Joe’s Jotter: Was your Revision Good Quality this Year?

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Students,

Did you struggle to find the best ways to revise this year? Did you feel like your classmates were always a step ahead of you in class? Do you just read your notes aimlessly hoping you will remember some of it later? What areas of revision did you fall down on this year?

Each student learns differently. Each student needs to trial different methods until they find the ones that suit them best. Learning is most constructive when a student approaches a topic from different angles to get a better handle on it. The more ways you can approach learning, as opposed to just ‘learning off’ material, the more successful you will be.

Successful students are those who can think critically about the content presented to them. To do this, you as a student should carefully read the information presented by the author, understand it as best you can, and then begin to question and really think about it. Being critical of text doesn’t just mean being negative; it also means being knowledgeable and really assessing the quality of the information. My ACE tip here is to use your imagination, challenge the question being asked and never be afraid to offer your own personal opinion on topics. State Examiners love personal opinions, as it shows you can think independently.

In 2013, The Open University (UK) developed a ‘stairway’ model to help students understand the skills of critical thinking. Students can apply these steps to a specific topic in order to understand it better. I think this is an excellent way of actively revising, as you are reflecting on all aspects of the information presented. This method would be particularly useful in subjects like English, Economics, History, Geography and Business.  The steps are as follows:

  • Process: take in the information (i.e. in what you have read, heard, seen, or done).
  • Understand: comprehend the key points, assumptions and arguments presented.
  • Analyse: examine how these key components link together.
  • Compare: explore the similarities and differences in each idea you are reading about.
  • Synthesise: bring together different sources of information making logical connections between them.
  • Evaluate: assess the worth of an idea in terms of its relevance to your needs.
  • Apply: transfer the understanding gained and use in response to questions, assignments, and projects.
  • Justify: use critical thinking to develop arguments, draw conclusions, and identify implications.

In today’s more modern Junior and Leaving Certificate, you need to be able to apply knowledge to a topic. Learning off too much information is a common mistake made by students and is not recommended. This is the opposite of applying knowledge. There is more of an emphasis now on applying everyday life experiences to questions asked. Besides, if you were to feel nerves, you are less likely to remember a lengthy essay you have memorised.

Your revision time is better served by preparing summaries, bullet points, post-its, key points, and mind maps. The State exams are now more about identifying important information in a question and discussing its merits, as opposed to emptying the contents of your head onto the answer book. Mix the content you have revised in class with what is going on in your own life. This is something to reflect on as you plan your Autumn revision strategy in each subject.

 

More details about Joe’s Maths Tuition Classes for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate (2023) and his Award Winning ACE Maths Solution Books can be found via the links below.

ACE Maths Tuition Classes: acesolutionbooks.com/ace-maths-tuition

ACE Maths Solution Books: acesolutionbooks.com/buy-my-books

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Joe’s Jotter: Choosing your Course (My CAO Countdown II)

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Investigate each Course’s Content

Student’s, in order to rank your courses in a way that suits you best, choose ones you really want to do (not necessarily the ones your friends are doing or ones your parents want you to go into). Choose for you and no one else. When choosing a course, be sure to examine closely the module descriptor associated with it. This tells you the exact layout of the course, how many credits each module has, how the exams are assessed, how many hours you will spend on each module, how the learning will take place and exactly what you will learn about. Investigate the exact modules you will be studying for each potential course. This is my most important piece of advice. You don’t want to be heading into the winter thinking ‘I am not interested at all in any of this stuff’ #nightmare.

The CAO is not the Only Show in Town

If you have not applied to the CAO or do not receive a CAO offer, there are other options. You should go on the SOLAS website (solas.ie) now to investigate further education alternatives. One could be: Further learning with your local Education and Training Board (ETB); for example, Louth & Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB). Many ETB’s offer Post Leaving Cert (PLC) courses which will give you a Level 5 or Level 6 qualification, just below what you would come out with via the CAO system. These courses are one or two years in duration and often involve practical work experience with companies. The fees for these courses tend to be lower than your standard CAO courses and grants are available in many cases also. You can progress thereafter to a level 6, 7 or 8 course.

