Leaving Cert Spanish

Claire - Higher Level

After a week long break I was back in the exam hall today all ready to take on the Spanish exam. I both loved and loathed the fact that the Spanish exam was a week after the French one. The break was much needed as I was completely exhausted after my first week of exams.  It was great that I had the chance to recharge! On the other hand the week almost dragged on and with every passing day it was harder to fond the motivation to continue. It began to feel like the leaving cert was already over! I spent less days preparing for Spanish than I intended. It was really difficult deciding what to study for the exam, so I really just prioritised my verbs and learning some useful phrases!All the "buena suerte"s must have paid off because I am really happy with how the exam went today! However I am slightly biased as Spanish is by far my favourite subject but I feel that this was the nicest exam so far.The readings were a bit random but interesting. There was one about a whale in section A, and section B included a text about emigration -very relevant in the world today! The readings were of topics you had a basic understanding of in English and I thought this was fair. The synonym part I thought was fair and much more do-able than previous years!I did the opinion piece entitled "where one lives is not important". At first glance I thought wow I have not prepared any vocabulary on this but after a quick brainstorm it was a very user friendly topic. Finally!I did the dialogue and the note in the written section.  I found them much easier than I have found previous years and I thought the topics were engaging and almost fun to translate! One was about musical instruments and the other was about shopping. I was very happy because I was able to use phrases I learned for my oral work in my written section.The listening was okay.  Personally I feel I did not do as well in it as I have done so before.  It was a bit random! But maybe I just found it hard to concentrate because the end of the leaving is coming closer... Yay!I went into the exam worried that I would be caught for time but I'm pleased to report that was not a problem and I had a lot more time to think than anticipated.Overall, I'm hopeful that today went well.  I hope everybody else is pleased with how they got on today too!In off to study Technology now, but congrats to all those who are now finished their exams! Congratulations :D

ISSU Commentary

Justin Bieber again made an appearance on a State examinations paper, for the second time in two weeks. Feedback from the higher level paper was ‘extremely positive’. The letter section caused a lot of discontent; students had to write to a Spanish newspaper about the role of royalty in today’s world. One would imagine there were very few students expecting that. This topic certainly ‘threw’ some students, and many predicted that very few actually answered it. Otherwise the paper was described as ‘good’, the comprehensions even featured an article about a killer whale. The other comprehensions featured an article about emigration in Mexico, a 12 day traffic jam in China and the problem of people not paying in restaurants. The ordinary level paper was given a positive response by most, where the richest dog in the world, and elderly man who was reunited with his car after forgetting where he parked two years previously! The written expression, where students had to write an email was ‘fine’. Overall most candidates were relatively happy.

 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.

Junior Cert - Materials Technology (Wood)

David - Higher Level

My last exam!I wasn't nervous, at all, going into this exam despite doing very little study for it!This exam has 20 short questions (do 15) and 6 long questions (do 3)Short Question's -These were easy, nothing hard, and you could make ''educated guesses'' for a lot of them, having the choice of being allowed to not do 4, or get 4 wrong, is comforting as well! I got on well here!Long Questions's - I found them very fair this year.. despite me only being able to answer, well, 3. :L You see, I knew Question 1 and 2 are the same every year, and I can do them, easily and I then studied, manufactured boards, veneering, finishes and tress, hoping one of them would come up.. and they did! :D :PQ1. Technical Graphics question... SOOOOOOO easy.. for anyone who does TG it's practically giving you marks! It was just an elevation and end view, at a scale, nothing hard :DQ2. Design and stages of production, this was easy! Before I made my JC project though, I would have found this hard but after making it, I could basically answer the questions just from experience! :PQ3. Manufactured boards! Yay, easy question! I did this one realllllyyy quickly too! Nothing hard here, just know which board is which, and how they're made, advantages and disadvantages and you're sorted!Well, that was an easy exam in my opinion! And I did a decent project too.. so fingers crossed! :DFor those of you with Metalwork, music, spanish, latin etc.. while i'm enjoying my Summer, just Keep on truckin' it will be over soon! :D

