Leaving Cert: last-minute subject-by-subject exam tips

Irish Times

2 days ago

The pressure is on – but it's not too late to make a real impact. These final days are all about smart, focused revision rather than cramming.
Whether brushing up on key concepts or calming exam nerves, a few strategic moves now can boost your confidence. Here are some last-minute study tips from the experts to help you stay sharp and steady for exam day:
English
Tips from Conor Murphy, an English teacher at Skibbereen Community College
Paper one:
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Familiarise yourself with the
exam paper
and be conscious of the fact it was designed to lead you into the essay question. The
comprehension
question, A, reminds you of the various genres as well as genre techniques. B reminds you of the need for structure and purpose. Remember these elements when you attempt the final essay.
Revise
techniques
rather than specific genres. There are so many different genres that can be assessed in B, and in the essay, trying to study each one will become overwhelming. Think about the techniques as moving from aesthetic to persuasive, stopping off at narrative and informative on the way. So, you are looking at things like using an appropriate hook, the power of the adjective, the use of aesthetic language, the various rhetorical techniques available. Then look at the question and, with the audience and medium in mind, plan with reference to these techniques.
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Paper two:
Ignore poet predictions. The
poetry
question is worth 50 marks, the main text (usually Shakespeare) is 60 marks and the comparative 70. Keep this in mind when you study.
Narrow down the
quotes
you are learning off. Instead of having hundreds for the main text, look for a quote that will work for numerous elements. Look at a quote like the famous 'give me an egg, and I'll give thee two crowns'. How many elements can this be used for? The Fool, Lear, Goneril, Regan, Kingship, fertility, the concept of nothingness and a few other topics. This is why the quote is so often (over) used. Use this exercise as a way of revising Lear.
Similarly for the
comparative
, narrow down the scenes you are studying to scenes that can be used when talking about at least two of the comparative modes. Obviously these will include the opening and closing of the text. When you have these narrowed down, zoom in on specific elements (dialogue, images, stage directions). These are your specific pieces of evidence needed to illustrate your essays.
In general, test yourself on the various aspects of the course. Pick a
topic
and write down what you know, under headings, on a blank sheet of paper with all your notes out of sight. For instance: pick a poet, write down the name of all their poems, then the themes, then the recurring language techniques, then quotes. This will tell you what you know and what you need to go over.
Students from St Michael's College, Listowel, Co Kerry with their Leaving Cert exam results last year. Photograph: Domnick Walsh
Maths
Tips from Eoghan O'Leary, maths teacher at Hamilton High School, Co Cork and head of maths at The Tuition Centre
General guidance
At this stage, I recommend focusing your revision on individual topics rather than attempting full papers. Concentrate on the topics you're most likely to choose in the exam. Avoid learning new topics you haven't already covered in class – it's time now to revise and refine, not to start from scratch.
Revisit the
formulae and tables book
, and practice using your calculator, especially for operations that involve multiple steps. Also, write out a list of the formulae not included in the tables book and display them somewhere visible so they stay fresh in your mind.
When the exam starts, my advice is to find a section A question you like and do it. It will settle your nerves. It could be counterproductive to read the entire paper at the start of the exam, because there is some much information.
– Paper one:
Functions, differentiation, and integration
are unavoidable. They appear across both Section A and Section B, so they should be a big focus during your final days of preparation.
Algebra
often appears as a full Section A question and is also embedded in many other questions. Ensure you're confident with all the key elements.
Sequences & series
hasn't appeared in a majobig in recent years—it – ould be due this time. Also, be prepared for a long question involving
logarithms and indices
, which is quite common.
Complex numbers
reliably show up in Section A, but not in Section B.
Students often ask if they should revise topics like
induction, formal proofs, algebraic inequalities,
and
financial maths
that don't appear every year. The answer depends on your target grade:
If you're aiming for a
H1
, it's worth covering everything to maximise choice.
If your goal is a
H6
, your time is better spent mastering the more likely and manageable topics, rather than struggling with abstract material.
One commonly overlooked topic is
area and volume
, which can appear with algebra, differentiation, or integration. Even if it doesn't feature prominently in paper one , it's highly likely to come up in paper two.
-Paper two
Paper two is typically more predictable than paper one.
Section A usually includes one question each on:
statistics, probability, the line, the circle, trigonometry, and geometry
.
Section B often features:
Two questions combining
statistics and probability
Two questions involving
trigonometry, geometry,
and
area & volume
Students often struggle to revise for Paper 2 because they find several topics difficult – especially
probability
and
geometry
. My advice: focus on the
core skills
in each topic, as these often appear in combination with others.
Should you learn the
geometry theorems, constructions,
and
trigonometric identity proofs
?
If you're aiming for a H1, yes.
But if you haven't already learned them in school, it could be counterproductive to do so now. Focus instead on the questions you're more likely to attempt in the exam.
In the exam:
Make sure your calculator is in the correct mode (degrees or radians as appropriate).
Double-check your answers for
correct units
and
appropriate rounding
(decimal places or significant figures).
Remember: A score of 539/600 = 89.83%, which equates to a H2. You need to score 540/600 to earn a H1. You don't want to lose a grade over a rounding error.
Fle photograph: Eric Luke / The Irish Times