PLC courses allow you to see if an area of study or work may suit you. Some courses in third level set aside a quota of PLC (QQI) students to fill course places each year. If you achieve the required results in your chosen PLC course, a third level institution may accept you onto one of their courses. You should verify this will be the case beforehand by ringing up the college and asking them about accessing a specific course via the PLC route. You can find the full list of PLC courses on www.fetchcourses.ie or contact the Further Education College directly. Examples of PLC courses that students regularly progress further from are Pre-Nursing, and ICT. For each CAO course, you will also be able to view (on cao.ie) what PLC requirements will get you a place on a given CAO course. This is well worth researching over the next few weeks to cover your bases.

To enhance your skills in a certain area, you can go also down the apprenticeship training route by checking out www.apprenticeship.ie. The apprenticeship scheme has been recently expanded to include employers and jobs in many fields. Many of these companies involved would be delighted to take you on and help you grow and learn on the job. Apprenticeships were traditionally only for crafts persons like carpenters, electrician, plumbers etc. While these still exist, there are now new ones in ICT, Accountancy, Engineering, Insurance, Catering and Financial technology (Fintech) etc.

A traineeship is also another option which can be considered. A traineeship is based around making you more employable by improving your skills. These tend to be a short duration courses (12-18 months) and are mostly run by the ETBs. Many apprenticeships and Traineeships are ‘Earn as you learn’ based and therefore you can attain your qualifications and get a few quid to live and pay for accommodation also.

If you feel right now that the ‘direct route’ third level journey isn’t for you, have a good look at the above alternatives over the next few weeks. It is imperative to have a little plan in the background, should you not get what you want (See below). You may not even need to use it, but it will certainly give you comfort having it there on the back burner.

You must have a Plan B, C and D

I have spoken to hundreds of students over the years who had their heart set on one course and when they didn’t make it, they had no fall back plan. Your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th and even 6th choice on your CAO form are really important. You would need to be content enough to accept these should it come to that. I cannot emphasise enough about the importance of checking out the module content of each course you choose. Genuinely ask yourself: ‘Would I do this course’?. This then sets the platform for your Plan B, C and D. Have a look at Part 1 of ‘My CAO Countdown’ advisory for specific questions you should ask yourself when deciding on your courses. If there are a limited amount of courses you really want above all others, contact that institution, and ask them ‘Is there any other way to get into the course by studying something else first, as opposed to the direct points route?’. This could be very useful Information later should things not go to plan.

Remember, if there is a subject matter you really enjoy or a course you feel you would be really good at, you may need to be open to travelling or living in another part of Ireland. Do not rule out the possibility of the UK (UCAS), the Netherlands, Poland, Italy or other European (UNICAS) countries. Fees and demand have dropped for some courses in Europe that are very popular here. Usually, your results do not need to be as high to study courses in the UK and Europe, compared to Ireland. Do that bit of exploration here if your heart is dead set on something. This is an alternative Plan B to consider. Just like in Ireland, places in certain courses may become available when not filled in earlier rounds.

