The Junior Cert from a TY’s Students Perspective

fredotf2

The Junior Cert from a TY’s Student Perspective.

I experienced the Junior Cert first hand in the year 2012. In this thread I will outline my experiences in each subject. I really hope this might even help one person and if it does, I will consider this thread a success.

Please Note: Do not take anything I say to be the truth, it is my opinion and my opinion only. It is up to you to decide if it is the truth.

I figured I would start by outlining my grade in each subject I was examined in so you can get an overall view of the type of student I am.
I did 10 subjects as we do not do religion in my school.

Business – A / CSPE – A / French – A / Maths – A / Music – A / Science – B / Geography – B / History – B / English – C / Irish – C

Now on to the nitty gritty.

My experience on each of the 10 subjects.

English – I am not going to lie, this was probably the hardest exam. The amount of writing you have to do in the time you have makes it intense. If you are thinking English will be a walk in the park, you are wrong. I can give you a few tips though to make this exam easier and give you a better overall mark. The main one is not to waste your time on a question, especially in the creative writing question. Do not spend ten minutes trying to decide what you are going to write because your actual content will suffer as you find yourself pressured for time. This will effectively create a landslide as you find yourself rushing on every other question in the exam too.

Come up with a simple story/idea to write about and start quickly. This will make your overall writing style much better for the examiner to read and enjoy. Quality over Quantity on this one. In terms of the rest of the exam, you need to study. You need to have planned points for the book / poem you are writing about so you can jot them down quickly and not waste your time waffling.

I am an A Grade student in English but because I did not follow these few simple points above, I ended up with a C.

Irish – I suck at Irish, no other way of saying it. So I can’t really help you. What I would say though is learn your tenses and verbs. Tenses are lifesavers in any Irish exam. If you have your tenses right it will make you look much better than you actually are and it will make the exam easier. In conclusion, learn a ton of verbs and have your tenses right and the exam will be a breeze.

CSPE – Not much to say here other than - tell them what they want to hear and don’t be an idiot.

French – Two words, PAST PAPERS. Seriously, just do a ton of past papers, those comprehensions may feel impossible to you but if you do a ton of past papers you will really get the hang of them, they are giving you marks. In terms of the letter, learn the format, some phrases and your tenses and you will be fine. In conclusion. Past Papers + Phrases + Tenses = A Grade. P.S. Did I say do past papers already? Cause you should.

Maths – Unfortunately, from what I understand the curriculum has changed to Project Maths since I did it, so I can’t help you there. Sorry.

Business – It’s all in the past papers, no joke. Do as many past papers as you can manage. The business paper is simple an amalgamation of past papers into one paper with the numbers changed. Do your past papers and you will get an A no problem. P.s. The accounting is easy marks, learn the format. The format is the same in every paper with just different numbers. They are practically giving you marks there, take them!

Music – Not much to say here. Learn as much info on your pieces as you can manage and do questions 7, 8 and 9 in the every past paper. They are the easiest marks.

Geography – It’s all in the detail. If you don’t learn detailed points you can forget an A. Sure you could be like me and spend two hours waffling but you won't get an A, FACT. Around half my year had left the Geography exam early by the end of it thinking it was the easiest exam they had ever done. None of them got an A. If you are not willing to do the work, you can forget it. Remember – PRECISE points.

Science – Similar to Geography; it’s all in the detail. You have to do a lot of work for this exam, there is a lot to know. Past papers are a good idea too as the format is usually the same, even the same questions on occasion. Not much to say here to be honest, if you’re willing to work you will get you’re A.

History – Once again, it’s all in the detail. Wafflers beware, if you waffle you will not get an A. Learn your facts and LOOK at the past papers, you can usually guess what topics will come up in questions 4, 5 and 6. But don't rely on your prediction too much, what if you’re wrong? In conclusion, write as much detail as you can to have a shot at getting an A. Study is key in this one.

I did not listen to most of the points above this, I simply didn't work as much as I should have and on looking back, I wish I did. Work is paramount. If you are sitting at home reading this, panicking and realising you have not done an ounce of work, there is still time! A little work will go a long way. Just remember, unless you are planning to go to Harvard and study Law, these exams really don't matter. That being said give it your best shot! You might be surprised with what you can do!

Well that’s about all I my brain can muster up from my experience. I hope someone found this useful, if you have any questions feel free to fire away! I’m here to help.

~fredotf2

iHappyPanda

fredotf2 wrote: »

The Junior Cert from a TY’s Student Perspective.

I experienced the Junior Cert first hand in the year 2012. In this thread I will outline my experiences in each subject. I really hope this might even help one person and if it does, I will consider this thread a success.

