Leaving Cert History OL Guidance needed please.

aine kilbride

I would be grateful for any advice please on the following. I just need some guidance.

In the LC History Exam OL for 2022 the Documents based Question is Ireland Topic 2

A Am I correct in saying then that in the exam itself students have to answer any two topics from the European field and in the Irish field of study they have to answer the Documents question (ie Topic 2) and one other topic? Is that correct?

B What I am struggling with is the following. How much time do you give each topic over two years?

I am looking at the documents based questions for previous papers and it seems basically a reading comprehension exercise that requires little or no previous study. I think maybe only one question in this documents section may require an understanding of the period in general. How much time would a teacher give this documents section throughout the two years? I think there are three case studies that form the basis of the Documents section so I was wondering are these the basis of the study for the documents section as opposed to following the complete unit in a text book for that topic? My instinct says to spend most of the time on the three other topics and forfeit time on the documents section?

C Could I ask any of you what would you hope to get through over the two years? How many topics would a teacher wish to cover in each year?

D The RSR. I think I saw somewhere the advisability of doing two of these? Maybe I am wrong? One would be a kind of a trial run. Do you have to do a trial run? Has any inspector said so to anyone? It would be great if you had the time. But do teachers in reality do just one over the two years? How long in general does it take to complete for a typical class? Do you do this in the first or second year?

Again I would be very appreciative of any response.

Many thanks.

cupcake queen

A. Yes, 2 topics from Ireland, 2 from Europe and the Wider World.

I don't have 6th years this year, but if the 2022 DBQ is an Irish topic then you must cover that and one other Irish topic.

B. Yes, the DBQ topic requires less time than the other topics. You are only covering the 3 case studies for the DBQ. At Ordinary Level students can do well without huge background knowledge, so long as they have good comprehension skills. In my experience many OL students still need to be familiar with the topic in order to feel they can attempt it.

C. I would cover the Irish topics 1 year, and the European topics in the other. In 5th year I would try and get the bulk of the RSR work done. In 6th year you'll want to find some time for revision and writing up their RSR booklets. Just bear that in mind when planning.

D. No, there is no time for a trial RSR, nor is one required. It's best to get them to select their topic in 5th year. Certainly I would have them choose it by Xmas. I get them to complete drafts of the RSR then and by early 6th year at the latest I get them to write the project into a photocopied RSR booklet. I then keep these practice booklets until the real booklets are issued later in 6th year so that by that stage the students are just transferring their work over.

Darth Melkor

Just be aware for 2022:

Higher Level

Candidates may answer the paper in the usual way, if they wish. OR Section 1: answer the DBQ as normal. Sections 2 and 3: answer three questions from any two topics in Section 2: Ireland and Section 3: Europe and the Wider World. This means that candidates would answer two questions from one of their chosen topics. A candidate could decide to answer any one of the following combinations: • Two answers from one Irish topic and one answer from a topic in Europe and the Wider World. • One answer from one Irish topic and two answers from one European topic. • All three answers from two topics in Europe and the Wider World.

Ordinary Level

Candidates may answer the paper in the usual way, if they wish. Or Section 1: answer the DBQ as normal. Sections 2 and 3: answer three sets of questions from any two topics from Section 2: Ireland and Section 3: Europe and the Wider World. This means that candidates would answer two questions from Part B and two questions from part C in one of their chosen topics. As the candidate would have already answered the Part A questions in that topic, an additional Part A (stimulus material with five questions) will be provided on p. 15 of the examination paper. A candidate could decide to work through the examination paper in any one of the following ways: • Answer Parts A, B, and C from one Irish topic and one European and the Wider World topic. Answer a second question from Part B and Part C of the same Irish topic and the extra Part A on p. 15 of the exam paper. • Answer Parts A, B, and C from one Irish topic and one European and the Wider World topic. Answer a second question from Part B and Part C of the same European and the Wider World topic and the extra Part A on p. 15 of the exam paper. • Answer Parts A, B and C from two Europe and the Wider World topics. Answer a second question from Part B and Part C from one of these topics and the extra Part A on page 15 of the exam paper.

Apologies for formatting above, I just copied and pasted from booklet.

aine kilbride

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117926484#Comment_117926484

Thank you very much for your reply. It really is appreciated.

The Prescribed topic for 2022 is Ireland Topic 5 Later Modern Period. There are two things I would be grateful for your comments.

1 This prescribed topic is really the Case Studies? Isn't this correct? (Where by the way are the case studies prescribed? I can not seem to access them anywhere) And I think there are three case studies?

In OL judging from past papers in reality you would never have had to study anything whatsoever regarding the DBQ to pass it that section as it is really a reading comprehension exercise? There is I think one question at the end which will catch a student out if they have not broadly studied the period but why would you spend all that time on a period of history to deal with only one question in that section? It makes no sense to me. It seems like a complete waste of time.

2 To cut the Leaving cert History Course down to size this is what I intend to do to get the students through the exam. What are your thoughts?

A Ireland Topic 3

B Europe Topic 3 and 6

C RSR

D Scant or no attention to Prescribed Topic 5 Ireland to save time for the other parts.

Thank you very much.

Random sample

I don’t know what level your students are at, but my students would always benefit from spending time on the dbq. They need to know how to approach it, what the different terms used in the questions mean and they need to have a good knowledge of the case studies in order to answer questions confidently and fill in the gaps that might be evident in the sources.

TheValeyard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117937300#Comment_117937300

It's well thought out,

One one thing...

Since The Perscribed Topic 5 Is Northern Ireland with the three case studies, it might be worth doing Ireland Topic 6 (1949-1989) instead of the earlier Irish topic. For the simple reason there might be more overlap between the topics.

For the Perscribed topic, while it is the case studies, it's definitely a good idea to learn the context or build up to the case studies along with its long term impact. Cover the immediate area related to case studies.

cupcake queen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117937815#Comment_117937815

I agree with this. OL students still need a good familiarity with the topic for the DBQ, otherwise they will disengage. Do you have 5th or 6th years? If 5th then you have plenty of time to cover the course and I wouldn't worry.

The information on the DBQ topics comes from circulars issued in the previous academic year. You can find them here: https://www.examinations.ie/candidates/index.php?l=en&mc=ex&sc=he#HIS22

aine kilbride

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117937815#Comment_117937815

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117939700#Comment_117939700

Thank you folks. I just feel that other option is a period of history where 'nothing happens'. Whereas the other has 1916 etc etc. Maybe more engaging. But I do take your point about an overlap.

The Case Studies book, I think is is EDco, is almost as long as a main text in itself. Much too difficult for my lads and lassies. I have from History Support Service HIST a 34 page print out on Sunningdale Case study. But again way, way too difficult. My students would not be interested and the language is much too advanced. My students never read anything outside of class. I just feel it is not necessary. Again, I look at the questions at OL for the DBQ and there is no way I could justify spending time on stuff like that at the expense of the three other sections I will focus on.

TheValeyard

It's no harm spending a lot of time on the DBQ for OL since most of the OL exam is based around documents, key personalities and case studies.