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How to get a H1 in Leaving Cert Politics and Society
By Sam W. - 4 minute readIn many ways, the Politics and Society course accurately mirrors current affairs. However, this often makes studying overwhelming, as the content seems to branch out in all directions. In this blog, Sam goes through his tips and tricks on getting a H1 in this subject.
Personally, I think it’s a good idea to start with the short questions in order to get the definitions you have rote-learned off my chest.
By starting with this section you also get to refresh your memory on some of the key ideas, which you can then use in your essays. Make sure you don’t spend too long on this section - I would suggest giving yourself 20 minutes maximum.
With those finished, I’d advise skipping straight to the discursive essays.
Whether you want to do one before the documents section and one after or both before is up to you, but I always find that once I’m in the essay zone, I’m there to stay until the job is done!
Each essay should take you no more than 35 minutes. They don’t have to be crazy long, all they need to do is discuss the statement sufficiently.
I would then finish with the documents. Take 45 minutes to read through them thoroughly, answer the questions, and do the mini essay.
Don’t rush through the questions, as each one can be worth up to 20 marks. Word your answers carefully and you stand an excellent chance of picking up most if not all of the marks. Give a bit more thought to those that force you to consider both sources as they tend to carry more marks.
The mini essay at the end of this question is worth 50 marks so it’s a good idea to leave yourself 20 minutes of the 45 to do it properly. This should leave you with ten minutes to read back over the paper.
Don't be afraid to pop some clarifications in the margins if your essays make less sense upon second reading than they did when you were writing them - the examiner will mark it all.
Final words of advice
My final and possibly most important piece of advice to anyone sitting the exam is to get interested, get opinionated, and stay informed.
Politics is a subject that rewards those who commit to it. If you have a genuine interest in the topics you’re writing about, this subject will also be infinitely easier.
Stay on top of the news, understand the issues in the world around you, and the rest is all about coherent presentation and a little bit of memory work!
Bonus
For more tips and tricks, read our Politics and Society Guide by clicking the button below.
Best of Luck! You will be great!
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