As you may be able to tell, I’m in a particularly jovial mood. Finally, I found a paper that suited me just perfectly- Irish Paper 1. Higher Level. BEAUTIFUL.
Like most other Irish students across the country, I wrote a rote-learned essay about the recession which fitted perfectly into the title “Slán leis an Tíogar Ceilteach!” I was so excited on seeing the title that I literally couldn’t write anything for at least 5 minutes- I was grinning from ear to ear, and even chuckling under my breath about how there was actually an exclamation mark following the title- someone along the line knew there’d be a collective sigh of relief if that was to appear.
The comprehensions were a stroll in the park, and I left my exam centre in plenty of time to go outside and soak up the good vibes before the Aural.
I’d never seen quite so many gleaming faces after an Irish exam in my life- so many people had been banking on this lone essay that I can’t even begin to imagine how upset people would’ve been had it not shown up in some shape or form.
The negative aspect, of course, is that a lot of people had the essay prepared in advance, so there ought to be some very well delivered rants about the Celtic Tiger’s unfortunate disappearance and thus the marking scheme’s going to be an utter nightmare.
Personally, I’m not too worried – my teacher corrected my Recession-related essay a few weeks ago and give it a solid 100%, so I know I whooped it.

As for this morning’s Higher Level Maths Paper 2, well, it wasn’t quite as nice.
There were some pretty nasty questions, as there are every year, and what seemed to be a lack of theorems. There was one, yes, but it was pretty short. I, like many other candidates, had been really hoping for a nice 20 mark proof in Trigonometry. Instead we were asked about cheese.
I’d really rather if the little stories were kept out of the maths, to be quite honest. I like numbers- NUMBERS!
I really didn’t like the Circles question either- Earlier in the year, my Maths teacher was quoted with saying that “The problem with the circle is that you can know too much and end up going off on a tangent” (GEDDIT?!) but this really was not the case. I was kicking myself for neglecting to look over it  last night.
I’ve no idea how I got on, but there were no tears or shrieks of panic. “Only okay” is how I’ve been describing my overall maths performance. I’ve no doubt that I got an honour- I just don’t think it’ll be as high as I’d have liked.

After the exam, I was chilling out in the park, Red Bull clutched in one hand, glucose sweets in the other, while I watched my many Maths sheets fly off into the wind. Let me tell you all, it felt good. 

Also, today marked my last full day of exams, which felt just great.
It’s extremely difficult to concentrate on two totally different subjects when they’re grouped together as Maths and Irish were today.
I found myself thinking only trí mheáin na Gaeilge during Maths-
“x agus y = CAD? Ah, níl, ta sé sin mícheart. Oh, a Jhennie, cén fath nach dhearna tú neart stáidéar? Ionsach den scoth!” and during Irish I was still rattling off the formula for the internal division of a line segment.

I’m looking forward to Irish Paper 2 now- hopefully it’ll be quite nice and I’ll be on my way to getting the A1. As I blogged about a while ago, my Irish Oral was a resounding success- so all that’s in my way are a few dodgy old poets. Tá súil agam go mbeidh muid ceart go leor ar aon nós!

Maths paper one, I liked it really. Okay there was an oddity at the end of the graph thing but I muddled though. Happy also (for the most part) with my Further Caculus. Didn’t earn myself any A1 but hopefully I’ve have snagged something to be happy with.

Okay, Irish one. THANK YOU SEC! I really love those Irish essays.. Mine always seem to go along the lines of “AHHH, despair.. blame the politicians.. But shur, it’ll be grand”.

Aural.. Was fine! Shrug like.. As irrelevant as ever but shur that the exam for you.

God, I am EXHAUSTED. I wish that I didn’t have two exams tomorrow. It may just kill me. I have a nasty suspicion that I’ll be either to bed quite late or up extremely early.. Fun. On the plus side, the coffee shop by school now says that I can “drink free” until my exams are okay. SAVAGE. I think I was happier at that prospect than the recession essay in Irish. Coffee, nom nom nom.
Okay, Irish Paper Two.. 30% of the marks, 100% of the tears.

Shit, just remembered I actually have business too.. Nasty.

Although, in a cruel twist of irony, the fact that I put in a bit of work for my last ever maths exam at the expense of other subjects could end up with me doing science instead of medicine, in which case there’d be lots of maths. It’s a funny old world.

I stayed up til about one studying for my Last Ever Maths Exam. Apparently 9pm is not the time to begin to learn the entire Maclaurin series part of question 8. Like the night before paper 1, I didn’t sleep to well and spent all night with my head filled with maths, leaving me wrecked this morning, but not sick, which was an improvement on Friday at least.