Six Final Key Points of Note

  1. Keep an eye on the CAO ‘alert list’ for new courses emerging in various colleges on www.cao.ie. Courses are added here on a continuous basis in the ‘Applicant Resources’ section of the ‘Course’ Tab on CAO.ie. You can add these into your CAO listing before July 1st (5pm). These courses are not in your CAO handbook (hardcopy). They may also come in at lower points, as many students may not be aware they even exist and will not have them on their listing. As this article goes to press, twenty four third level institutions have courses on the ‘alert list’. Subsequently, if there is a lower than expected application or take up of certain courses, these may be added to the ‘alert list’ after CAO round one.
  2. If you have applied for the HEAR or DARE scheme, you will find out if you are successful or not at the end of June. You will also be able to appeal any decision made from these schemes from early July. Information on HEAR and DARE is on www.accesscollege.ie.
  3. For those of you who have applied for Medicine in various Universities, the HPAT results are due out around the end of June.
  4. The Leaving Cert results are due out the end of August, with the first round of CAO offers due to be issued a few days later. Don’t plan a ‘Leaving Cert holiday’ then!
  5. Students will be able to view their exam scripts (which I would recommend) soon after the results have been released. I will publish further guidance on this at the end of August, so keep an eye out for that. Subsequently, students will be able to appeal their grade in each subject (as required) by filling in a form provided by their school.
  6. I would recommend you sign up to the excellent https://careersnews.ie/ to keep up to date with announcements, CAO developments and news from third level institutions. They send a daily update to your inbox, which is very useful during those few weeks.

I will circulate another advisory article just before CAO Round 1 results are published in late August/early September.

To read Part 1 of this CAO advisory article, click here.

In the meantime, wishing you good luck with your upcoming choices. Joe

 

More details about Joe’s Maths Tuition Classes for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate (2023) and his Award Winning ACE Maths Solution Books can be found via the links below.

ACE Maths Tuition Classes: acesolutionbooks.com/ace-maths-tuition

ACE Maths Solution Books: acesolutionbooks.com/buy-my-books

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Joe’s Jotter: Choosing your Course (My CAO Countdown I)

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Change of Mind Oncoming

As the ink dries on the final few Leaving Cert Papers, the attention for 6th years immediately turns to reviewing and checking their CAO choices made earlier this year. With the CAO change of mind deadline approaching at months end, I felt it good timing to provide some guidance to help students re-evaluate and analyse their earlier decisions.

This is the first point in the year where the CAO process can lead to an amount of anxiety among students. As with every year, students are worried: ‘Will the points rise for my courses?’, ‘have I chosen the right courses in the correct order?’, ‘what if i don’t get my first choice?’ or maybe ‘what if i don’t even get an offer at all?’. This article should serve as a reminder of the importance of spending time properly researching your choices now. Knowing the CAO process well and having confidence in your choices will smooth the way for a less painless journey come results time in the Autumn.

I now strongly recommend that every student begins reviewing their initial choices (made way back in February) over the next few days and not leave it until the final hours, when making key decisions under the stress of a deadline isn’t good. I think it is well worth spending 4 to 5 days ensuring that you make the best possible choices for your future. Knowing you have done your research well will set your mind at ease for the rest of the summer. Your final CAO choices must be submitted online by 5pm on July 1st.

Complete The Final Check

In May, the CAO e-mailed you a ‘statement of application’ record. Open that e-mail now and check that every single detail on it is correct. It is important not to just check course names, codes, possible language exemptions etc, but also to check your personal details. If you spot any incorrect information or spellings, contact the CAO immediately. You can change most of these details online yourself. However, you will need to e-mail the CAO office to change your name, phone number or date of birth, if required.

It should be noted that any change you make to your CAO details/courses over the next few days will be confirmed to you by e-mail. You should always comb over these e-mails for accuracy. If this confirmation e-mail doesn’t arrive (keep an eye on your junk mail), again, contact the CAO office. If you make a mistake on your CAO form, you may not be able to correct it after July 1st. If you enter the incorrect course or accidentally place them in the wrong order, you could see the third level place you want given to another student. From this point of view, I would get a second person (a parent usually) to double check all your Information is accurate. All students must check their ‘Statement of application’ e-mail whether they are changing their mind on courses in this window or not.

How do I Get onto a Third Level Course?

