Can I teach myself HL Spanish for LC in one year?

Joshk123 · 05-04-2017 10:35pm #1

Hi guys,
So, I'm in fifth year at the moment. I did Spanish as an extra subject the junior cert amd got an A. Unfortunately, my school doesn't teach it so I had to teach myself. It worked out well though. But for leaving cert, I'm already doing 8 subjects ( Japanese as an extra).
The thing is, I have five subjects that I know I can do well in, but the sixth might be a problem. I'm good at languages so was thinking of "binging" the Spanish course this coming summer and doing it for the leaving cert next year.
I will be mainly self-taught, but probably will get oral lessons or grinds towards the end. I haven't done Spanish properly for a good two years is the thing. Do you think it's too late to pick up another subject, baring in mind that I find languages quite easy?

Thanks!

VG31 · 05-04-2017 11:33pm

I'm not sure if the feasibility of doing Spanish outside of school but doing nine subjects is insanity. Seven is more than enough. I'd only do eight if you can do well in one subject with little work.

reason vs religion · 06-04-2017 12:28am

I disagree that nine is insanity. The single-paper option subjects are easier to do well in and it's rare that people are equally competent in the compulsory language subjects and maths. Therefore, it often makes sense to deprioritise one or more of those, instead using for points subjects chosen based on your ability to do well in them. Those who take only seven limit themselves in that regard.

Re. Spanish in one year, I think it's doable, considering your strength with languages and the relative shortness of the syllabus - it basically just demands competence in the language, not really caring how you get there!

Bazinga_N · 06-04-2017 8:54am

Joshk123 wrote: »

Hi guys,
So, I'm in fifth year at the moment. I did Spanish as an extra subject the junior cert amd got an A. Unfortunately, my school doesn't teach it so I had to teach myself. It worked out well though. But for leaving cert, I'm already doing 8 subjects ( Japanese as an extra).
The thing is, I have five subjects that I know I can do well in, but the sixth might be a problem. I'm good at languages so was thinking of "binging" the Spanish course this coming summer and doing it for the leaving cert next year.
I will be mainly self-taught, but probably will get oral lessons or grinds towards the end. I haven't done Spanish properly for a good two years is the thing. Do you think it's too late to pick up another subject, baring in mind that I find languages quite easy?

Thanks!

Definitely sounds like you could do HL Spanish! Get grinds for the oral part though just to be sure. I would suggest considering OL in the subjects you're not going to regard for points. It'll reduce your workload!

IrishZeus · 06-04-2017 8:56am

Would you consider an immersion course in Spain for a few weeks to "jump-start" your levels?

Mr Rhode Island Red · 06-04-2017 7:18pm

If it's for a sense of achievement or a wish to attain a certain level of fluency in Spanish, then go ahead.

But as a strategy pointswise, 9 subjects is insanity. The vast majority of students only take on 7.

reason vs religion · 06-04-2017 10:06pm

Mr Rhode Island Red wrote: »

If it's for a sense of achievement or a wish to attain a certain level of fluency in Spanish, then go ahead.

But as a strategy pointswise, 9 subjects is insanity. The vast majority of students only take on 7.

Insanity? How? And a vast majority taking seven subjects (rather than eight) is certainly not the case, in my experience.

Mr Rhode Island Red · 06-04-2017 10:42pm

reason vs religion wrote: »

Insanity? How? And a vast majority taking seven subjects (rather than eight) is certainly not the case, in my experience.

I'm just thinking about workload. Why would somebody decide to take on 8 or 9 subjects considering that only your best 6 are counted for points?

VG31 · 06-04-2017 11:16pm

reason vs religion wrote: »

Insanity? How? And a vast majority taking seven subjects (rather than eight) is certainly not the case, in my experience.

There are only two people in my year of around 70 doing 8 HL subjects now. This number was probably around 15 at the start of fifth year (including about two people doing nine subjects). Everyone else who does 8 subjects is doing ordinary maths and/or Irish.

Everyone except those two people that have taken up an extra subject has either dropped to ordinary in one or more subjects or dropped a subject.

The point I'm trying to make is that is if doing eight or nine HL subjects was realistic, there wouldn't only be two people in my year doing eight (and those two would be in the top five people with the best results).

reason vs religion · 07-04-2017 1:52am

Mr Rhode Island Red wrote: »

I'm just thinking about workload. Why would somebody decide to take on 8 or 9 subjects considering that only your best 6 are counted for points?

...because they are obligated to take core subjects in at least one of which there is a likelihood they'll score below the average of the rest of their subjects. I sort of assume in defending taking eight/nine subjects that one or two of those mandatory subjects would be deprioritised (possibly by dropping to Ordinary). Or that the extra subjcts are especially suited to the student - a language for the linguist, Applied Maths for the mathematical, etc.

VG31 wrote: »

There are only two people in my year of around 70 doing 8 HL subjects now. This number was probably around 15 at the start of fifth year (including about two people doing nine subjects). Everyone else who does 8 subjects is doing ordinary maths and/or Irish.

Everyone except those two people that have taken up an extra subject has either dropped to ordinary in one or more subjects or dropped a subject.

The point I'm trying to make is that is if doing eight or nine HL subjects was realistic, there wouldn't only be two people in my year doing eight (and those two would be in the top five people with the best results).

I think it can be misleading to judge based only on the experience of your own school. In contrast to yours, in my year of ~160, only a very small minority didn't take eight subjects - people with ADHD, exemptions, etc. That I'm aware, no one in my year felt needlessly overworked, or whatever, perhaps because they didn't expect anything different. One of the reasons for seven subjects being standard, I suspect, is that it's more costly and logistically-tricky the more subject-strands there are. And, given that standard, only the more academically confident and able would be committed enough to take on more subjects than is expected.