 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

Junior Cert - Technical Graphics

David - Higher Level

My last morning of my Junior cycle! :O .. I'm getting old!Anyway, I did the bare minimum amount of study for TG as I've always done well in it. I got 72% in the mocks from doing no study, and having done very few short questions and having revised the whole course and short questions in class, I saw little need.Short Question's - These were easy enough, no surprises. There are only 15 and you pick 10 to do, I attempted them all, but feel I only got 11 right, but that's full marks!Long Questions - No surprises here, all the same questions came up and I did questions 1,3,5 and 6.Q1 - Orthagraphic .. this was easy, plan, elevation, end view, surface s.. the same thing over and over again! I got on well in this one!Q3. This was axonametric view, which is easy enough, it takes a while though! >< Oh well.. the complicated image didn't help either. I didn't do fantastic in this one.Q4. Transformation Geomatry, my old pal, I got 69/70 on this in the mocks, the only thing that changes every year is the actual image. I got on well enough here, but I had some trouble with the rotation part :/Q6. Ellipse and porabola.. this was a VERY fair question, my mind just decided to say ''hehe, let's not work properly for him, it'll be funny'' . I messed up on this question.. and god am I pissed off! :/ Oh well as Noah and the whale said '' l i f e g o e s o n ''Anyway, this exam was fair! And I got on well enough despite having the Mexican song from the doritos ad stuck in my head for the duration!

 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

Leaving Cert Review

Katarzyna

The Leaving Cert could be a nightmare, but it doesn't have to be that bad if you approach it the right way. Firstly, you really need to study regularly. It is very important that you learn from class to class and always keep on top of your work. Take small breaks between studying. Keep away from Facebook, etc., because they are a huge distraction. Try not to completely abandon your work over the summer. Try to study things that you enjoy so it doesn't feel like studying, so if you like drawing, perhaps practice drawing diagrams or maps etc.During the school week, try to do your homework but also find some time to study. Look up resources online for the subjects you do. There is plenty resources for teachers to use, but these could be very helpful to students too, eg. slss website or ncca. Read examiner's reports to identify common mistakes and avoid them. Work with exam papers, even if the teacher doesn't give you them to do for homework. Don't be afraid to move ahead and work through the exam papers at your own pace. Get familiar with all marking schemes to see what answers you are expected to write and how marks are distributed. This is important so that you write enough information, particularly for your factual subjects, e.g. Biology.During the week before the exams, make sure that you get enough sleep. You can't be tired going into the exam, because you won't perform as well as you could. You should get good rest particularly before subjects like English, Geography and History, where you have a lot to write, because if you’re tired you might not write as fast as you can and you don't want to run out of time.Timing is very important in the exam. Bring in your own watch. Know exactly how much time to spend on each question. A good way of figuring this out is by looking at how much marks are given for each question. It is obvious that you should spend more time on a question that carries more marks.In the exam always read the questions very carefully and make sure that you understand them. This is particularly important if you have a choice on the paper. You need to read all parts of questions carefully to make the right choice for yourself. Avoid jumping in at a question, doing half of it and the realising that you can't do the rest and you waste time. However, don't be afraid to take a moment to think.Eating good food is super important. By good food I don't necessarily mean healthy food. I mean food that you like. You are going to be stressed out and anxious, so you should eat your favourite foods to make life a bit easier for yourself. Forget about diets, etc. Just focus on doing your best in the exam, because then you will have plenty of time to loose the extra weight, if any even appears...Try to be positive about this whole experience. Think about what you know and answer the questions as best as you can. If you work hard, it will pay off and once the leaving cert is finished you will be free for good. No more uniforms or school. There really is a life after the Leaving Cert!

Aoife

So I’m finally finished the leaving cert. As I sealed my exam booklet closed this morning I felt the freedom! No more uniform, no more of the listening Irish tape, no more secondary school (Hopefully). I never thought that after 6 years in secondary school it would all come down to this, it doesn’t matter who your friends are, what you’ve done in the school just simply how you perform on the day.Looking back on the exams it was only maths paper 2 that I was thrown by. I am content with how I performed in the others knowing that there wasn’t much more I could have achieved by an extra day or extra cramming. The papers that I did were mostly rounded and gave everyone an equal chance. 2012 definitely was the year of surprises however with many people’s predictions not coming up in English, the Maths Paper 2 difficulty and the Irish Paper 1 change.During the mocks the tiredness wasn’t really a factor, however during the leaving cert it really hits in, the build up and doing the actual exams are physically draining and a good nights sleep before every exam is needed. There’s no point pulling an all nighter, it won’t do you any good the next morning when you’re tired and find it hard to concentrate. A final word of advice for any future leaving certs, revise, revise all year, start as you mean to go on. If you start the year on a good note you’re more than likely going to finish it the same. As my principal often used to say “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” Even though it’s an important year still remember to have a good time! I wish everyone who still has exams the best of luck! Aoife :)