To get your place on any third level course, you need to fulfil three elements. You need to reach the ‘minimum entry requirements’ e.g. For Trinity College Dublin (TCD), the standard matriculation requirements are pass grades in English, Mathematics, a language other than English, and a full set of valid subjects for your examination system. The second element you must meet is the ‘subject requirements’ for a course. e.g. You must get at least an O1/H6 in Maths to get into Engineering at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT). Thirdly, you obviously need to achieve the CAO points required for that course. The exact entry requirements will be listed on the CAO website for each individual course. The message here is that when you are viewing a course’s content and modules, carefully checkout the relevant requirements you need to attain also.

Genuine Order of Preference

The most important thing to be sure of is to put your course choices in the exact order you’d prefer them. You should not order them on how many points you think you will score or change them around based on how your exams went. At the end of a Leaving Cert exam in a specific subject, you may feel you have underperformed or haven’t reached the required grade for a course. Often, this may not be the case. Your first choice should be the course you want to do above all others (your dream course), no matter what last year’s points were. Your second choice is your well researched ‘Plan B’.

You have two separate lists to fill in. The level 6/7 list and the level 8 list. Level 6 is for higher certificate courses, Level 7 for ordinary degree and Level 8 for honours degree courses. You may be offered a course from both lists, but you can only accept one of these. No matter what college course you commence, you will always have the opportunity to progress to a higher one once you have completed your chosen one in full. The course you select is just the beginning of your career journey. It is not the final step.

On each list, be aware that if you are offered your second choice for example, you cannot be offered your third choice or below thereafter. In this scenario, you can still be offered your first choice in future CAO rounds. You can go upwards on each of your two lists but cannot go downwards. This makes your order of preference decision even more crucial.

Changing your Mind

You can change or add in new courses to your Level 6/7 and your Level 8 list before July 1st @ 5pm. The only courses that you cannot add in at this stage are called ‘Restricted courses’. Restricted courses will be marked in your CAO handbook. An example of a restricted course may be a Music degree where a practical element was required to be completed earlier. Another example is Medicine where the ‘HPAT’ exam is also completed and assessed prior to CAO day.

Ideally, fill out all ten choices on both lists. I would advise entering at least seven courses on both lists to cover your bases well; choosing courses you have a genuine interest in.

How to Choose a CAO Course

When selecting your courses, ask yourself questions like:

  1. What areas did I enjoy learning about in school?
  2. What subjects in school have i a natural curiosity for?
  3. What subjects in school didn’t really feel like work?
  4. What modules would get me up for early lectures on cold winter mornings?
  5. Is there a topic or career I believe I have a passion for?
  6. Am I narrowing my focus on a specific area too much?
  7. What subject would I like to find out more about?
  8. Could I see myself working in this career or a similar one in five years’ time?
  9. What draw’s me to this course?
  10. Have I a good solid Plan B?

You don’t need to know the exact answers to all of these above questions, but it will certainly get you thinking about the reality of whats ahead and your current decisions. A bit of soul searching is necessary before reaching your final order of preference. Keep in mind also that you will probably be graduating in three or four years’ time, so think ahead a little about what jobs and careers might be in demand them.

In general though, select your courses based on your talents and passions, not how much money you can earn from a career or what other people think. Oh! and did I mention the deadline is July 1st at 5pm? I did of course. The sooner you start your deliberations, the more thinking time you will have. You can contact me (via the below details) for a short consultation should you need advice or more detailed information on this year’s CAO process or third level applications 2022. Part two of ‘My CAO Countdown’ will be published and circulated next week. Joe

More details about Joe’s Maths Tuition Classes for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate (2023) and his Award Winning ACE Maths Solution Books can be found via the links below.

ACE Maths Tuition Classes: acesolutionbooks.com/ace-maths-tuition

ACE Maths Solution Books: acesolutionbooks.com/buy-my-books

*****

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Photo:@ZhangChaosheng

Joe’s Jotter: What Maths You Should Know for Higher Level Paper 2 2022

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Leaving Higher Maths Paper 2 usually contains Probability and Stats, Trig, Geometry, Inferential Statistics and Co-ordinate Geometry, Area and Volume.

