History - #JC2017 - Luke Casserly

 Luke Casserly - St. Mel's CollegeHistory is by far my favourite subject, so I was looking forward to this paper.I started off with Q6 and did Social Change in the 20th Century which I feel is pretty much common sense, I just hope I wasn't too vague! Then I did International Relations in the 20th Century which was grand - it's probably my favourite part of the course.After that I answered all of the short questions, the Document question and the source question which were very straight forward. Then, I started into Q4, People in History. I was raging to find out my favourites, Martin Luther and George Washington didn't come up but I settled for picking "A person who received land in a named plantation" for A and "A person working in a factory or coal mine during the industrial revolution" for B. I regret not doing these earlier as I was running out of time and ended up having to rush them. I'm just hoping I put enough in to pick up the marks! I finished off by really quickly by doing the picture question which was straight forward like usual.Overall I'm really happy with history! I just hope I put enough into my people in history answers!!Check out more exam blogs here: http://issu.ie/the-issu-exam-blogs-2017/Want to win a €100 One4All gift card? Fill out this survey: https://docs.google.com/a/issu.ie/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffcmquGrgDKNJYdU9wnsBNSWGu8jwEHv6gGdik-y0KtcgnMw/viewform#StateExams2017

Leaving Certificate History

Craig - Higher Level 

I'm pretty sure it says somewhere in the UN Declaration for Human Rights that putting a 3 hr history exam and a 3 hr French exam on one day is in fact - wrong. History was exhausting. Once I opened that paper I was straight in - highlighting, as Liam does - highlighting everything. The document section was lovely - Nuremberg ! The contextualisation was nice too regarding propaganda. Then it was into Ireland Topic 2 - I did the paper back ways so this was actually my last question. I was so exhausted by this point I couldn't remember who founded the Gaelic league but I had plenty of quotes and dates so I was off and then with just 11 minutes to go I fitted in the Anglo Irish Literary Revival too - Yeats all that. Lovely choice in that section!Then bam! 1916! Lovely! Not sure how I did in this question, in fact the whole exam is a blur. You're not allowed, nor are you able to time wise think about "how you did" during this exam - toilet breaks are for the very brave! I was jumping with joy when I saw the USA question though, to be fair - the choice between economy or Johnson/Truman - I chose the presidents and said Truman was a better leader! Job done!I'm exhausted now at this stage - business tomorrow , then I'm done for four days thank god! 

Ellen - Higher Level 

I almost cried with happiness when I read the faint outline of the Nuremburg Rallies on the exam script cover. By far the easiest DBQ to write about! The rest of the paper was quite nice, with lots of choice. At long long last 1916 turned up when it was most needed, even throwing Yeats in for the craic. They couldn't have done that in English paper 2 now could they? Anyway, I answered on the Treaty Negotiations and struggled to come up with as many different ways of saying 'contentious' as possible. For American history, I was torn between Truman & Johnson or the Moon Landing & Star Wars, but I settled on the latter. For Northern Ireland, I saw Coleraine and Apprentice Boys and launched straight in, realising 3 pages in that it only asks you to discuss one or the other. Oops.Although my hand is well and truly dead, I survived the LC 2016! That's it from me now, best of luck lads with everything xPlease note: blog posts reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union. Blogs are updated daily by 6.30 pm on scheduled examination dates.Zeminar is an event for Generation Z, particularly those aged between 15 and 19, and their parents, teachers, mentors and coaches. It will take place from 11th - 13th of October 2016. For more information see www.zeminar.ie

Junior Certificate History

Shane - Higher Level 

Oh my God, I am still in shock at how amazing that History Paper was! As soon as I got the paper, I went straight to the "People in History" section. I cried some real tears of joy when I saw a medieval monk and Columbus. I had studied about 12 but was still so worried going into the exam that it wasn’t enough. So I speed wrote my two essays (a page and a half and two pages respectively) and answered all 20 short questions and when I looked at the clock, only 35 minutes had gone by! So I slowed down a little and answered the picture question and the documents question. These went as fine as picture and documents questions go, but some questions were a small bit trickier than previous years.As predicted by many students, the mixture of  the Agricultural Revolution, Industrial Revolution and the Famine (however minus the Famine this year) came up as the Question 5. This went very well but I was kicking myself that I didn’t know who John Kay was. For the account in that question, I wrote about three quarters of a page on farming in the agricultural revolution and was on my merry way to Q6. I studied Q6 C and Q6 D so I could focus on them in specific and not half study all the possibilities for Q6 A. I was quite pleased with 6 C and answered the accounts on the 1916 "Rising and Civil Rights in Northern Ireland". Then for Q6 D, I answered the accounts on the "Battle of Britain" and the "War in the Pacific". In the finish up, I could not literally be any happier with this paper and I am feeling so, so good about Science tomorrow! Good luck (again)!!!

