Is it possible to jump 100 points and any advice on how to do so?

Roughosing

So the mocks were a few weeks ago and I'm a bit more than disapointed, to some of you i'll seem like I'm moaning about nothing but i seriously want to do well in my Leaving.

I got 420 (blaze it) in the mocks and I need 525

I studied a bit, nothing too much, just the week leading up and crammed like **** the day before hand, and i also may have sneaked a peek or two at boards for advice on what was coming up (nothing too much, and i was lucky with what i chose to study from what i saw on the History paper, that had come up, because I saw Mussolini on here, but he was no where to be found on the paper, glad I didn't study him). I am doing all Honors Level apart from Irish.

My (abysmal) Mock Results:

Maths (H) - 47%
English (H) - 77%
Irish (O) - 45%
German (H) - 66%
History (H) - 82%
Art (H) - 63%
Chemistry (H) - 40%

I want to get an A in History and English because i feel i can do very well in those subjects. I scored highest in History in my class and I am in a fairly high achieving class so i feel the A wont be too difficult with study. English is coming around, I just need to focus on the comparative and Macbeth. Chemistry and Maths are both shockers as i wish to get a B in these two subjects yet I'm not meeting even a C standard, I'm getting grinds in Maths and I've recently started in Chemistry but... Any advice?
Art and German should go up to a B, as my German is quite good and my neighbour is helping me by speaking it with me every week or so, but that was just an appalling exam. Same goes for Art, with practice and effort that should go up.

But what i want to know is, is it possible to go up the 100 points or am i aiming too high and just leading myself to a failure?

rainbowtrout

You will get a lot of posts saying of course you can, they are par for the course on this forum. Effectively looking at spoilers for the mocks means you cheated. Did it benefit you grade wise and points wise for the mocks? Assuming you could knock of 20 points off your 420 for boards spoilers, you will need to come up 120 points or so, that's 20 points in each subject at Higher Level. That means you need to come up 20% in each subject to go up 4 grades.

Do you think you can do that in every subject? Bringing your B2s to A1s and D3s to C2s?????? Nobody here knows your ability so they won't be able to tell you if you can do that or not.

525 is 3 A2s and 3B1s at Higher Level. Or 3A2s, 2B1s and a C3 in HL maths with the bonus points. 525 just doesn't come out of nowhere. Studying a bit and cramming the night before doesn't lead to a 525 score. You are lucky in that you can score 420 with very little work, but you need to get your head in your books and work consistently from now until June if you want to pull up those grades.

thelad95

You need to be so ruthless with Chemistry to get that grade up, especially if you cheated the mock. I don't do the subject but here are some general guidelines. Go back to the first chapter you did in fifth year, revise that and do every exam question in the topic. If there is something you don't understand, consult your teacher and make sure you know and understand everything on that topic before you move on.

For Maths, both papers can be split in two. The first 150 marks is simple stuff that could be plucked straight from your textbook. If you can nail these sections it will benefit you in the Contexts and Applications and that could have you pushing for a 'D'.

Is the jump possible? Yes. But you need to get off boards and put in at least 4-5 hours a night once the orals are out of the way.

spurious

As I've said before here, only you really know whether you can improve by that much.

Take your Chemistry mark for example. You were expecting a B so you must be fairly OK at Chemistry - where did you get the idea you were scoring at that level? Have your class tests all been B level? If so, then I wouldn't worry quite so much about one blip.

Where did you lose your marks?
Did you get your paper back and have a 'D'Oh!' moment when you realised silly mistakes you made, or have you no idea as to where and how you could improve?

It very much depends on where and why you lost marks, then only you can judge if it's fixable. Unfortunately just wanting something, even if you work very hard towards it, doesn't always make it happen.

Jude13

Concentrate on Maths and Chemistry as you have the ability to study past papers and predict to a certain degree what will come up. The other papers there could always be a surprise.

Roughosing

woah okay, i see the cheater remarks and I must correct myself. I was only informed about Boards having insights to the paper the weekend after the bulk of exams. I had already completed Maths Paper 1, English Paper 1, Irish Paper1, Chemistry and German. I only had a quick look at the History paper and saw that Nazi Propaganda was coming up, for the rest I was in the dark. Although i hear what you're saying, I just would like my story to be heard before being branded so harshly. As for Chemistry, its always been my weakest subject, Class wise I've always gotten in the C/B region with general C's in the Christmas/Summer Tests, but with the added work I've been doing I was hoping for such a result as I do need it. Work is a definite there is no denying that, I am just asking have you seen been done before and if so, what advice other than the cookie cutter study 3-4 hours a night, could you give? the study is a necessity, I know, but is there any other advice?
At the moment, like you said, I am studying for the orals. I have my German on Monday and I am aiming for an A or high B considering the work I am putting in, But only time will tell.

magicianz

Study like a mother****er. I was doing 9-8.30 most days following mocks after I got around 430 I think. Bumped it up to 545 in the real deal!