  • Your Paper 2 is on the Monday so you will have some time to look over. Again watch out for topics appearing here that should appear on Paper 2.
  • Paper 2 is more about the formula’s so use them if you are stuck
  • Label your diagrams and Label co-ordinates (x1, y1)
  • Do not get caught up in one or two topics – cover all your topics
  • Note that Financial Maths came up on P2 2018 – Be careful..
  • Proofs can be mixed between the two papers

What do you need to learn off for Paper 2?

  • Constructions Numbered 1-22
  • JCH Theorems 4, 6, 9, 14 and 19
  • LCH Theorems 11-13
  • Eight Trigonometric Identities 1-7 and 9
  • Some Statistics Terms (explain the words….‘population’, ‘sample’ etc)
  • Some Geometry Terms (explain the words…‘axiom’, ‘theorem’ etc )

See your textbook for all of these

Geometry

  • Geometry and Trigonometry often come up together
  • This idea of Similar Triangles is quite popular lately
  • There’s a bit of learning here:
  • Students need to Learn Constructions and Learn Theorems off by heart
  • Practice these and know all the steps
  • The best way to learn your proofs and constructions is to keep writing them out. Pin the ones you find difficult to remember up onto your wall. Repeat this process.
  • This could well be mixed with Trigonometry or Area and Volume
  • This is usually one short question on the paper (Section A)
  • In order to learn your proofs and constructions, keep writing them out. Pin the ones you find difficult to remember up onto your wall. Repeat this process.

Trigonometry

  • 3d Shapes are popular. The advice here is to break the shape into 2/3 triangles and solve using SOH/CAH/TOA, Pythagoras, Sin or Cosine Rule.

[Sin and Cosine Rule is in the Log Tables]

  • Be able to read the period and the range from a Periodic graph or a Periodic function
  • Be able to solve Trig Equations (this also may appear on P1 also)
  • You need to be able to prove 8 trig identities – these are listed in your textbook
  • The advice here is go over the questions from 2014-2019 as practice
  • This can be mixed with an Area and Volume Diagram or Co-ordinate Geometry
  • Triangles and Circles linked
  • Understand Trigonometric graphs including Periodic functions (period. Range etc)
  • Go over the past exam questions from 2014-2019 as practice here

Area and Volume

  • Started to get popular from 2017 onwards
  • We sometimes see combined shapes here so it’s a good idea to redraw diagrams
  • Have a look at Q7 2018 and Q7 2017 as practice
  • Can appear on Paper 1

Co-ordinate Geometry of the Line and the Circle

  • They can come up together or on their own
  • They tend to be more in Section A and could be two short questions
  • All the Important formula for these topics is on Page 18 and 19 of the log tables
  • I feel the ‘Big 3 formulas’ are Important (always have a great chance of appearing)
  1. Perpendicular distance between a point and a line
  2. Dividing a line in a given ratio
  3. Finding the angle between two lines using the Tan Formula

[ALL THREE OF THESE ARE IN THE LT]

  • Know the idea of slopes well. Slope formula (LT), m = -x/y & rise/run
  • Know the method for finding the equation of a tangent to the circle. This will involve the slope and maybe the radius of a circle
  • Be able to find the centre and radius of any circle given its equation..

Note that the equation can appear in different formats….

  • This tends to be more in Section A of Paper 2
  • Mixed with Geometry

Probability

100% chance of probability appearing…

  • Know the following three formula’s off by heart (Not in LT)…………… There is a great chance one of these will appear…..
    1. Formula for Conditional Probability – Probability of an event A occurring given that event B occurs.
    2. Formula to show that two events are independent
    3. Formula to show that two events are mutually exclusive
  • One of the following topics usually comes up every year:
    1. Bernoulli Trials (Know how to spot this & apply formula)

or

  1. Expected value of an event
    • e.g. Expected profit from A GAA club lottery
  • It doesn’t tend to be a long question (Section B) except in 2015 when it was mixed with patterns. It could be too short questions on Section A however
  • There isn’t really any help from Log Tables here so learn the above

