Leaving cert advice

Leavingcert246

Im going into 5th year in a few weeks which means im starting to prepare for the leaving cert> Im planning on starting to study from day 1 of 5th year so im prepared and organised for 6th year. Im not the smartest and I didnt do that well in my junior cert but I want to do well in leaving cert because The course I want is 450 points. Is there any advice you can give me to try and do better at my studying tests etc. I want to do well a prove to everyone that I can be smart

venomousfrog

Fair play, but I don't think you need to start from the 1st day of 5th year. See how its going after Xmas and you might have a better idea of what you need to focus on.

Rustywtf

get a dedicated notebook for your notes and make them as you go along. They don't have to be really detailed and don't feel like you need to know everything, it's just so you can get an idea of the course in your head.

For example I did out little flashcards that summed up the key facts of Biology chapters, experiments, etc. Took me like 10 minutes each and I only did them every two weeks or so when I remembered. But it added up at the end of the year when I knew which parts were easy and which parts I was **** at. I did that for Maths, Bio and French.

Also know which subjects you're good at and which you're not good at. If you're not making progress in a certain area by the mocks then either drop down or just accept that you're going to get a C/D/whatever and shift some of your workload onto other subjects.

For example I was good at English and French so i sort of ignored them for most of the year and focused on Maths and Biology. I failed maths in the mocks and barely passed bio. So i dropped down to OL maths and put more focus on biology.

Also get to know the exam papers. You don't even have to do them necessarily, just read over them. Get to know the style of questions, the structure of the exam, stuff like that.

And read the marking schemes (available online), they're very important. In my case I saw stuff in the History and French marking schemes that really helped me out in the exam itself. I was talking to guys after and a lot of them seemed to miss out by approaching some questions in the wrong way, which they wouldn't have done if they'd read the marking schemes.

gl

adam240610

5th year, just stay on top of homework, do it when you get it, and don't leave it til the last minute.

SuperRabbit

You can use Memrise (app and website) to study vocabulary for languages, to learn equations for math, to learn the names of stuff in biology etc.
Anki is another thing for making your own flashcards.
If you are learning a European language conjuguemos.com is a great website to learn conjugations

When you write notes remember to include questions for your future self to answer . These are so important that if you only have time to write either notes or questions - write questions.

When revising or when given something to read for homework, use this: lintech.org/study-skills/The_PQRST_method.html

If you are lucky your teachers will be good and not rely too much on textbooks, this is great because you can go home and read the textbook and that way you get everything explained to you twice in two different ways, stops you getting bored by doing the same thing twice.

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL AFTER CHRISTMAS. Why on earth would anyone shoot themselves in the foot like that? There is a big jump between leaving and junior but if you do your homework, pay attention in class (practise meditation at home to improve concentration), and do a bit of study every day you will do great.

And if a teacher has pre-conceived notions of you and wants you to do pass but you think you can do honours.. you are right. Do it. I had to fight tooth and nail to do honours in some subjects, and I was right and they were wrong. I had a teacher give all the honours students extra classes and not let me go.. and I still did well!