Please Note: Do not take anything I say to be the truth, it is my opinion and my opinion only. It is up to you to decide if it is the truth.

I figured I would start by outlining my grade in each subject I was examined in so you can get an overall view of the type of student I am.
I did 10 subjects as we do not do religion in my school.

Business – A / CSPE – A / French – A / Maths – A / Music – A / Science – B / Geography – B / History – B / English – C / Irish – C

Now on to the nitty gritty.

My experience on each of the 10 subjects.

English – I am not going to lie, this was probably the hardest exam. The amount of writing you have to do in the time you have makes it intense. If you are thinking English will be a walk in the park, you are wrong. I can give you a few tips though to make this exam easier and give you a better overall mark. The main one is not to waste your time on a question, especially in the creative writing question. Do not spend ten minutes trying to decide what you are going to write because your actual content will suffer as you find yourself pressured for time. This will effectively create a landslide as you find yourself rushing on every other question in the exam too.

Come up with a simple story/idea to write about and start quickly. This will make your overall writing style much better for the examiner to read and enjoy. Quality over Quantity on this one. In terms of the rest of the exam, you need to study. You need to have planned points for the book / poem you are writing about so you can jot them down quickly and not waste your time waffling.

I am an A Grade student in English but because I did not follow these few simple points above, I ended up with a C.

Irish – I suck at Irish, no other way of saying it. So I can’t really help you. What I would say though is learn your tenses and verbs. Tenses are lifesavers in any Irish exam. If you have your tenses right it will make you look much better than you actually are and it will make the exam easier. In conclusion, learn a ton of verbs and have your tenses right and the exam will be a breeze.

CSPE – Not much to say here other than - tell them what they want to hear and don’t be an idiot.

French – Two words, PAST PAPERS. Seriously, just do a ton of past papers, those comprehensions may feel impossible to you but if you do a ton of past papers you will really get the hang of them, they are giving you marks. In terms of the letter, learn the format, some phrases and your tenses and you will be fine. In conclusion. Past Papers + Phrases + Tenses = A Grade. P.S. Did I say do past papers already? Cause you should.

Maths – Unfortunately, from what I understand the curriculum has changed to Project Maths since I did it, so I can’t help you there. Sorry.

Business – It’s all in the past papers, no joke. Do as many past papers as you can manage. The business paper is simple an amalgamation of past papers into one paper with the numbers changed. Do your past papers and you will get an A no problem. P.s. The accounting is easy marks, learn the format. The format is the same in every paper with just different numbers. They are practically giving you marks there, take them!

Music – Not much to say here. Learn as much info on your pieces as you can manage and do questions 7, 8 and 9 in the every past paper. They are the easiest marks.

Geography – It’s all in the detail. If you don’t learn detailed points you can forget an A. Sure you could be like me and spend two hours waffling but you won't get an A, FACT. Around half my year had left the Geography exam early by the end of it thinking it was the easiest exam they had ever done. None of them got an A. If you are not willing to do the work, you can forget it. Remember – PRECISE points.

Science – Similar to Geography; it’s all in the detail. You have to do a lot of work for this exam, there is a lot to know. Past papers are a good idea too as the format is usually the same, even the same questions on occasion. Not much to say here to be honest, if you’re willing to work you will get you’re A.

History – Once again, it’s all in the detail. Wafflers beware, if you waffle you will not get an A. Learn your facts and LOOK at the past papers, you can usually guess what topics will come up in questions 4, 5 and 6. But don't rely on your prediction too much, what if you’re wrong? In conclusion, write as much detail as you can to have a shot at getting an A. Study is key in this one.

I did not listen to most of the points above this, I simply didn't work as much as I should have and on looking back, I wish I did. Work is paramount. If you are sitting at home reading this, panicking and realising you have not done an ounce of work, there is still time! A little work will go a long way. Just remember, unless you are planning to go to Harvard and study Law, these exams really don't matter. That being said give it your best shot! You might be surprised with what you can do!

Well that’s about all I my brain can muster up from my experience. I hope someone found this useful, if you have any questions feel free to fire away! I’m here to help.

~fredotf2

You have a lot of time in your hand, lol
How hard is it to get a C in English with no study ?(Also taking the fact our comprehension would be easier as your comprehension was a dreadful one)
like I got a D in the pre with no study but I also only did 2 questions in p2 for my pre
I only plan to do exam papers for english from now on but I do not plan to learn anything e.g. poems,themes,dramas,character for novels etc.(I do not like English or have any interest of learning it)
One more thing what is the possibility of a letter coming up this year ??

iHappyPanda

Btw they are very good grades
I am planning to achieve this
English-C
Maths-A/B
Science-A/B
Geog-A/B
History-B
Business-B
Wood-A/B
Metal-B
German-C
Italian-C
Cspe-A

fredotf2

iHappyPanda wrote: »

You have a lot of time in your hand, lol
How hard is it to get a C in English with no study ?(Also taking the fact our comprehension would be easier as your comprehension was a dreadful one)
like I got a D in the pre with no study but I also only did 2 questions in p2 for my pre
I only plan to do exam papers for english from now on but I do not plan to learn anything e.g. poems,themes,dramas,character for novels etc.(I do not like English or have any interest of learning it)
One more thing what is the possibility of a letter coming up this year ??