Statistics

  • Be able to understand z scores for the normal curve
  • The Empirical rule can also appear. Symmetry is the secret to solving. Learn and practice this:
  1. 98% of the population falls within one standard deviation of the mean
  2. 95% of the population is within two standard deviations of the mean
  3. 68% of the population is within three standard deviations of the mean
  • Inferential Statistics. This is where we use the data from a small sample to assume something is true or not for the full population
  1. Know Confidence Intervals for a Sample Proportion
  2. And Know Hypothesis Testing

Both could well appear on Section A but more likely on Section B. Try and understand these as opposed to just learning off the methods like a robot

  • Know how to analyse data by measuring its middle – Mean, Median and Mode. Know about data spread – range, inter-quartile range and standard deviation.
  • Know how to analyse data by measuring its middle – Mean, Median and Mode, as well as its spread – range, inter-quartile range and standard deviation.
  • Correlation and correlation co-efficient does pop up the odd time
  • The Empirical rule does also appear every so often. See the diagram in the Log tables on Page 36. Symmetry is the secret here. Learn and practice this:
  1. 98% of the population falls within one standard deviation of the mean
  2. 95% of the population is within two standard deviations of the mean
  3. 68% of the population is within three standard deviations of the mean
  • Inferential Statistics. This is where we use the data from a small sample to assume something is true or not for the full population
  1. This is a mix of Probability and Stats
  2. This has a good chance of appearing
  3. Confidence Intervals/Hypothesis Testing or both could well appear
  4. It could appear on Section A but more likely on Section B
  • Try and understand confidence interval and hypothesis testing as best you can as opposed to just learning off the methods like a robot.

To view my recent feature article on ‘Best Practice for LC Higher Maths Paper 1’, click here.

More details about Joe as a Maths Tutor for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate (2022) and his Award Winning ACE Maths Solution Books can be found via the links below.

ACE Maths Classes: acesolutionbooks.com/ace-maths-tuition

ACE Maths Solution Books: acesolutionbooks.com/buy-my-books

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Joe’s Jotter: Shorthand Best Practice for LC Maths Paper 1

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General Guidance for Leaving Cert Higher Maths Paper 1

  • Leaving Cert Paper 1 in Maths is on Friday 10th June so you may have two/three papers done already (Eng/Engin/Home Ec).. i.e. The bulk of the prep for Maths Paper 1 needs to be done from the week before as a result of this.
  • Paper 2 material can come up on Paper 1 and vice versa – i.e. 2015/2017 Trig Functions appeared. Financial Maths appeared on P2 in 2018 even though it’s more of a P1 topic. A&V can appear on both
  • There is no specific layout to the paper year to year – Any topic can appear anywhere.
  • Topics tend to mix together into one question. So….I wouldn’t leave any topics out
    • Example Prob/Stats and Geom/Trig
  • I wouldn’t do extra questions on the paper as you will run out of time
  • Night before exam – Check…Maths set, pencils, two alarms, your usual calculator etc
  • Only answer the question that’s being asked. Read it three times.
  • Often the answer can be hidden somewhere inside the Information given in question
  • Do not scribble or tippex out any writing and make it unreadable. Draw an X through it and make sure it is readable – this could be worth marks and will be corrected.
  • Always give your answer in the form requested in the question e.g. surd form
  • Always use the correct units.. e.g. m2 for the area of a rectangular field etc
  • Only round off your answer at the very end of the sum. Retain as much of the decimal as you can through the question to ensure accuracy and full marks.
  • If you don’t give your answer in the correct form, round off decimal places or leave out the units, you will more than likely lose one marks
  • Exams are scanned in and are then corrected by a person (examiner)
  • When revising, break the course into sections and break each section into sub-topics in order to make it more manageable to tackle. Practice loads of past exam questions.