 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

Leaving Cert Physics

Katarzyna - Higher Level

It was a long night of studying before my most important exam. I had a strategy to first do my three experiments, and then do Question 5, followed by Question 10 part A and after those, the two parts of Question 12. Later I was going to decide what other two questions I was going to do. Overall I have to say that the experiment questions were very fair. I did Questions 1, 2 and 3. I heard that many people hoped for Joule's Law and the Simple Pendulum experiments to come up. Joule's Law wasn't there; instead we had the variation of current with voltage for a semiconductor diode. The Simple Pendulum experiment came up, where we had to use a graph we were given to calculate the acceleration due to gravity and it was quite a nice question to start with.  Then a question on finding the focal length for a converging lens and variation of frequency with length were also straight forward enough. Nothing really surprised me in this section, which made me worry if the other section was horrible. Question 5 was more difficult than usual. The questions were new and quite detailed. I managed to answer my best eight and moved on to Question 10 (a). The particle physics question was about positrons and pair annihilation. I thought that it was one of the easiest questions on the option I have seen. I didn't have problems with it. In question 12 I did parts (b) and (c). Again it was more difficult than usual. I didn't like any part, but these two suited me best. Part b was about refraction and part c was about latent heat of fusion. The other parts were about circular motion, which was difficult enough, and the photo cell which I didn't revise in the detail that the question required. Then I looked at other questions and Question 8 about fission and fusion jumped out at me. I scanned through the questions and was really pleased. However there was one down side; the quantities were not given at the bottom of the questions. I had to go and look for the required quantities in the log tables, which I have to say was time consuming because I had to keep on flicking back and forth from the quantities to the formulae and it was a bit tedious. It was the first time ever when I noticed that. My friends complained about this, because sometimes the quantities gave you a hint about what formula to use, whereas here you had no help. I really liked that question so when I solved everything I had one more question to do. I looked at question 11 and 9. I didn't like them and I doubted if I could answer them well. Then I looked at 6 and 7. The choice was easy because question 7 was a bit weird and the mechanics question was actually really nice compared to other years. Apart from the very last part of this question which I couldn't do, everything was fine. I am really happy with the paper because I expected it to be much worse. Last year's paper was horrifying and I was afraid that we will get something similar. I was glad that I didn't have to do any electricity questions, which I don't particularly like. I was ecstatic when I saw a whole question on modern physics which I really find interesting. I hope you found it okay as well. For all those who are finished today I wish a nice, long, sunny summer and for those who still have some exams to do, I wish you the best of luck! 

ISSU Commentary

Today Leaving Certificate physics students were tested on applying their knowledge to everyday scenarios. Rote learning would have been of little benefit, as has been the prevailing theme with most of the exams this year. Some teachers were full of praise for the more practical examination that their students encountered. The physics paper is split into Section A and B. Section A, at higher level was ‘as expected, and typical’. However some highlighted that students should have been given prior warning, to include their exam paper with the answer booklet, if they answered question 1. This had never happened before, and could have ‘thrown’ some students. That was not the only difference as students were given a graph, rather than being asked to draw one. The rest of section A was described by many as ‘fine’, some even highlighting question 4, and calling it ‘lovely’.Linking physics to real life was continued in section B, where questions were challenging but clearly phrased. Some found the first question particularly difficult. Some described the first question in Section B, question 5 as a ‘mixed bag and parts being more of a geography question, overall it was ‘testing’. Part G was commended for being realistic. The final question on the paper was ‘really nice according to many. The ordinary level paper held ‘very few surprises’ and the paper, like higher level required students to apply their knowledge effectively. Many singled out the Fukushima nuclear disaster as particularly topical. Overall both papers were generally good, but challenging in parts.

  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

Junior Cert Review

Jack

Well, now that Science is done it's... SUMMER!I have now finished my Junior Certificate! Hurray! Six and a half days. Thirty plus (I think!) hours of non-stop writing, to examine three years' of work. What a week.To be honest, the Mocks were a lot more nerve wrecking than the real thing! The Junior Cert felt just like the Mocks; it was quite familiar and just a little more official.I am so glad that it is over, now. I am also glad I don't do Music or some subject along those lines that will take me in to an extra week!I think my best subject was Business. I answered every question, so here's hoping! I feel I did worst in either Irish, French or Maths! Oh dear. Anyways, we'll find out in September.The Junior Cert was a great experience. Each break time, my friends and I would always have a great laugh - I thought we'd be stressing out and cramming last minute! Doing blogs with the ISSU has been a great experience, also!Now, roll on Summer! I live in Galway, so I have the Volvo Ocean Race to look forward to!So, I wish everyone an awesome (and safe) Summer!

Lorraine

Hi all!Wow this feels weird, I AM FINISHED :DI can honestly say the Junior Cert wasn't what I expected! I thought I was going to be a nervous wreck and I wasn't. I thought it would be really formal and stuffy and it wasn't! Some people were so laid back about it! I can honestly tell anyone reading this is that if they have exams next year, study hard! It all pays off and September isn't too far off for me with my results!! :) Good luck everyone!

 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