Although the period between Christmas and the Leaving Cert exams can feel rushed and chaotic, it's important to remember that you're going to school to learn at the end of the day. So don't start panicking about the exams 4 or 5 months too early, instead, do exactly what you're supposed to, keep learning and then revise.
“Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets.”
– Leonardo da Vinci.
To help take away a little of the exam fear when it comes to revising for English, we've broken it down into 5 Top Tips, starting with, voice notes, podcasts and online tutorials.
Let Technology Be Your Friend!
I wish I had this advantage when I was doing Higher Level English for my Leaving Cert 14 years ago.
Instead, I had a mountain of books and 5 ring binders full of handwritten notes, that's not including the printouts... Greta Thunberg would have burnt me like a Salem witch for my crimes against forests with the one subject alone... then again maybe burning is bad for the environment too.
But nowadays you lovely Gen Z peeps have everything we wish we had! Podcasts, YouTube Tutorials, Zoom and my favourite, VOICE NOTES (You have no ideas how many trees we could have saved).
I used to fall asleep with my face in a ring binder! The next day the ink had transferred to my face and my notes were a smudgy wreck, meaning my next attempt at study would be twice as hard.
Now thanks to the wonder that is smartphones, you can record your notes, pop on some headphones and fall asleep to the sound of your notes along with your favourite music. It's basically magic!
Listening carefully and deciding what to include in notes keeps your mind actively involved with what you hear. Hearing your notes back emphasizes and organizes information.
Why did I tell you to add music to your notes?
Benefits of studying with music:
- Relaxes the mind.
- Increases concentration.
- Removes distractions.
- Improves focus.
- Improves performance in high-pressure situations, such as mid-terms and finals week
"Yes, English can be weird. It can be understood through tough thorough thought, though."
- David Burge
Use Past Papers!
Past Papers are seriously one of the most useful things you can use while practising for an exam. They give you an idea of the layout, the type of questions and the level of difficulty that you might be facing in your actual exam.
Although the layout may have changed in recent years for some subjects, English will always be one of the toughest writing subjects. It will always be a heavily written subject for its exams, and one of the best ways to get your timing down and understand just how much is enough to write is to practice past papers.
There are two ways you can access past papers:
- ReviseWise Books - These books are packed with revision hints, tips, past and sample exam questions and expert sample answers as well as new and helpful exam features!
- The Leaving Cert - If you'd rather save a few cents, you can access past Leaving Cert English Papers, both Higher and Ordinary levels from 2002 - 2019 for free.
Bullet Points or Brainstorm!
It really helps to have a plan before you commit pen to paper. Your plan doesn't have to be overly complicated, but it should be a rough guide of what points you plan on covering in your answer.
This can be a lifesaver if you forget about your most important point halfway through your essay or comparative questions and really keeps you focused while you're writing.
I recommend reading the questions and then noting your plan at the back of your answer book. This way if for some unknown reason you don't get to finish the examiner can see where your answer was going. It may just get you that extra point or two.
Don't just do this on the day of the exam, include it in your practice papers too. You must have everything included when you time yourself.
Play to Your Strengths
When it comes to Leaving Cert English it is important you learn where your strength lies early on and you lean into it. It's really important that you decide what types of pieces are your strongest whether it's poetry, drama or something else.
This is especially true in the composition section, where you write one essay from the seven styles available. These can vary from short stories and newspaper articles to speeches. If you haven't already done so, try a few of these out from the past papers and see what kind of compositions best fit how you write.
Remember if you decide to go for a news or speech style piece give a personal opinion The English examiners absolutely love to see that you have engaged with the real world, and the way to do this is through personal opinion.
You will be rewarded for using phrases like "I believe", "I disagree", and "I can relate to" if you are writing a speech. If you are writing a newspaper piece try "it has been reported", "one local said" and "as stated". This will make your answer stand out from all the rest.
So here we are it's time for my final tip.
Stay Focused!
The closer the exams get, the harder it can be to stay focused. So I'm gonna let you in on a few little secrets to help you stay focused. If possible, always study in a space free of other people. But I know, especially nowadays, with the housing crisis that's not always an option.
Make Your Music Zone.
If it's not possible to create your own physical space away from others and the distractions that come with them. Worry not, music can transport you, all we need is free music and headphones!
It's time to download and sign up for Spotify so you can create your study zone. Several research studies are proving that listening to the right kind of music can put your mind into study mode.
It may sound obvious, but research revealed brain function decreases when you listen to music and sounds you don’t enjoy, making it difficult to focus and concentrate. So, be sure to choose music and sounds that make you happy only. Here are some tips for creating your study playlist:
- Create your playlist in advance so you’re not fumbling to find a new song every few minutes.
- Keep your playlist to around 40-50 minutes—this is a great reminder to take a study break when it’s over. Plus, it helps you plan
- your study sessions to meet your concentration level.
- Avoid listening to the radio. Dialogue between radio personalities and commercials can be distracting.
- Turn it down. Listening to music at a moderate level is best.
Take a Minute for You.
Sometimes you may not even feel like getting to work. When this happens, take a minute to prepare yourself mentally.
Set a timer for a minute and tell yourself that you’ll start work when the timer goes off. By doing this, you’ll be much more likely to get to work at the end of the minute.
This is called an “implementation intention”.
Any time you signal to yourself an intention to do something, it makes it easier to begin that task. In this case, the implementation intention is to set a timer for a minute before starting a study session, if you feel like procrastinating.
So, if you find it hard to motivate yourself to start studying, take a minute and prepare yourself mentally.
Just Breathe.
Our own wonderful Irish-based scientists have once again proven the benefits of just giving ourselves a moment to breathe. Researchers at Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience have studied the effect of breathing exercises on the body. The researchers concluded that “there is a strong connection between breath-centred practices and a steadiness of mind”.
Get your brain ready by doing deep breathing exercises before each study session. Here is a simple breathing exercise that will bring calm and focus to your mind before you study:
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose for 4 seconds.
- When you feel that your lungs are full of air, hold your breath for 2 seconds.
- Then slowly exhale through your nose for 4 seconds.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