Kate - Higher Level 

I've consistently done well in history, never producing anything lower than 95% in an exam so I was dreading history today. Our teacher lectured us about how people who do well in the mocks do worse because they get lazy so that was a positive note to enter the exam! I predicted that age of exploration, industrial revolution and reformation would come up. I was fearful about the possibility of revolutions appearing on the paper because I just skipped that whole section of the course.

I opened the exam and skipped everything, didn't even read anything from section 1-3. I started on question 4 and answered the question of medieval monk and Magellan (named explorer). I then moved onto question 5 and felt blessed by the SEC when I saw industrial revolution and reformation side by side. I had spent hours cramming the industrial revolution into my head and thankfully it appeared. I then moved onto question 5 and answered A - Reformation and D - International Relations. The final parts of those questions threw me. The question regarding the reformations impact on Ireland and Britain was not what I prepared for but I wrote about plantations and religious change in Britain. I wasn't too sure about how France was defeated but sure I waffled my way through it. Luftwaffe more like Luftwaffle am I right? I then returned and answered questions 1-3 without a problem.

All in all I believe that the exam went quite well for me and I'm optimistic about how I did.

Philip - Higher Level 

This paper really didn't suit me, if I'm going to be honest. I started with section 3, the short questions. These weren't particularly hard in my opinion and I'd say I got ten at least. Next I went back to section 1 where I struggled with the second question on part A but apart from that I think I managed to bluff my way through. Then I moved to section 2. This was the comprehension question and I think I did well enough in those questions. Next I did the people in history question. This was where I struggled. In part b I managed to do, I think, a good enough account of Christopher Columbus, though without dates. Then I went back to part A. I hadn't studied any of these. I tried at the renaissance painter outside of Italy question on Albert Durer but some of my points were confused with someone else so I'd say I lost a lot of marks here.In section 5 I didn't have much trouble with the comprehension based question in part A and B but part iii in each of those caught me and I didn't know what to put down. Part C was a total mess and half of what I said was made up, but fingers crossed. Finally I did section 6. I started with D as that's usually my best in section 6 and this year was no different. I was quiet confident with my long question answer (for the last time in the exam). Next I did A. I think I did fine in most of them but I struggled to find enough points to cover the effect of the reformation on Ireland and mainland Europe, though I say I picked up at least half the points, maybe more. Finally I had some time left (I thought the exam finished at 4:00 so I rushed and ended with a half hour to spare) so I spent that time doing part B in section 6, which was total waffle.Goof luck everyone in science and religion tomorrow!

Luke - Higher Level 

I was fairly nervous before entering this exam because I really like history, I think my teacher is good and I had done well in my pre so I had fairly high expectations.Before entering the classroom where the exams were being held, I read over Durer and a solider in the D-Day landings. I did questions 1, 2, and 3. And then 6, 4, 5. This was to make sure I got as much marks as I could manage in Q.6 because it accounts for 33% of the exam.  I was pretty much under pressure for time from the word go.The short questions were very straightforward, although I avoided all questions on Irish history as I knew that I would be able to avoid those questions on the exam.The night before the exam I looked through studyclix and saw what topics they predicted would come up, and I was lucky as a Renaissance artist from outside of Italy and an explorer came up in question four! I was was happy with that.Question five was the industrial revolution. It was easy, even though I hadn't looked at it in awhile because I didn't think it would come up.Question six. Before the exam I had intended to do part B, Social Change and part A which is usually a topic from the second year course but when I looked at the social change question and compared it to the world war question I decided that the world war question was the better option. I had done a fair amount of study on the reformation which turned out to be part A. of question six so I got a nice bit down for that. Then for D. World War I, I didn't think I had a lot of knowledge on it when I began but as I wrote  I remembered bits and pieces of it and when I was finished I was even happier with it than the reformation question. I'm looking forward to seeing the results in September and seeing how it all worked out!Please note: blog posts reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union. Blogs are updated daily by 6.30 pm on scheduled examination dates.Zeminar is an event for Generation Z, particularly those aged between 15 and 19, and their parents, teachers, mentors and coaches. It will take place from 11th - 13th of October 2016. For more information see www.zeminar.ie

Leaving Certificate History

Lorraine - Higher Level

Well I'm just out of History and thank god! First of all I have to say I think it's crazy only giving us an hour break between French and History. I really think that could be time tabled better. I was so determined to do well in French this morning that I kind of neglected History a little bit last night! I was really apprehensive and thepanic stations did set in after French. I was trying to just recap everything going through all the notes I had made out..so so many notes! The history course is a huge course and I really am glad that there is a project in it!When I got the paper I saw the Document question was on the Eucharistic Congress, not what everyone had thought but still quite a nice question. I took a flick through the paper and panicked a little bit at the Dictatorship questions but made myself do the document question just to calm down. When I finished them I decided to start with the American topic because I saw the Montgomery bus boycott and I was delighted. I figure if I can get everything I know out of the way first in exam I give myself time to search around in my brain bits of what I know about the ones I'm panicking about (weird I know :P). When I finished that I went back to the Dictatorship and Democracy question and realised in my mind I had definitely imagined a question that wasn't there! After rereading them I was delighted to see propaganda and terror in Russia and/or Mussolini. I was like BOOM! In the exam although I have to admit I would have loved a nice chunky propaganda question on Germany but sure look it. When I finished that I went to the Irish topic- my most hated topic by far. I really hadn't prepared as well as I could have for this I had learned bits on everyone but nothing solid completely my own fault! I did the question on Lemass and T.K Whitaker.I only squeezed out 3 pages on it but I can say its completely my own fault and in my sleep deprived state I was proud to even get 3 pages out! Its weird to say I'm finished History now! I only have Economics left which is next Wednesday so I have an entire week - thank god because I have completely neglected it!! :)