Irish
Tips from Séadhan de Poire, Irish teacher with
Dublin Academy of Education
Top tips for the run-in to exams?
'For higher level Irish, start to
simplify
material to make sure it actually makes sense. I've corrected the State exams, and I've seen a lot of students try to learn material that's too difficult for them. They then try to reproduce this material in exam settings and because they don't understand what they're writing, there's loads of mistakes in it and it ends up making no sense.
'What I tell a lot of my students is to focus on having simpler Irish that they understand and that they can use instead of trying to learn things off by heart. Especially for Irish paper one, for the essay.'
Hot predictions?
'For Irish paper one, it's all based off
current affairs
so there's no magical list of topics. You kind of have to be following what's in the news in and around November, December and January time. That's typically when the paper's set.
'Based off that, the topics that I'm looking at with my own classes this year would be politics, because of the elections that took place here and abroad, the education system, the Irish language, the
housing crisis
and a little bit on technology. A tip I'd give students is you can overlap a lot of material between those different topics.
'For example, if you're talking about politics and problems – well, housing is a political issue. You don't have to learn five brand new essays. You learn a couple of paragraphs that suit different titles and then you try to fill in the gaps afterwards.'
File photograph: Eric Luke
French
Tips from Elizabeth Lyne, director of
FrenchNotes.ie
The French Leaving Cert paper is 2.5 hours, encompassing the reading and writing tasks. There is then a short 10 minute break, after which students complete the aural or listening section of the exam.
For the
reading comprehension
, students have to read two texts and answer questions based on those texts. The first text is usually journalistic in style and tends to address current issues. The second text is usually an extract from literature, and is more challenging.
My top tip is to start with
question six
as this is asked in English and may give an indication as to the subject matter. Read each section carefully, underlining key parts of the questions, so that you know exactly what you are being asked.
For the written section, my top tip is to keep your French
clear and simple
. Make sure that your opinion questions have an opening, main point/counter or supporting point/personal point and conclusion.
Finally, while it is impossible to predict what will appear on the paper, I suggest focusing on climate, refugees, artificial lintelligence, school uniform, study of foreign languages, science as a 'male' subject, circular economy, screen dependency, disposable vapes, over-tourism and emigration
Students at Rathdown checking their Leaving Cert results. Photograph: Jason Clarke Photography.
Spanish
Advice from Katie Lenehan, French and Spanish teacher with
Dublin Academy of Education
Top tips for the run-in to the exams?
'The biggest piece of advice I would give is to recognise the importance of your
reading comprehensions
. They're worth 30 per cent of the final grade. They're worth even more than the oral exam is and potentially it's something that students forget about because they have so many other things on.
'For the
listening
papers, I'd also try to sit a full listening paper each week ... They're quite practical elements that you can do. For the written paper, I'd recommend making sure you have a solid
introduction
and
conclusion
learned off for your opinion piece. And have 15 to 20 pieces of vocab for each topic that you're planning on covering for the exam, so it nearly becomes a game of jigsaw.'
Hot predictions?
Though she prefers to steer clear of the term predictions, Lenehan encourages her Spanish students to focus on papers from 2008-2014, which may crop up again this June. She lists a range of
topics
to cover – emigration, social media, AI, money, changes in Ireland and the environment.
Common mistakes to avoid?
She says she had 'crippling' OCD during sixth year and learned the hard way how important it is to look after yourself. 'Absolutely, study has to be a priority, but it doesn't have to be the only priority. [Students] need things like
friendship
, fresh air, good food. They need to sleep. Try to surround yourself with people that have a similar work ethic, or that have the same target grade as you, and try to encourage each other.'
Students discussing their exams at Trinity Comprehensive School, Ballymun, Dublin.
Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Biology and chemistry
Advice by Caoimhe Ní Mhuirceartaigh, biology and chemistry teacher
Top tips for the run-in to the exams?
'The marking scheme for both biology and chemistry papers can be quite word-specific. You need to ensure when you're answering a question that it's not waffle and you're hitting the short, concise points.
'For biology especially, you need to know unit one and unit two really well. You can maximise your marks by focusing on the areas that are very repetitive. Knowing the non-negotiable topics that come up every year and are worth a large portion. In biology, the two most important topics would be genetics and ecology.'
Hot predictions?
Both subjects, Ní Mhuirceartaigh says, have quite obvious trends. Topics she thinks may appear in the short questions section of the biology paper include food, ecology, genetics and enzymes. For questions on systems, it is worth preparing human reproduction – particularly the menstrual cycle – and the human defence system.
For experiments, the food test has a high chance of appearing along with the ecology experiment. On long questions, ecology, genetics, enzymes, microorganisms, photosynthesis and respiration could all be worth some focus.
Ní Mhuirceartaigh describes organic chemistry as the most important area to conquer in advance of sitting the chemistry exam. Given you can feature it in three of your eight answers on the paper, it can account for 38 per cent of a student's final grade.
Common mistakes to avoid?
'Make sure the study that you do is effective. You're not just reading over notes at this stage – you're assessing yourself. That can mean exam questions. It can mean doing quizzes online, mind maps, flashcards. There are loads of different ways to assess yourself but don't just be sitting reading through notes.'