Joe’s Jotter: Shorthand Best Practice for LC Maths 2023 P1

General Guidance for Leaving Cert Higher & Ordinary Maths Paper 1

Leaving Cert Paper 1 in Maths is on Friday 9^th 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 (higher) appeared. Financial Maths (higher) 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. m²for 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 – 2023 only] – Paper 1 and 2

In 2023, we have Section A: we have 6 short questions of 30 marks (Do 5). In Section B: These are the more practical real life scenario questions. There will be 4 long questions in Section B (Do 3) (50 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 2023: (Apply the 13:25 rule for LC Exams 2023)
- 10 mins to read paper and carefully choose questions at the start
- Short Question (Complete 5) (30 marks) – Max of 13 minutes each
- Long Questions (Complete 3) (50 marks) – Max of 25 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?

Fill in something you have done in class related to the question being asked.
Use all the Information given in the question in some way.
Use a formula you think that may be relevant to the question.
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

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 Classes: acesolutionbooks.com/ace-maths-tuition

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

*****

You might also like