If you want a good mark in english, I recommend learning some points e.g. poems,themes,dramas,character for novels etc. because at the end of the day the quality of your work is paramount. In terms of how hard it is to get a C? It really all comes down to how it plays out on the day. If you go in there and answer every question but waffle you have a chance at getting a C. I really recommend learning some points though, even a few points will go a long way to getting you a reasonable mark.
In terms of the Letter prediction I'm afraid I can't help you, I have no info on this.

iHappyPanda

fredotf2 wrote: »

If you want a good mark in english, I recommend learning some points e.g. poems,themes,dramas,character for novels etc. because at the end of the day the quality of your work is paramount. In terms of how hard it is to get a C? It really all comes down to how it plays out on the day. If you go in there and answer every question but waffle you have a chance at getting a C. I really recommend learning some points though, even a few points will go a long way to getting you a reasonable mark.
In terms of the Letter prediction I'm afraid I can't help you, I have no info on this.

Thanks for tips and help

DublinArnie

How about give your TY experiences and opinions? I bet alot of us Junior Certers could use that .

_rebelkid

DublinArnie wrote: »

How about give your TY experiences and opinions? I bet alot of us Junior Certers could use that .

TY massively depends on the school you go to. My school had an optional TY, which was great: the people there wanted to be there, and it truly was one of the best years I've had in my life.

Get involved in as much as you can; YSI, Mini Company, Projects, Events, Outings, everything. It is the one year where you get the opportunity to DO things; to be in school not doing school work. We worked hard and got a load of local and National awards.

Basically, have fun. If you have/had a bad JC before it, don't worry. Once you start getting through stuff after it, you'll realise how stupid your worrying on results day was. Just do your best in the exam. As long as you leave the center knowing you did everything you could to get marks, you'll get good marks.

And if I can give only one reccommendation; do TY. If it's optional, choose it. If it's compulsory, do the most you can.

Miccoli

Do you go to the same room for every exam ?

iHappyPanda

Miccoli wrote: »

Do you go to the same room for every exam ?

Yeah for most of them
Apart from your options I think you change

_rebelkid

Miccoli wrote: »

Do you go to the same room for every exam ?

iHappyPanda wrote: »

Yeah for most of them
Apart from your options I think you change

Yes, same center. Except for Art I think.

spurious

Most people will stay in the same centre.
AS the exams go on and if numbers of candidates grow smaller because of subject choices, they may be moved centre to have everyone in the one place.

Jack_OLantern

_rebelkid wrote: »

Yes, same center. Except for Art I think.

Is art not finished?

_rebelkid

Jack_OLantern wrote: »

Is art not finished?

I have no idea. Anyone?

Jack_OLantern

_rebelkid wrote: »

I have no idea. Anyone?

It's just that my art teacher said that we had a deadline of 30th April for the project and loads of people from other schools have said that they're still doing it.

spurious

Jack_OLantern wrote: »

It's just that my art teacher said that we had a deadline of 30th April for the project and loads of people from other schools have said that they're still doing it.

Your Art teacher is right - others are less ethical.

Jack_OLantern

spurious wrote: »

Your Art teacher is right - others are less ethical.

So what will happen for them? Has their art teacher just given them extra time?

spurious

Jack_OLantern wrote: »

So what will happen for them? Has their art teacher just given them extra time?

Yes. It drives teachers like yours and the woman in our school crazy. You hear of it in other subjects too - I wonder what sort of moral lesson these teachers are giving the students.

Jack_OLantern

spurious wrote: »

Yes. It drives teachers like yours and the woman in our school crazy. You hear of it in other subjects too - I wonder what sort of moral lesson these teachers are giving the students.

It's so surprising the amount of teachers willing to cheat. My English teacher practically told us what was going to be on the mocks! He read out the questions in class, as if that's going to help us for the JC.

Cr4pSnip3r

spurious wrote: »

Yes. It drives teachers like yours and the woman in our school crazy. You hear of it in other subjects too - I wonder what sort of moral lesson these teachers are giving the students.

