The Leaving Cert 2010 results are in!

August 19th, 2010 by admin
19
August

The results are in…

Some common question from students that received their results this week;

Are points going to rise?

With the hype in the Media on the points increase many students are worried that they will not get their preferred course.  IGNORE the Media, wait until Monday……..

I failed Maths?

If the thought of sitting an a secondary school for another year fills you with dread, you should immediately check out available PLC courses.  Some PLC courses allow students to undertake a FETAC maths course during their PLC course……….

Alternatively enrol on a PLC course this year, with a view to sitting the LC maths exam in June 2011.

I a very disappointed with my results… what can I do?

Look at your CAO choices… maybe there is something on the list that you may get that you will love!

Check the CAO ‘Vacant Places’ list on www.cao.ie …… Private colleges will often list places available here. This list is updated frequently, so check it regularly.

Check UCAS, even though you may not have applied previously, some UK colleges will accept applications for available places.  Act quickly………. And follow up with email and phone calls.

Repeat, can be very worthwhile……. but needs to be approached with mature focussed and positive attitude.

For all the options open to you, remember that this is a medium term decision….. think and choose wisely.  We have students starting to repeat this year who have dropped out of 1st and 2nd year college course, often because they did not really consider what was involved in the course and where it may lead their career.

On Monday things will be a lot clearer…….

Information Evening – Wednesday 25th August

August 4th, 2010 by admin
4
August

The Institute of Education will be hosting an information evening for students entering 5th and 6th Year in September 2010.  The event will be held on:

Wednesday 25th August

at 5:30pm, in the school (access via 85 Lower Lower Leeson Street).

This event will allow attendees to learn how our unique approach to the Leaving Certificate can enable students to reach their full potential in the Leaving Certificate 2011/2012.  Teachers, current and past pupils will be on hand to share their experiences at the school.

If you are interested in attending this event, please telephone Carmel at 01 661 3511 or email info@ioe.ie

HPAT the fall out

July 22nd, 2010 by admin
22
July

Over recent days there has been some media coverage of the HPAT exam (Irish Independent and Irish Times).  In our experience the HPAT does present both an opportunity and a challenge.  Students have the opportunity to attain a place in an Irish Medical Degree, without having had 10 perfect days in June.

The HPAT challenges students to acquire new exam techniques and balance HPAT preparation with the demands of a Leaving Certificate.

We have spoken to a number of prospective medical students, who feel that they have not achieved their potential in the HPAT.  In the first year, students did not really appreciate the importance of the HPAT.  Students this year (and in 2010/2011) are placing increased emphasis on this component of their Leaving Certificate.

Students that studied practice materials, attended courses, tried mock examsd and focussed on familiarising themselves with the types of questions that can appear, typically felt that they had achieved their potential.  The HPAT is unlike any other exam that Irish students have encountered, and preparing for it reaps rewards.

Review of the Leaving Certificate – Higher Level Music Paper 2010

June 25th, 2010 by admin
25
June

Below is a review of the Leaving Certificate Higher Level Music paper.  By Fiona McManus, teacher at The Institute of Education.

Higher Level

Overall both the composing and listening music papers were fair.  The style of questioning was consistent with previous years, with no huge challenges for students.  Apart form some tricky ‘cadences’ and the use of ’syncopation’ in the harmony question, the composing paper was manageable.  No surprises on either paper.

Review of Leaving Certificate – Agricultural Science Paper 2010

June 25th, 2010 by admin
25
June

Below is a review of the Leaving Cert Agricultural Science Paper, by Donal Power teacher at The institute of Education.

Higher Level

The paper focused mainly on agricultural sections and had very little on pure biology. Overall the paper was fair and students had good choice of questions. As usual students need to have a good knowledge and understanding of the whole course to do well. Some questions came up that have not been asked for a long time eg, Q6d  Q1a, b.

Ordinary Level

The ordinary level paper was straight forward with no surprises

Review of Leaving Certificate – Economics Paper 2010 by Keith Hannigan

June 24th, 2010 by admin
24
June

Higher Level

Unsurprisingly, it was an extremely topical paper.  In general the questions were accessible, but challenging.