Isabelle - Higher Level

I think the majority of the country went into today's history exam expecting the treaty negotiations, but I have never been a fan and so was praying for the Eucharistic Congress. Not only did it come up but it came up with the same context question I have answered at least 4 times before!I was really happy that the Montgomery bus boycott came up, and even happier that it didn't even ask for anything else about the civil rights movement! Both The bus boycott and Hitlers foreign policy came up in my mocks and I did quite well in them so I was over the moon to see them again! Northern Ireland has always been my tricky section, so I was quite nervous, however one of the essays that came up was easy enough to fit both my welfare state and Brookeborough and O'Neill essay into!Overall I couldn't have hoped for a better paper, I hope you all felt the same about it too! Thank god its over!!Please note: Blog posts reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union.

Junior Certificate History

Jane - Higher Level

This was the exam that I had procrastinated until 24 hours before hand, where I decided to seriously knuckle down and you couldn't tear me away from my history book! I started with questions 4, 5 and 6. If I could ever give someone golden advice, it would be to do this in your JC History exam! People in history though, how weird. Can someone tell me why they couldn't have used a manor rather than a castle? I winged it big time. George Washington I was pretty okay with, I'd revised this one. I was disappointed D Day or Cold war didn't come up though!I could almost feel everyone freaking out around me for Part C of Q5. I did too at the start. How dare they use explorations! Once I got in to it it was grand. I just did P)B and used my own general knowledge about the British Empire. Hopefully my examiner will be impressed that I knew so much about the British economy haha. On to Question 6. well Part a was grand, kind of winged the accounts but they were okay. Very surprised with P6. They didn't us the option of the blockade! If I hadn't studied the entire cold war the night before I would have been snookered!The rest of the paper after this was pretty easy,as it always is.I regret leaving my study so late and hope this does not affect my grade! Certainty it has taken an effect on my mental health and sleep patterns though and I deeply regret that I let that happen.

Art - Higher Level

For some reason or another, maybe because it gives me a bit of confidence, I like to start with the short questions in history. To be safe, I answered around 14 to assure full marks. Then onto the pictures question. I wasn't very confident on what Picture A was, but I wrote something down. The black death and Mary Robinson were both pretty easy then, I thought. The Documents questions didn't seem to be too challenging. It's really just a matter of getting the answer from the source for the most part. I found it interesting however. If I'm honest, I think I spent a bit too long on the beginning of the paper. For any 2nd years reading, don't spend much over a half an hour and all of these.Then onto the more important ones. I decided to begin with the Long Questions on Q6 because I was most confident here. I did international developments in the 20th century and the Irish history one. Overall, I was pretty happy with both. I'm worried I wrote a bit too much in places though. One or two of the small questions on Ireland were a bit harden than usual. I then did Q5, the source questions on the age of exploration. For the most part, I was pretty happy with all of these. Finally, I left little time for Q4. I wrote up a good answer on George Washington I thought but Michelangelo was a little bare as the clock beat me.Overall, I thought it was a bit trickier than most years. I think I may have gotten a high B, but I doubt I got the A, which I'm sickened over as I love history!Please note: Blog posts reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union.

Junior Cert Business

Mark - Higher Level

  So today I had my business exam. Well I was certainly glad that insurance came up (in both papers actually). Trading, Profit and Loss Account and Balance Sheet was easy, and I got it balanced :) ! being honest I think that both papers were easy enough. #PREDICTABLE I found the forms of business question very easy to answer on as well. There is of course a lot of choice in the business papers, getting to choose 4 of the 6 long questions. Regarding the short questions in paper one; easy, although the forms of communication question was a bit odd.Dear State Examinations Commission, please don't try and be funny, because you're not. Pie chart: How does Lady Gaga like her steak? Well done/Rare/Medium Rare/RAW RAW RAW RAW    Possible trick question, she would probably be wearing it. But no, jokes aside a lot of the business questions were common sense, obviously revision helps! French and History tomorrow, most of the exams are done now for me. I'll be doing my last blog on the metalwork exam (which will be my last exam, and then FREEDOM!!!)   Please note: blog posts reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union. Blogs are updated daily by 6.30 pm on scheduled examination dates.