Leaving Cert – Study Guide – March-April 2020

THIS WEEKEND

Make a ‘to do’ list of the building blocks for your study over the next three weeks. These will be lists of topics/
sections/ chapters you have to study for the Leaving cert. Think also of the sections of the exam as ‘buiding
blocks’. If you don’t know these building blocks you will not study effectively. For Maths, your building blocks
might look like this:

Strand 1: Statistics and Probability

Strand 2: Geometry and Trigonometry

Strand 3: Numbers

Strand 4: Algebra

Strand 5: Functions
STUDYING IS……
For Chemistry, your building blocks might look like this:
 CHECKING THAT I UNDERSTAND
1. Atomic Structure and Periodic Table
 MAKING UP NOTES
2. Bonding

3. Stoichiometry [calculations]
 TESTING MYSELF ON MY NOTES

4. Volumetric analysis  RE-TESTING MYSELF ON NOTES

5. Fuels and heats of reaction

6. Reaction rates

7. Organic chemistry

8. Equilibrium

9. Environmental chemistry

10. Atmospheric chemistry

11. Industrial chemistry

Over the next three weeks you are going to go through all these blocks systematically. Think of the questions
you will be asked on them in the exam, and prepare notes for all of these possible questions. Key points about
notes – they are:

 are organised into key ideas and supporting ideas.

 use bullet points. diagrams
 use visual techniques, e.g. highlighting, graphics, colours, and underlining to identify main
points.
 use abbreviations and symbols to show connections between ideas.
 Use mnemonics (easy ways of remembering things
 images
This is about making things easier, not more difficult, so don’t write out large chunks of text.

Over the next three weeks…..follow your school timetable during the day, and allow for extra study time at
night. Plan this study!! There is no point in starting to study without first thinking about the building blocks
Use the building blocks from your work at the weekend. These should go in each box. . You will need to copy
out this grid and make the boxes bigger. Aim to have revision notes made, learned and understood by the end
of the 3 weeks.

CORONAVIRUS WEEK 1

Period 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

Morning Afternoon Evening

Saturday
Sunday
CORONAVIRUS WEEK 2

Period 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

Morning Afternoon Evening

Saturday
Sunday

CORONAVIRUS WEEK 3 (if not back in school)

 Period 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

Morning Afternoon Evening

Saturday
Sunday
Easter Holidays

This is the time for going back over the notes you made and checking that you know them. Remember to
leave some time for preparation for oral and practical exams.

The focus should be on exam questions at this stage.

Think about how ready you are going to be for the first couple of exams. Remember, there is no point in just
being ready for the first exam. The Leaving Cert is an endurance test, so be prepared!

EASTER HOLIDAYS
 DATE - APRIL MORNING AFTERNOON EVENING

6
7

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Fill in each time slot with the building blocks you have been working on.

Aim to have all subject and topics covered by the return to school on 22 April

NOBODY SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE EASY…….BUT NOBODY SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE IMPOSSIBLE EITHER