Leaving Certificate Art, History & Appreciation

Ela - Higher Level 

I was never confident with Art, hence why I didn't do it for the Junior Cert. But to be able to do a certain course I am interested in, I needed to do it for the Leaving. But it was too late because I already picked my subjects, so I had to complete the course outside of school so I had no clue what my classmates were covering in their art class. My strongest aspect of the Art exam was the practicals. I could do it all day, and after opting for craft, it did feel like all day. I took to the still life and life drawing like a duck to water. It was probably the most relaxed I've ever been in exam conditions. It couldn't have been better....then today happened.I wasn't confident with Art because I am useless at History, so you can imagine how my day went. However, my wish for a nice General Appreciation question was granted in the form of answering on a film based on a comic or graphic novel. I almost cried with happiness. I was in my spiritual home talking about the Avengers! I never would've imagined answering a question based on one of my favourite films so that was a handy question for the day. Then I flicked back to Section 1 and 2. I answered on High Crosses, or at least attempted to. I had quite a while to 'think' about the question because there was no chance of me being able to answer the European Art section. Heartbroken was the word, because I was so prepared for El Greco. So I did what I could in the situation I was in and I'm happy it's over. If it did go worse than I thought, I have that beaut of  the Maths exam to fall back on. 9 exams down, 2 to go!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 French

Liam - Higher Level 

Questions that I did. 1(b) , 2(a) and 4(b).Overall, I thought today went okay. I was delighted with the two reading comprehensions! The questions were okay to understand and  even if they weren't, a good read through would help you there.I was banking on a récit because I really like them. Who doesn't love writing stories in French! Moral of my story , "trust those emails that say you've won a competition you don't remember entering!" Journal in time was grand too and then I did the obesity opinion question.Now it's time to talk about that absolute atrocity  that we call the listening comprehension. Sorry SEC but our fluency in the French language is equal to that of a brick. I'd say French monoglots would have difficulty understanding that one too, but sure at least it's done.If you think about it, the French LC subject is like a balanced scale, if your reading comprehensions turn out to be easy, or even doable, you can always count on the listening test to just kick you right back to no mans land! 

Craig - Higher Level 

French wasn't too bad this year. I was awfully disappointed there was nothing on pollution though, and racism came up in a very odd form - celebrating the joys of multiculturalism. Instead I took on obesity, the question on education and the journal in time regarding a camping experience.I'm very meh about this paper, had it had other choices I think I could've jumped up at least two grades, which is sad but it's the luck of the draw - the leaving cert!  

Ellen - Higher Level 

What a beautiful, beautiful paper. Even though none of my predictions (COP21, Euros & refugees) came up, I really couldn't have asked for better. The reading comprehensions were easier than normal I felt, and even the listening was grand! I was a bit worried going into the exam as I had never done le récit before but the essay on the importance was nice, so I needn't have worried. The journal in time and demand d'emploi were equally doable and in the end I did the letter, as well as the final question on obesity. 1916 made a surprise appearance, especially after expecting it in other subjects and being disappointed!But really I can't say a bad thing about that paper!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

Junior Certificate French

Chloe - Higher Level 

Wow. This was such a nice paper in my eyes!So firstly we tackled the listening, there wasn’t any really challenging vocab here although I honestly haven’t a clue what collided with that truck and I also wasn’t sure where Christopher was being collected, but other than that I thought it went well for me!Next was the reading comprehensions. For the mock I remember spending a ridiculous amount of time trying to find the answers but today I was relieved when I was finding answers quite easily. I thought the back to school comprehension was the trickiest and I also didn’t know what the guys mother worked as for the very last comprehension, I honestly have never seen the word ‘usine’ before and I actually thought it was a typo of the word ‘cuisine’ so I wrote down that her mother worked in a kitchen (I know, I know). Other than they were quite simple I thought!Then came the postcard and letter. My postcard went really well but my letter was a bit dodgy in places just with stringing a few of the sentences together but other than that it was okay and I think I used a good range of phrases and vocab here!Overall French went so well, I was expecting a more difficult paper but thankfully this was definitely a kinder year.All the best for science tomorrow guys! 

Philip - Higher Level 

As I said french is my worst subject but I don't think I did too badly on this paper. The listening was pretty much the same level as others I've done. For the most part the same goes for the comprehension, except for the one about the people who had their house broken into, which I struggled with. In the postcard and letter it's difficult to know how you did and despite not knowing some words that were needed I think I twisted it in well enough, like putting church in instead of cathedral.Finally the letter. Luckily for me I hadn't been relying on an informal letter and this letter was also general enough. Overall I don't think I did badly in this paper but, especially in French, I don't like saying how I did before I get the results.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

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 Biology

Emma - Higher Level 

Biology. Words can not describe the pain I have endured trying to make this subject less difficult! All of my time was spent the last three months completely on biology for seemingly absolutely nothing. The paper can only be deemed as fairly random and with a nice examiner I'd say I'd be lucky to scrape a D1 or C3. Half of my exam time was spent adding up marks I could get to scrape the grades needed for my course next year. The questions were an odd mix of everything with little digestion, little plant reproduction and little human reproduction, which was disappointing as that's what I had focused on for the last few weeks. The question on the eye, and the ear was manageable with the ecology being fairly handy with a couple of hard parts involving the grazing food chain. I completed all of the short questions, all of the experiments (which were fairly ok!!) and 5 long questions because I made a mess of the respiration question. For all of the study I put in, I'm thrown that nothing I learned in huge detail came up. However if you knew each part extremely well, like everything, I'm sure you would have done fabulously. The exam papers are in the bin and I cannot wait to leave behind the bane of my life- biology!

Ellen - Higher Level 

What can I say about that biology exam? Cruel is the first word that springs to mind. No genetics long question? I'm heartbroken to be honest. I even said it going in, 'this better not be the year they decide not to put genetics in the long questions'... so I feel like I may have jinxed it. Sorry guys. The short questions were manageable- if you could call it that. I thought it was very cruel to put plant reproduction in there when that is a difficult chapter most people (myself included) would avoid like the plague. The experiments were cruel in that it relied on your knowledge of the circulatory system to draw a graph for the experiment - not an easy thing to do if you ask me- and everyone I asked coming out of the exam hall went about it differently. With no genetics I was left to answer Q10 (ecology), Q11(photosynthesis & respiration) Q14b&c and, the horror of  horrors Q12- the ear and eye - definitely not something I had anticipated doing. I am truly exhausted after these two exams but only one more double day left, then it's all over!

Cárthach - Higher Level 

Beannacht dé ar aoinne a shuí sin!Absolutely sickening paper, ruthless in it's approach.For example in the short questions, I had previously used the same 'give examples' examples for questions, they opened questions 2 with 'Name an non metallic element apart from C H N O found in proteins' ...I had not expected they would specify to this detail. The same in 2 (f) , my example of an element was Iron, and they asked 'apart from Iron'.This wasn't the worst, but yet again it was harsh.Other questions were stricter and not much chance to avoid anything you don't like.I hadn't spent much time studying this because of honours maths, But I didn't think it would be this bad :(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