The actual paper itself was OK, not good, or bad, just OK. I messed up question 8 like I knew I would but the rest of the paper didn’t go to badly. I was so thankful I remembered the existence of linear transformations before I went to bed last night, otherwise I never would have been able to do that line question. Which I think that pesky question 8 may have dashed any hopes of a B, I’ll be happy with my C if I get it.

Paper 1 Irish was a totally different story. Between Maths and Irish the corridor was filled with people cramming and learning off last minute notes. The general consensus seemed to be if the Cúlú Eacnamaíocht essay didn’t come up There Would Be Blood. I was hoping for a nice easy debate where I could use all my impressive phrases cobbled together from various Irish teachers’ notes. In the last five minutes before the exam there was quite a bit of panicking, “Oh My God! What if NOTHING about the recession comes up!”  “What if there isn’t even a debate on the paper!”

If anyone is reading this who wasn’t doing their Leaving Cert today, you may have noticed a slight change in the atmosphere at about 1:30.  Perhaps you felt a vibration in the air, or a shiver run down your spine?  That was 55,000 students inwardly screaming “YESS!” as the most beautiful, open-ended essay question for the recession came up: “Slán leis an Tiogar Ceilteach!” I was still determined to do the debate and was delighted when I saw “Ba cheart go mbeadh an Ghaeilge roghnach do scrúdú na hArdteistiméireachta”. What a lovely debate, so open to rebuttals and impasioned speaches about our language which is “alainn, ceolmhar agus lán de mistéir”. Unfortunately, I think my arguments in the debate were a bit flimsy. If I had to actually say my speech in a debate I’d be inwardly cringing, but hopefully the examiner will see past that and will see all the lovely phrases and genetive cases scattered throughout.

The comprehensions were incredibly simple to understand, but I thought they were a bit tricky to put into my own words. “Edema” and “Bloot Clot” are surprisingly difficult to explain as Gaeilge. I’m hoping my method of changing the tiniest thing counts as “putting in your own words”.

The tape in Irish was like any other, no nasty surprises and some hilarious accents. I got the fright of my life when I closed over my booklet at the end and heard the woman on the tape say “end of tape”. I was afraid a new section was about to begin, but no, it was the end of a lovely Irish exam.

So I’m happy with how today went. Exams are so much more relaxing and less stressful when you can take your time and double check everything. God knows how many marks I would have lost if I didn’t go back and add in all those extra séimhiús and urús. I almost think Irish will make up for English now. Who knows, I may still be in the running for medicine yet!

Irish 1 and maths 2 tomorrow. I’m not worried, but I know that I could do much better with just a few hours study. Anyone else feel the same? We all seem to be banking on cúlú for the honours Irish essay, if it doesn’t come up, will I panic? Oh no. It’ll obviously have been a mistake on the SEC’s part, I’ll write it anyway. They’ll probably end up thanking me for it.

I’m not delusional. If any aspect of Irish or American politics/economy comes up I can probably manipulate what I’ve learned to fit it, and even if drug abuse is my only option…I’ll pin it on the recession. It’ll work, right? Besides the two tomorrow, I’ve also got two exams on Tuesday and one on both Wednesday and Thursday. I better go study.

Fucking Irish paper two. I really don’t know what to do for it, I mean the books are INUNDATED with notes upon notes but I am NOT a rote learner, I don’t find it works for me. I prefer being able to rely on my natural inclinations but combine them with some vague idea of the notion. Think what I’ll do is try to remember the whole thing in English and then fling together the thing itself in Irish on the day.
I have a terrible and altogether nauseating fear that I’ll open either one of the Irish papers and have absolutely no idea what they’re asking of me. I mean, at least if I knew what they were asking I could bluff along and hope for the best. But… they’re a high likelihood that that won’t happen.. I mean, really and truly, the vocab that they use in the papers isn’t always clear cut.. Hyperventilation. I managed to snag an A2 in the mocks but I think that was a combination of pure luck and bluffing.
All the same, 49 hours from now I will never ever again have to learn those horrendous poems or stories.. Some small consolation. Yah, not a snowballs chance in hell I’m repeating. Backdoors and all that ftw.
Okay, going to stop freaking out and go over Business… Oh yah, anyone else do Business outside of school and now realise that they actually have to take it seriously as a subject, sit down and answer big long questions on it. I’m TOTALLY relying on logic for that. Fingers crossed.
I’m also really tired and trying to resist the temptation that is coffee for at least another while. I’m going to have to have some sort of addiction treatment after the exams

Marie.