Current issues were highlighted in the short questions where; water charges, government ability to increase consumer spending and unemployment appeared.  Long questions featured, the effect of decreasing the minimum wage, the impact of carbon taxes and unemployment.

The exam required students to have worked on the syllabus and have kept abreast of current public discourse, ex the nationalisation of banks.

Students that focussed exclusively on the defined syllabus would have found this paper very challenging.

Students were pleased to see question related to Elasticity, National Income and Market Structure.  However, only 2.5 questions related to micro economics, which may have disappointed students.

Ordinary Level

As expected a fair paper.

Review of Leaving Certificate – Economics Paper 2010 by Ray O’Loughlin

June 24th, 2010 by admin
24
June

Higher Level

A long and taxing paper.

Students were presented with a  full question on taxation, in addition a knowledge of different tax implications was required for a further 4 questions.

The paper was certainly topical; nationalisation of banks, export led growth, performance of the Irish economy, increased emigration and the IMF all being examined.

Surprisingly, NAMA did not appear, many students would have researched this topic independently.  This would have disappointed students as would the fact that only 2.5 questions related to micro economics.

An applied knowledge of economics was essential for this paper.  Attempting this paper would be an interesting exercise for some of our government ministers.

Ordinary level

Uncomplicated and in line with previous years papers.

Review of Leaving Certificate – Chemistry Paper. By Tara Lyons

June 23rd, 2010 by admin
23
June

Below is a review of the Leaving Certificate Higher Level Chemistry paper 2010.  By Tara Lyons, Chemistry Teacher at The Institute of Education.

Accuracy and precision were key to the Chemistry paper.

There was nothing unexpected in Section A – the experiments. The three experiments that appeared were as anticipated, although question 3 was long.

In Section B, there was the usual emphasis on Organic Chemistry.  Hesses law appeared again in Q6, rewarding candidates that had worked on past papers. Q7 featured a chemical equation that many candidates may not have been familiar with, although the related questions were approachable.  Q9 included the only ‘three step synthesis’ mentioned in the syllabus.  This is the first time this aspect of the course has appeared on the exam.

Review of Leaving Certificate – Chemistry Papers. By Arnold Edge.

June 23rd, 2010 by admin
23
June

Below is a review of the Higher and Ordinary level Chemistry papers.  By Arnold Edge, chemistry Teacher at The Institute of Education.

Higher:

A good standard paper with a few robust questions.  Perhaps too many ‘hot’ spots to be a ‘cool’’ chemistry paper! The balance and scope of the paper ensured that the candidates seeking the top grade would require a through understanding of the entire syllabus, and the ability to apply that knowledge under challenging conditions.

Experimental ‘Section A’ was predictable enough and it would not surprise me if many students selected all three practical questions thus expanding their choice in Section B. Q3 tested students’ ability to analyse significant amounts of data.

It was good to see the continued return of electrochemistry, a considerable topic which has been largely ignored over the years.

Students with mathematical flair were glad to see the topic of ‘equilibria’ afforded a full calculation question rather than the descriptive half question which appeared last year.

Organic Chemistry covered nearly 4 full questions and the synthesis question represented a good test of the student’s overall grasp of key organic topics.

Ordinary
The Ordinary level paper mixed questions that were appropriate for this level and those that were pitched at the upper end of the required standard.  The exam has persisted in setting a level of knowledge that may dissuade less able students from gaining an interest in Chemistry.

Review of Leaving Certificate – Spanish Paper

June 23rd, 2010 by admin
23
June

Below is a review of the Leaving Certificate Spanish Higher Paper.  By Maggie Fernandez, Spanish Teacher at The Institute of Education

A very fair paper.  The subject of electric cars appeared on the comprehension piece, and the opinion piece allowed students plenty of scope for expression.  1 / 2 elements of the dialog section caused some students difficulty, however most students were able to work around these.

The Aural component of the exam was very well paced.

Overall a happy bunch of Spanish students…..