanned down through on the calculator screen,this looked the exact same a the legal Casio calculators & could provide a vast amount of answers if in the right hands!

Chris Martin

There was someone on here a couple of years ago that broadcast tht he brought one of said calculators into Leaving Cert and got away with it, oddly enough earlier in thread he gave name and his school so some of people in thread who were a little peeved that this lad had got his desired course whereas they may not have, reported this to the board of education which looked into it...
Funnily enough thats when I stopped following the story...
Unsure what happened to him but I'm guessing it wasnt good...
Like leaving a murder film just before they announce the murderer...
Disappointed in myself, perhaps some on you might remember it,
I was on a different account then as well so can't look it up... ><

DaveMur1

Absolutely nothing could have happened unless caught by the examiner they have no authority,this is not a reliable source by which they can take any legal action 6r base evidence on.Once your out of the exam you're in the clear as it becomes a case accusations which can be denied!

Ciaramb92

DaveMur1 wrote: »

Absolutely nothing could have happened unless caught by the examiner they have no authority,this is not a reliable source by which they can take any legal action 6r base evidence on.Once your out of the exam you're in the clear as it becomes a case accusations which can be denied!

Wasn't it someone on this forum who reported cheating in her school and that's how the big scandal started this year?

seriouslysweet

There was evidence in that case as they were well armed for the students given the amount of detail given when they were dobbed in. It's not the first time people got caught either. Their business cos quite frankly I'd not bother.

Desire to Aspire

Ciaramb92 wrote: »

Wasn't it someone on this forum who reported cheating in her school and that's how the big scandal started this year?

Indeed. The girl was looking for advice on whether or not she should report the cheating. It was a pretty hectic thread.

Ciaramb92

So DaveMur1 is wrong..! :P

Chris Martin

Remember the thread at the time was massive,
Insults galore and mayhem essentially.
Gripping thread, hope someone finds itand brings it up again,
Only 2 years ago :P

Desire to Aspire

Chris Martin wrote: »

Gripping thread, hope someone finds itand brings it up again,
Only 2 years ago :P

It was six months ago?

Chris Martin

Then there was another because I was in TY when one happened...
Remember following on here

DaveMur1

Ciaramb92 wrote: »

So DaveMur1 is wrong..! :P

Wrong!
I looked it up earlier all charges on the students in question were dropped & no action was taken! So im right as usual,
Im not saying cheating is good but to be honest whichever girl that was who went off & tried ratting on everybody , must really be a proper stuck up b!tch!

Desire to Aspire

Chris Martin wrote: »

Then there was another because I was in TY when one happened...
Remember following on here

This is the thread I'm talking about.

seriouslysweet

Could you link to where it was dropped. Our year head told us all about it and she really knew her stuff. I know of another prolific case in Kerry where the girl was not let sit any exams and has since been working for her father, she was in my aunt's class. Regarding charges there I really don't know but she definately didn't get away with anything.

spurious

Nothing will happen you if you cheat in the mocks - they are nothing to do with the government, but if caught cheating in the real exams you can and will be barred from State exams. Every year there are a few cases to be investigated.

partyatmygaff

My Mocks start 6 weeks after we come back from the holidays =/

I get shudders whenever I think of the Maths exam considering we won't have the course even nearly finished by the time of the mocks.

Chris Martin

partyatmygaff wrote: »

My Mocks start 6 weeks after we come back from the holidays =/

I get shudders whenever I think of the Maths exam considering we won't have the course even nearly finished by the time of the mocks.

Higher or Ordinary?

partyatmygaff

Chris Martin wrote: »

Higher or Ordinary?

Higher. I hate the fact that some days the maths "just works" and I can fly through an entire paper in less than an hour thinking to myself "How could I ever think this is difficult" and then on other days I get bogged down on part As. Mind-boggling.

Chris Martin

Moved down to pass this year,
Not only was I struggling at higher level,
(missing a month or so out with broken ankle didn't help)
But my other subjects were starting to suffer because of it..
Was in the very same position,
What I knew I KNEW and could fly through it,
Bits I struggled with I jus couldn't get and got frustrated over,
So instead of risking not passing Maths,
I moved down,
And if all comes to all mate,
Pass Maths is a breeze

partyatmygaff

Chris Martin wrote: »

Moved down to pass this year,
Not only was I struggling at higher level,
(missing a month or so out with broken ankle didn't help)
But my other subjects were starting to suffer because of it..
Was in the very same position,
What I knew I KNEW and could fly through it,
Bits I struggled with I jus couldn't get and got frustrated over,
So instead of risking not passing Maths,
I moved down,
And if all comes to all mate,
Pass Maths is a breeze

Wish I could drop to pass ;(

I can't though, I need it for points and need to bring myself up to at least a B1 if not higher. Considering I went from a C3 in summer to a B3 in Christmas I amn't doing too bad but I am constantly worrying about it.

Irish on the other hand... I'm totally apathetic to what I get. I got a D then C then a D again and i'm considering going down to pass.

Chris Martin

On the up so
And can you not see yourself getting any higher in Irish no?
Pass Irish is supposed to be a piece of cake too,
Wouldn't know myelf not doing Irish :P

partyatmygaff

Chris Martin wrote: »

On the up so
And can you not see yourself getting any higher in Irish no?
Pass Irish is supposed to be a piece of cake too,
Wouldn't know myelf not doing Irish :P

Oh yeah well I could. I often edge near a B3 in my homework pieces but takes far too much effort and truth be told not one sentence of my work is ever original. My Irish essays are all pieced together from the internet, google translate and many revision books.

Chris Martin

Suppose just try to improve which one you think you can do best at,
And I'd suggest dropping the other then...
Its one thing to be doing all honors and it sounds good and looks good on Leaving Cert but at end of the day, chances are your points will suffer for it.
Happened to brother, decided to do all honors, got 485, couldve easily got 500 if he'd dropped down in French..
Depends what you prefer, if you think getting the points will be no problem, then you may as well do all honors if you're capable of passing them all, otherwise I'd strongly suggest dropping down,
Escpecially if you're doing 7 subjects because one of them won't be counted anyway...

partyatmygaff

Chris Martin wrote: »

Suppose just try to improve which one you think you can do best at,
And I'd suggest dropping the other then...
Its one thing to be doing all honors and it sounds good and looks good on Leaving Cert but at end of the day, chances are your points will suffer for it.
Happened to brother, decided to do all honors, got 485, couldve easily got 500 if he'd dropped down in French..
Depends what you prefer, if you think getting the points will be no problem, then you may as well do all honors if you're capable of passing them all, otherwise I'd strongly suggest dropping down,
Escpecially if you're doing 7 subjects because one of them won't be counted anyway...

I'm doing 8 subjects so I may as well drop down in Irish. I wish I could just drop Irish entirely. I've nothing against the language, it's just that I have absolutely no use for it and I'm terrible at it.

Chris Martin

From England so exempt from Irish (:
Hear its a rough subject too though,
Lucky I am

mc gaza

whats the website were they show you the papers