*shrug* All projects should be due for the end of the year, or we should be allowed start them sooner. Pick or get out, that's what I say.

spurious

Let's hope none of the shortcut taking teachers are correcting people's exams. Sure why bother correcting the whole thing... 'shrug'.

greenpyjamas

Cr4pSnip3r wrote: »

*shrug* All projects should be due for the end of the year, or we should be allowed start them sooner. Pick or get out, that's what I say.

I agree art projects should definitely be started sooner. At the start of the year, we were sitting around with nothing to do for six weeks. At the end of the year, 99% of people were rushing to finish their craft and 3D.

Cr4pSnip3r

greenpyjamas wrote: »

I agree art projects should definitely be started sooner. At the start of the year, we were sitting around with nothing to do for six weeks. At the end of the year, 99% of people were rushing to finish their craft and 3D.

Yup, lots of spare time at the start.

greenpyjamas

Cr4pSnip3r wrote: »

Yup, lots of spare time at the start.

Unless you're self-motivated, you definitely wouldn't get the project done. About five or six people in my class didn't get time to do their craft or 3D... and in some cases students were assisted by a teacher in completing work (don't want to be a sour lemon by saying that but I seriously think that is not fair)

Jack_OLantern

Cr4pSnip3r wrote: »

*shrug* All projects should be due for the end of the year, or we should be allowed start them sooner. Pick or get out, that's what I say.

Yes. It should be started immediately. But what's really unfair is that people get extra time to do it. I feel that I could have done much better if I had had more time. I did 3 prep sheets the night before the deadline, which weren't all that good.

greenpyjamas

Jack_OLantern wrote: »

Yes. It should be started immediately. But what's really unfair is that people get extra time to do it. I feel that I could have done much better if I had had more time. I did 3 prep sheets the night before the deadline, which weren't all that good.

Exactly. I don't believe in 'slacking off' so to speak, and would be really embarrassed if I was given extra time to do any project; but is it fair that someone who cruised through the year doing hardly any work and both receiving extra time and help should get the same grade as me? I came in during lunch times and after school to get stuff done, and I rushed my 3D prep and was not happy with it at all... there definitely needs to be tighter regulations on the projects.

Jack_OLantern

greenpyjamas wrote: »

Exactly. I don't believe in 'slacking off' so to speak, and would be really embarrassed if I was given extra time to do any project; but is it fair that someone who cruised through the year doing hardly any work and both receiving extra time and help should get the same grade as me? I came in during lunch times and after school to get stuff done, and I rushed my 3D prep and was not happy with it at all... there definitely needs to be tighter regulations on the projects.

I rushed all my support studies and my final 3D work. My art teacher was almost pushing me out the door on the last day because she had to lock it and it was 5:00. I also recall getting 5 hours sleep between going to bed at 1:00 and waking up at 6:00 to finish it!

greenpyjamas

Jack_OLantern wrote: »

I rushed all my support studies and my final 3D work. My art teacher was almost pushing me out the door on the last day because she had to lock it and it was 5:00. I also recall getting 5 hours sleep between going to bed at 1:00 and waking up at 6:00 to finish it!

Same! I think I was the last one out on the last day. I brought home resin and wire to finish my 3D, I just decided to get it done in one night so I pulled an all nighter haha! Are you doing art next year?

Cr4pSnip3r

Jack_OLantern wrote: »

Yes. It should be started immediately. But what's really unfair is that people get extra time to do it. I feel that I could have done much better if I had had more time. I did 3 prep sheets the night before the deadline, which weren't all that good.

My engineering project is a bit of a wreck because I didn't get enough time. It's all made and up to standards, but not what I could do.

Jack_OLantern

greenpyjamas wrote: »

Same! I think I was the last one out on the last day. I brought home resin and wire to finish my 3D, I just decided to get it done in one night so I pulled an all nighter haha! Are you doing art next year?

Well, first I'm doing TY, but NO WAY am I doing art for LC! I'm one of those people who just did it because they thought it would be a doss! I'd say I'll get a B, maybe a high C. But no, I'm not good enough to it for the LC. I wish I was, but I guess you have to have some talent

greenpyjamas

Jack_OLantern wrote: »

Well, first I'm doing TY, but NO WAY am I doing art for LC! I'm one of those people who just did it because they thought it would be a doss! I'd say I'll get a B, maybe a high C. But no, I'm not good enough to it for the LC. I wish I was, but I guess you have to have some talent

Yeah, art for LC is really hard to get good points in... although I love art I decided that music would be easier for me to get the points in, so I'm doing music instead. My subject groups were quite awkward, so I had to compromise on some things I sort of wish I applied for TY now haha, could use a break! The summer should do the trick though hopefully! Is TY compulsory in your school?

Jack_OLantern

Huh. That's not good. Hate to be your class :O. Ah well, at least you realise that they were a load of crap, and not take the results to heart.