rainbowtrout

Roughosing wrote: »

woah okay, i see the cheater remarks and I must correct myself. I was only informed about Boards having insights to the paper the weekend after the bulk of exams. I had already completed Maths Paper 1, English Paper 1, Irish Paper1, Chemistry and German. I only had a quick look at the History paper and saw that Nazi Propaganda was coming up, for the rest I was in the dark. Although i hear what you're saying, I just would like my story to be heard before being branded so harshly. As for Chemistry, its always been my weakest subject, Class wise I've always gotten in the C/B region with general C's in the Christmas/Summer Tests, but with the added work I've been doing I was hoping for such a result as I do need it. Work is a definite there is no denying that, I am just asking have you seen been done before and if so, what advice other than the cookie cutter study 3-4 hours a night, could you give? the study is a necessity, I know, but is there any other advice?
At the moment, like you said, I am studying for the orals. I have my German on Monday and I am aiming for an A or high B considering the work I am putting in, But only time will tell.

The cheating comment wasn't meant to be harsh, just asking you to step back and have a realistic look at your results and consider how much looking at hints on boards may have bumped up your results, i.e. where do you stand grade wise without hints.


Regarding the bit highlighted above, there is no magic solution. It's a case of get the head down and do the work for the next 2 months. You are doing ok in English, History, German and Art by and large and you could probably improve those grades a little. Clearly Chemistry and Maths are currently your problem areas. As Irish is Ordinary level i assume you are not as worried about this as you have 6 higher level subjects.

Regarding maths and chemistry, pick a topic, work through all the questions in that topic. Mark yourself with marking schemes, you will see what type of questions are asked regularly and what kind of information is required.

I am a chemistry teacher so in terms of requirements for that paper.

in section A there are 3 experiments, you must do 2 of them and 6 questions from section B. You also have the option of doing all three experiments and doing 5 questions from section B instead.

Q1 is always a titration. There is always a part which asks about the procedure for making up solutions/filling pipettes/burettes. This is very straightforward. Usually worth 15 out of the 50 marks on offer for the question. There is typically a question on a colour change for the titration in the question. Go and learn your colour changes and suitable indicators. The final part of the question is mathematical and always asks for a mole calculation. Practice them they are very repetitive.

Q2 is always organic experiments. Typically no maths here but you need to know your procedures and name of chemicals used.

Q3. THe third experiment is anything that isn't covered by titrations or organic. Rates of reaction may turn up here this year.

Experiments that have turned up in Section A in the last 2 years are unlikely to be examined this year so it might help you to prioritise which ones to learn.


Section B

Q4 is always short questions from all over the course. Questions are straightforward, it's a popular question, but it depends on how well you know the course.

Q5 Periodic table, bonding, trends in the periodic table, electronegativity. No Maths involved, again practice past questions, it's very repetitive, a lot of information can be worked out from periodic table provided in log tables.

Q6 Thermochemistry and fuels, hess law. A handy enough question and the final part is usually calculating heat of combustion/reaction.

Q7 or 8 is always an organic question. Usually asks about identifying compounds, mechanisms, converting one compound to another.

Q 7 or 8/ 9/ 10/11

One of these questions will usually contain a full/half question on chemical equilibrium

Q10 and 11 are usually divided into 3 parts to do 2 so there is a choice within each question. Q11c is always on the option which is easy to learn off.

Go and practice different topics and do all the questions in those areas. Do the same with your maths.

Mr Pseudonym

<quote from deleted post deleted>

I used to integrate study into normal routines. I would learn Hamlet quotes while jogging, revise definitions, watch half a TV programme, and then test myself, etc. I was studious and did quite well, but there's no way I could have studied for seven hours at a desk!

Hotale.com

How's your English level? I learned off a load of quotes in Macbeth for the pre, had all the Dickinson, Plath and some Larkin poems learned off (Dickinson came up ) and came out with 92%. I really think if you had the poems learned off anyone would be fine for the poetry section, and if you like Macbeth in any way shape or form and got an okay question in the LC you'd be grand. Although the composition I'll admit is a bit of a balls (speeches are gorgeous).
Anyway, those are my tips for English. Chemistry isn't too bad, just keep at it, learn off all the experiments and you have nearly 40% in the bag, pick up 30% in the rest and you're flying (kind of)

vellakare

Mocks in my experience, and it could well be out of date (*I did my Leaving in 1994) are almost ALWAYS worse than the real deal. I was'nt as academic as you and came out of the ordeal with 375 Points (*B2 ENG H, C2 SPA H, C1 GEO H, C2 PHY H, C2 ECON H, A2 MATH P).

I can honestly state, 20 years on, that you will not face an exam as intense as the Leaving Cert. There will be college, but it gets better after this. Even the memory of that exam makes my stomach a swirling pit of acid.

23.06.1994. FREEDOM. The last exam. Never again.