Advice for sixth year subject choice?

Jenners!

I have chosen this year the daunting task of Repeating the Leaving Cert.
I am sitting again as I aim to get high points (500+), therefore I wish to choose subjects that I will be likely to get suitable points, with continuous study.

Sitting the Leaving cert as a external student this year. I have a school where I can sit my exams, orals and submit projects (under the supervision of a independent teacher of the school).

Subjects I am considering as my definite include; (my highest grade achieved)

• Business (C3)
• Geography (B3)
• Agriculture Science (B3)
• Biology (New)
• English (B3)

Subjects I am hesitant on

• History (C3)
• French (D2)

And subjects I am thinking of taking on as new, to replace subjects above

• Economics (NEW)
• Classics (NEW)

I would appreciate insight on your experience with subjects, as I consider to take up some new, to replace a time consuming subject, for example history/english. Although I could spend more time also trying to learn a new subject in one year, defeating the purpose of the subject!


I would have to arrange classes myself with a teacher in order to complete my Geography, Agriculture Science and History projects.

I feel I could teach myself Biology (overlap with Agriculture Science, so I have most of the experiments done and some of the course like genetics etc.), Business, English and History, so long as I stick it out with my own strict timetable.


So any advice on which six would be best for points?


Would especially appreciate advice regarding Classics and Economics, as one year, self taught subjects. My thinking is, with these I would lessen costs on subjects with projects (Hist, Geo, AGSC) that would require grinds.

Phew! Thanks for reading!

Also, I'm new here.. so Hello All!

Happy studying!

amymak

Jenners! wrote: »

I have chosen this year the daunting task of Repeating the Leaving Cert.
I am sitting again as I aim to get high points (500+), therefore I wish to choose subjects that I will be likely to get suitable points, with continuous study.

Sitting the Leaving cert as a external student this year. I have a school where I can sit my exams, orals and submit projects (under the supervision of a independent teacher of the school).

Subjects I am considering as my definite include; (my highest grade achieved)

• Business (C3)
• Geography (B3)
• Agriculture Science (B3)
• Biology (New)
• English (B3)

Subjects I am hesitant on

• History (C3)
• French (D2)

And subjects I am thinking of taking on as new, to replace subjects above

• Economics (NEW)
• Classics (NEW)

I would appreciate insight on your experience with subjects, as I consider to take up some new, to replace a time consuming subject, for example history/english. Although I could spend more time also trying to learn a new subject in one year, defeating the purpose of the subject!


I would have to arrange classes myself with a teacher in order to complete my Geography, Agriculture Science and History projects.

I feel I could teach myself Biology (overlap with Agriculture Science, so I have most of the experiments done and some of the course like genetics etc.), Business, English and History, so long as I stick it out with my own strict timetable.


So any advice on which six would be best for points?


Would especially appreciate advice regarding Classics and Economics, as one year, self taught subjects. My thinking is, with these I would lessen costs on subjects with projects (Hist, Geo, AGSC) that would require grinds.

Phew! Thanks for reading!

Also, I'm new here.. so Hello All!

Happy studying!

I would definitely advise doing history. It will be EXACTLY the same course this year, you won't have to learn anything new. You just have to go over all the stuff you've done already. The only extra thing is the special topic and since you've done it before it should be less time-consuming than last year.

I wouldn't necessarily advise doing English. Of course it's ultimately your choice, and it is one of your best subjects. However our teacher told us that whenever repeats come in at the beginning of the year, she always advises them against doing the subject. Paper II will be an entirely new course, new poets, new single study, new comparative. However, you may find that the writing skills you've learned will transfer over to the new topics. It's up to you.

I didn't do economics myself, but two really good friends of mine did. It is a short course. However, it's quite difficult and the exam is very awkward. (The questions are very non-specific as to where the marks go. A 20 mark question could be 2 points worth 10 marks, 4 points worth 5 or 5 points worth 4. Also they don't have "or any applicable answer" as part of the marking scheme on it normally. So if you have a different - though correct - answer to what's on the marking scheme, you don't get any marks.)

All I will say about French is that it's the same situation as history. You can only do better as it's exactly the same exam.

Jenners!

Thank you Amymak for your advice.
I think you are right in what you say. I am questioning English, as the course is similar to last year, just a couple new poets and Shakespeare Macbeth (which is a shorter text I believe). However, it's paper one Im more concerned about.. lots to do in a english paper to get a A..

Same as any subject I suppose!

FlyingGrayson

I'm not sure about the other subjects, but I did Classical Studies in a year. It's a great subject (probably my favourite) but it's a very long course, with four or five texts to be read. I had four hours of grinds a week. It's lovely subject, but I'd imagine it would be difficult to do by yourself.

Jenners!

FlyingGrayson wrote: »

I'm not sure about the other subjects, but I did Classical Studies in a year. It's a great subject (probably my favourite) but it's a very long course, with four or five texts to be read. I had four hours of grinds a week. It's lovely subject, but I'd imagine it would be difficult to do by yourself.

Thanks for replying FlyingGrayson. I was thinking classics seemed a good subject, interesting at least. Since looking at the syllabus however it does seem like a lot for one year, on my own. But still really interesting! Tempting!

Suppose I should stop humoring the idea, but.. did you find the exam difficult? How long would your essay have to be in response to one question? For example, with the images provided, how many pages would be needed to describe an item, would it have to be very detailed?

kodoherty93

Dont touch classics. People in my school did it for 6 years and find the work load for the LC unbearable. It was endless amounts of Essay.

Even though the teacher was excellent and teaches also in a well known grind school in Dublin 2. The highest in the class was a B1. A straight A1 history and English students only got a B3.

On the other hand economics is defo a subject that can be done in a year. The short questions are fairly repetitive and also you only have to answer 4 out of 8 long questions. 4 of which come up every year

RachEnnis

I did my LC in 2011, and repeated in 2012. I decided to repeat English, and I was in the same boat! My single text was the same, two of the poets were the same, and one text from the comparative. So, I took on four new poets in one year, and two new texts for the comparative. I went from a B3 to an A2 in the year.
I didn't overly do a lot of work for English, honestly. I did my homework, a little bit of revision, and basically worked off the exam papers.
I was so shocked by that result, because I hadn't put as much work into it as I had the other subjects I got an A in.
But, what I mean is, you can still improve with English, without killing yourself on the work load. Don't discount it!

amymak

RachEnnis wrote: »

I did my LC in 2011, and repeated in 2012. I decided to repeat English, and I was in the same boat! My single text was the same, two of the poets were the same, and one text from the comparative. So, I took on four new poets in one year, and two new texts for the comparative. I went from a B3 to an A2 in the year.
I didn't overly do a lot of work for English, honestly. I did my homework, a little bit of revision, and basically worked off the exam papers.
I was so shocked by that result, because I hadn't put as much work into it as I had the other subjects I got an A in.
But, what I mean is, you can still improve with English, without killing yourself on the work load. Don't discount it!

The single study in this case is different though. And it's a big undertaking to learn a new one in a year. Just bear that in mind.

Jenners!

Hmm perhaps I'll leave Classics out then..! Thanks for the insight, it is a bit late to be taking it up now I suppose also.

Economics seems an option therefore, from now until June I'll just work on it.

Thanks everyone for your advice. It would have been terrible to have taken up a new subject and only realised halfway through that I had been wasting my time and failing!

Think I will take

Agriculture Science
Biology
Business
English
History
Geography

And until Christmas in which I may drop,
Economics
French

Thanks again for helping!