Hey everyone. Sorry that the title sounds like a topic for a French written piece (if I see this come up on the paper in June, Department of Education, I’m suing you for stealing my ideas). I don’t have school today and was trying to plan some revision of sorts when I started thinking about revision books and podcasts, etc.*

Can I ask, how many people reading this have purchased revision material for the LC? Or are planning to? And which ones do you recommend and which ones are so unhelpful that you’ve started using them as coasters? I’ve always been a bit sceptical about these so-called revision aids but the few that I have are actually pretty good.

I remember for the Junior Cert, there was a shocking number of girls who bought ten revision books, one for every subject. Even for CSPE, of all things. I bought one Less Stress More Success book for Irish and it was so bland it bored me to tears. Although it had a good vocabulary section, it didn’t tell you how to approach or prepare for each question. I gave up on the whole idea of revision books until late last year, when a friend gave me her sister’s Revise Wise Business book and I became pretty taken with it. Last month I bought the Geography edition of the same brand, which has since become my new bible. I love how it’s student-friendly and tells you exactly what you need to be able to answer in the exam. Of course, it doesn’t have anywhere near the same amount of information as my textbooks but breaks things down into more simple terms. Before anyone gets suspicious, I’d like to clarify I don’t work for Revise Wise, I’m just a fan…But if they’re reading this, I’m currently unemployed and free after July.

I can’t do a blog post on revision aids (or often just a blog post) without mentioning Foinse, one of my great loves in life. For any Foinse virgins, it’s a newspaper supplement that comes with the Irish Independent every Wednesday. The best part? It’s totally as Gaeilge! Although it serves as a regular newspaper, it also has a section on LC Irish, with notes on each poem and story and general tips for passing the exam. We get Dréimire in school but I find it too complex most of the time. Usually after the New Year newspapers start doing supplements on each subject, which are handy to have too.

Don’t worry all you recessionistas (I’d be one of you too if  Topshop stopped getting in such pretty clothes), there are good resources which are completely free. You can get any question you have about school answered on this website and if it’s good notes you’re looking for, I like skoool.ie. Be wary of any sample answers you get by typing ‘Leaving Cert + Subject + Sample Answer’ into Google, though. If you use them in class, you’re not guaranteed to get a high grade and if someone else uses the same website, the teacher will know there’s something up. There’s a Boland answer which has been doing the rounds a lot lately and I know people (who would never write something as cheesy as it) who’ve used it in tests and gotten less than they hoped for. Now it’s my turn to be cheesy when I say, wouldn’t you rather get the grade you deserved for something you’d done yourself? Some of you may agree but others will probably leave me comments asking for a link to this Boland answer.

A good Tuesday to you all!

* When I began writing this post, I did not intend for it to sound like one giant advertisement. It just worked out that way.

Hi Everyone,

Been a very long time, but I thought it’d be good to post a day before the Leaving Cert, because I’m procrastinating, and this is writing practice for the big scary leaving cert tomorrow =P I did finally start studying.

English Paper 1 tomorrow is one exam I’m not completely dreading, because it’s an examination of your ability to write, and all that requires is practice. Just been going through each exam paper, and grabbing onto any good sample answers or mock papers.

Not that I’m not nervous. I’m usually asleep five minutes after my head touches the pillow. I was awake 4 hours trying to get to sleep last night. And I’m coming down with some cold, undoubtedly going to reach it’s peak on friday when I’m trying to pass my maths exam.

Anyhow, I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish all the other bloggers and all of the leaving cert and junior cert students the best of luck tomorrow. : )

I also wanted to say if anyone is really, really nervous about a certain subject (like I am with spanish) it is definitely well worth buying a rapid revision or revise wise for it. I bought a rapid revision for spanish it is really clear and concise and I’m feeling a bit more confident now.

Good Luck Everyone!

Love Aims

xxx

Sorry for my absence on this for the past few…I don’t even want to check how long it’s been since my last post! But really, as a Fifth Year student on a website mostly visited by Sixth Years, I felt that as exams are approaching, the last thing they want to read are my minor complaints! I’m just after reading the others’ recounts of the orals and now all I want to do is go study for them! I’m going to the Gaeltacht this summer so that should be a help but as for French… I have never put on a French accent once in class because I can’t take myself seriously with it. It’s a bit unfair, expecting us with our rural Irish accents to suddenly become Audrey Tatou for twelve minutes!

Okay, so I’m going to jump right into this. I’m sure like most of you, I’ve had this thought for years but it was only when I changed my Facebook language from English to Gaeilge (after a pretty hilarious/confusing period of using Pirate language) that I thought to myself:

If methods of learning were a little bit more fun, I think I’d do a lot better in school!

Over the past few years attending secondary school, I’ve tried to make learning stuff as easy as possible. The methods varied from the common acronyms to composing a song about the rock cycle. Revision books are handy to concise facts and carry home instead of the 10-tonne Business book but are much the same as your actual textbook. Here are some of my ideas:

Irish- introduce newer and more modern stories and poems. Some of the ones on the course are good but others are quite pointless. A 21st century romance novel as Gaeilge? Yes please! Until the department takes my ideas on board, try some fun ways of enhancing your Irish. Foinse comes with the Irish Independent every Wednesday and there’s great articles to suit everyone. I love the fashion column personally. There are some great songs in Irish too that will get you in the right mindset. Des Bishop’s Léim Thart, The Corona’s Heroes or Ghosts, Mundy’s Mexico and Galway Girl can all be found on Youtube as Gaeilge, along with some others that may appear in the sidebar while you’re watching. And if all else fails, follow every muinteoir Gaeilge’s favourite tip: Watch TG4!

French- many of the same pointers here. Popular culture is the greatest learning aid for languages, I think. For music, I love Carla Bruni, especially Quelq’un M’a Dit. I don’t know much about French films or TV but I’ve seen Entre Les Murs and Les Choristes in class and loved them! Coco Avant Chanel is on my must-see list too.

English- seeing as we speak English all the time, that’s most of the work done. Reading and writing regularly will of course enhance your abilities for Paper 1 but as for Paper 2 all you can really do is study what’s in the books. I did find, however, that watching The Simpsons’ version of Hamlet many times in my youth helped me when we were doing it in class. You may laugh but I knew what was going to happen before anyone else and the teacher thought I was some sort of psychic!

Maths- there’s not much you can do here but even simple changes in the books could make a difference. For the Area and Volume chapter, Find the volume of a cylindrical rod is just plain boring. Find the volume of a cylindrical tube of Oreos, however, is more appealing!

Business- I don’t have too much of a problem with the Business course because the exam gives you room for creativity already. You know the questions that say ‘illustrate with a product of your choice‘? I love picking the craziest products for them because as long as you answer the question properly, you can waffle on about pooper-scoopers and tricycles all you like! Shows like The Apprentice and Dragon’s Den give you a basic knowledge of Business skills and we often discuss them in my class. I’d love to see a question such as Write 100 words on your favourite Apprentice character.

History- movies are great for this subject and of course documentaries. Michael Collins, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Downfall… there are ones to suit nearly every aspect of the course!

Geography- this is a tricky one. All I can really suggest is, go outdoors!