Sample Marking Scheme Scale for LC Maths

This is an example of how the paper is marked and shows the opportunities to pick up marks depending on how many marks is allocated to each question.

LC Maths Exam Paper Layout [Red Text – 2022 only] – Paper 1 and 2

The layout is normally 6 short questions (150 marks) and 3 or 4 long questions (150 marks). This is not the layout in 2022.

  • In 2022, we have Section A: 6 short questions of thirty marks (Do 4 of these).
  • Section B: These are the more practical real life scenario Questions..4 long questions on the paper (Do 2 of these) (fifty marks each). [Both Higher and Ordinary level]
  • Even though there is a choice on both papers, I would NOT attempt an extra question in either Section A or Section B
  • My proposed Timing for 2022: (Apply the 20:30 rule for Exams 2022)
    • 10 mins to read paper and carefully choose questions at the start
    • Short Question (4) (30 marks) – Max of 20 minutes each
    • Long Questions (2) (50 marks) – Max of 30 minutes each
  • Set out a time budget plan before your exam and stick to it.

How do attempt marks (Low Partial Credit) work in Maths?

You can pick up 2/5 and 4 or 5 out of 10 for just getting one step in the right direction. This is called Low Partial Credit

  • This could just be writing down line one

OR

Writing down the correct formula and subbing a relevant value into it [‘Relevant substitution’]

OR

Bringing down the last answer and doing something sensible with it

  • Write down everything – a formula from your Log tables, a step, a piece of English, a diagram, a table anything at all. If you type something into your Calculator, write it down. The examiner will be desperate to give you 2/5 or 3/10 or 6/20 or whatever Low partial credit is for each part. They will take no pleasure at all in giving you zero.
  • You may use a different way to solve a question (with success) that’s not written on the examiners marking scheme – this is full marks.
  • If you make more than one attempt on a question, make sure to leave both visible on the paper.. Never scribble out anything. Never write a ‘?’ on your paper.
  • Draw a single line through a method you feel is incorrect, it will be checked and may be allocated marks

What if I need an answer from the previous part to answer the next part?

There are two possible scenarios’ here. If you got an answer you think may be wrong and need to use it further down the question, carry it down anyway. If you didn’t get an answer at all and need one further down, explain in a note to the examiner that you are going to guess the answer needed and use it. You might word it something like:

“I didn’t get a value for x in part a so I’m going to assume that x=10 here.”

Do this and continue on…You can still get high marks for this question

What do you do if you mind goes blank?

  1. Fill in something you have done in class related to the question being asked.
  2. Use all the Information given in the question in some way.
  3. Use a formula you think that may be relevant to the question.
  4. Any correct element to a question will give you low partial credit.

What are the core skills I cannot live without for LC Higher Maths?

  • Solving a linear and quadratic equation
  • Solve a simultaneous equation (Basic JC Method or by substitution)
  • Subbing into a formula
  • Being familiar with Log Table Formulas (See below)

Why are Log Tables so important..?

Each student will have a set of log tables on their desk when they go into the exam hall. You will not be allowed to bring in your own set of log tables. Know whats in your log tables but more importantly whats not in your log tables. Be familiar with roughly where each formula is in the tables, so you are not in a mild tizzy trying to find one. Learn off the formula’s not in your Log tables. Enter these into a hardback notebook now and start memorising them. Guidance and advice for Maths Paper 2 will follow very soon. Stay tuned to Joe’s Jotter Blog for updates. Joe

To view last week’s feature article on ‘The ACE Exam Day Quick Ref Guide’, click here.

More details about Joe’s Maths Tuition Classes for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate (2022) and his Award Winning ACE Maths Solution Books can be found via the links below.

ACE Maths Classes: acesolutionbooks.com/ace-maths-tuition

ACE Maths Solution Books: acesolutionbooks.com/buy-my-books

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