Joshk123 · 07-04-2017 6:53pm

Thank you everyone for your advice! What I've decided to do is to learn Spanish bit by bit most days and their th the summer. I'm doing this because I like Spanish. However, if in sixth year I feel as though I have a strong ability in the language and don't feel under too much stress, I'll do the Spanish exam.
The thing is like, if I'm going to be learning Spanish anyways, and I feel confident in it, why not, the worst that can happen is I do badly and count another subject for points

Elemonator · 07-04-2017 6:57pm

If you think you can manage nine, do it. I know someone who did ten and got 9 A1's and I think maybe an A2. Involved stuyding 17 hours every day of the weekend.

If your method has worked before, I'm sure you can do it again but the LC is completely different thing in terms of workload compared to the JC (until you get to college

).

If you are looking to pick the Spanish again, watch Disney movies in Spanish as they are for kiddies.

Good luck in the exams OP.

randylonghorn · 07-04-2017 9:00pm

reason vs religion wrote: »

One of the reasons for seven subjects being standard, I suspect, is that it's more costly and logistically-tricky the more subject-strands there are.

Probably a tad of truth in that, given how badly teaching allocations were hit in the post-Diseased Celtic Kitten years, but even when they were at their best most schools would have run with a 7 subject schedule, and most teachers would argue that it is better to concentrate on 7 subjects than to diffuse students' efforts over more than that, unless there is good reason.

And as you quite rightly point out, a good reason will often be that the student struggles with a core subject, usually Irish or Maths. But even 7 subjects allows you to deprioritise one ... the problem arises when the student seriously struggles with more than one, which does happen occasionally, but is hardly common.

(I did 6 subjects for LC btw! :pac: Not something I'd generally recommend, and in my case it had a lot to do with the 7th stream that year being biology or biology or biology! ... for some weird reason pretty much everyone in the school that year wanted to do biology, there were I think 3 of us who didn't .... and given that I detested biology with a passion, I just baulked! As I say, not a choice I'd normally recommend, but I never regretted it.)

Elemonator wrote: »

If you think you can manage nine, do it. I know someone who did ten and got 9 A1's and I think maybe an A2. Involved studying 17 hours every day of the weekend.

And fair play to the person who can manage that, but there is a real danger of being so exhausted by LC that they under-perform in the exams.

tinpib · 10-04-2017 4:57pm

I always recommend the Michel Thomas courses as a great way to learn a language.

I did the LC many moons ago, I hated the way French was taught in schools. Kinda tricky when you have 30 students per class but there you go. I remember trying Linguaphone myself in transition year and 5th year and found it to be utterly useless.

I first heard about Michel Thomas when I was around 25. I'm sickened that it wasn't around when I was doing LC French. It really is an amazing way of getting yourself up to LC standard on your own quickly.

I enjoyed the courses, didn't feel like a chore at all. It became a hobby.

IrishZeus · 10-04-2017 7:46pm

tinpib wrote: »

I always recommend the Michel Thomas courses as a great way to learn a language.

I did the LC many moons ago, I hated the way French was taught in schools. Kinda tricky when you have 30 students per class but there you go. I remember trying Linguaphone myself in transition year and 5th year and found it to be utterly useless.

I first heard about Michel Thomas when I was around 25. I'm sickened that it wasn't around when I was doing LC French. It really is an amazing way of getting yourself up to LC standard on your own quickly.

I enjoyed the courses, didn't feel like a chore at all. It became a hobby.

+1 for this.

spurious · 11-04-2017 6:19am

Re the seven subjects being what most people do - it's to comply with the guidelines regarding teaching hours for each subject. Most schools do five 40 min classes in subjects other than the 'big three' and six 40 min classes in as many of those as they can.

The school week is recommended to be at least 28 hours for students. If the above is followed it leaves about three periods over to cover P.E., Religion, Careers and the other miscellaneous subjects. If a school is complying with guidelines, there isn't time for eight subjects.

reason vs religion · 11-04-2017 9:18am

spurious wrote: »

Re the seven subjects being what most people do - it's to comply with the guidelines regarding teaching hours for each subject. Most schools do five 40 min classes in subjects other than the 'big three' and six 40 min classes in as many of those as they can.

The school week is recommended to be at least 28 hours for students. If the above is followed it leaves about three periods over to cover P.E., Religion, Careers and the other miscellaneous subjects. If a school is complying with guidelines, there isn't time for eight subjects.

In my school, the optional subjects had four forty-minute classes per week, which allowed for eight subjects to be taken. Guideline is 180 hours over two years. Teaching year is 167 days - 33 weeks. 90 hours / (4 x 40 mins) = 33 weeks, i.e. the guideline.

randylonghorn · 11-04-2017 6:07pm

reason vs religion wrote: »

In my school, the optional subjects had four forty-minute classes per week ...

That strikes me as kinda low tbh, given an average school / average student mix.

If I made a wild guess that you attended a school which tended to attract a high proportion of academic high achievers, would I be completely off the mark?

reason vs religion · 11-04-2017 7:21pm

randylonghorn wrote: »

That strikes me as kinda low tbh, given an average school / average student mix.

If I made a wild guess that you attended a school which tended to attract a high proportion of academic high achievers, would I be completely off the mark?

Well, a wide range with a high upper-end. And certainly lower-than-average disruption. But, as I showed, it met the guideline for time spent.

I only respond to Spurious, though, to demonstrate that it's not the case that it would go against national guidelines to teach eight.

Can I teach myself HL Spanish for LC in one year?

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