People tend to think that biology is the easiest science subject but this is certainly not the case. Biology is hard work with many terms, equations, cycles, etc. to learn. However, this does not mean it isn’t doable. With a bit off effort and determination, you can do really well in biology and reap the rewards when you get high marks in your Leaving Cert exam.
Guide
How to get a H1 in Leaving Cert Biology
By Eimear Dinneen - 9 minute readIn this guide, Eimear goes through her top tips and tricks for getting a H1 in Leaving Certificate Biology.
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Introduction
Studying biology
Studying for biology takes time and I don’t recommend cramming for this subject as there is just too much information to learn for that. My study methods for biology mainly consisted of marking schemes and Studyclix. Biology exam papers can be very repetitive so I found that looking over past questions and papers over and over again and finding out the answers to all of them helped prepare me for what would come up in my exam. I recommend trying the following when tackling study for Leaving Cert Biology:
One section at a time
For example, try to tackle plants first (photosynthesis, transport in plants and plant reproduction, etc.) and really try to understand the information you’re taking in. You can remember the information better if you have a good grasp of the topic.
Test yourself regularly
When you’re finished studying one topic, Studyclix has the option to make out an exam on that topic, so try that. Alternatively, you could go into that topic on Studyclix, look at the exam paper questions, try to answer them first and then check the marking scheme to see if you’re right.
Try not to over-rely on your textbook
I wouldn’t recommend doing all your study from your biology textbook. I didn’t open my textbook for all of 6th year because my teacher just gave us the condensed and essential parts of the course. The textbook has copious amounts of extra and unnecessary information that isn’t required on the syllabus. This could fill spaces in your brain that could be used more efficiently on remembering other vital pieces of information.
Past papers
How do you know which parts of the textbook are needed or not? There are a couple of ways of knowing. For one, the past exam papers say a lot. Usually, they go as far back as about 10 years ago and as I’ve said, the same stuff comes up all the time. So, if you study everything that you see in questions in the exam papers, you should be fairly safe. Another way is by looking at the biology syllabus. This will show you all you need to know.
YouTube videos
Another method of studying is watching YouTube videos. There are several YouTube channels about biology which help make it easier to understand. I found Hank Green’s Biology videos quite helpful as he makes them seem fun, simple and interesting. Also, check out the Studyclix blog where they’ve added a YouTube playlist of most of the 22 mandatory experiments being done.
Apply what you learn to everyday life
As biology is the study of life, you should be able to apply your studies to your everyday life. Keep thinking in biology the whole time, for example, if you see a plant, try to determine if it’s a dicot or monocot and then recite the properties of whichever one it is, or, if you’re exercising, concentrate on your breathing and go through the process of inhalation/exhalation and respiration in your head.
Write it out
Writing and drawing information out on a sheet always helps for every subject. I found it especially helpful for biology with things such as the nitrogen/carbon cycle, food webs, experiment diagrams, etc.
What should I know?
As I mentioned earlier, look through the syllabus and past papers to see what’s necessary for you to know. It’s also essential that you know all the definitions for different topics, for example, be able to define genetic engineering and photosynthesis, etc.
Top tip
A great way to learn definitions is to write each one out on a flash card and stick it up in your place of study. That way, you’ll have to look at it every day and it will become ingrained in your mind. I did this for several subjects and it really helped.
Questions on the practical experiments come up every year so you need to know all of them. Again, the same type of questions regarding each experiment come up each year so look at the exam papers to see what you must know about each experiment. Usually, you must know:
3-4 steps of the experiments.
A safety precaution.
An aseptic technique.
The equipment and ‘ingredients’ needed (and what they do).
How to draw a diagram of the experiment.
Timing
You get 3 hours in total for the Leaving Cert Biology exam which is loads of time so there is no reason to freak out. I would recommend spending about 30 minutes on the short questions (Section A), around 20/25 minutes on Section B and the rest of your time on Section C and looking over your work.
Top tip
Don’t leave the exam early unless you are extremely confident that you have done everything you can. Take full advantage of the time given to you.
Exam question breakdown
Let's have a look at the three sections of the Leaving Cert Biology exam:
Section A: short questions
There are 6 short questions to choose from in this section and your best 5 are marked (each out of 20 marks). I recommend attempting all of them to increase your chances of high marks. Bear the following in mind when preparing for Section A:
Know the basics
The idea behind these questions is to see if you know the basics of biology. Generally, the questions are short and focus on the small parts of the course such as food biology and the kingdoms.
Be prepared
As always, look over past exam papers (I can’t stress that enough for biology). They are your best friend when it comes to studying this subject. Using Studyclix will save you a lot of time in that you can find all the questions on the topic you are studying.
Recurring topics
Make sure you know the general things asked for in this section such as the 6 macronutrients and their properties, the 5 kingdoms and their properties and finally, make sure you know your ecology definitions, etc.
Be concise
Most of them are one-word or one-lined answers so nothing is too difficult. Just apply your knowledge and show the examiner that you put in the work and that you know your stuff.
Section B: experiment questions
You’re only asked to do 2 out of 3 questions in this section but again, I would do them all. Each is marked out of 30 marks.
While you should really know all the experiments, you can try to predict what will come up for your exam by looking at past papers as they generally don’t repeat them 2 years in a row. There is an element of risk with this of course but if you want to cut down on study you could try that. Personally, I would make sure I know them all as it's better safe than sorry! Some experiments are more popular than others too and they might appear more often.
Section C: long questions
In this section, you choose 4 questions out of 6 (each is worth 60 marks). Bear the following in mind when preparing for this section:
Extra question
It’s always a good idea to do an extra question if you have the time in this section as it increases your chances of getting higher marks.
Repeated topics
A question on genetics is guaranteed every year so if you’re confident with this topic, I’d make sure to know it well. Also, more often than not, a long question comes up on either respiration, photosynthesis or both so if I were you, I’d make sure I knew these topics like the back of my hand.
Answer the question
Your answers needn’t be too long. The marking schemes are usually quite short, even for the long questions. None of my answers in my answer book for this exam were more than a page long unless I had to draw a diagram so don’t obsess over not having enough written. With this being said, make sure you’re going into enough detail so that you’re answering the question asked. You don’t want to fall short on marks because you left out information that you knew in the first place. Write in all you know on the subject so you won’t lose marks for extra information (unless they only ask for one answer and you give 2).
Bullet points
There’s no harm in writing your answers in bullet points. Sometimes it’s easier to do it this way than get in a muddle trying to phrase sentences in a certain way.
Diagram(s)
Even if you’re not asked for a diagram, it sometimes helps if you draw one out anyway. It demonstrates that you know what you’re talking about and it could help you visualise what you’re trying to say too.
Give examples
Where possible, you should try and give an example. This can be really worthwhile in a question like, “What is meant by Genetic Engineering?”. If your answer is a little bit off but you have included a relevant example, the examiner will often give you the benefit of the doubt.
Exam tips
Exam Tips
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Don’t cross out answers
All your work will be corrected so even if you think it’s wrong, you might get marks for it.
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Don’t panic if you can’t answer a question
Don’t freak out if you can’t answer a question. Take a deep breath and tell yourself that you know it, you put in the work and you can do it! If you start to get worked up in the exam you could ruin your mindset for other questions so try not to let one question throw you.
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Don't leave anything blank
Even if you think your answer is ridiculous, it could get you marks (you never know, you could be right).
Read the question carefully
There are very similar-looking yet different-meaning words in biology and you don’t want to mix them up. Also, know what the question is looking for; do you need to merely list information or do you need to describe it in detail?
Some exam tips
for the Leaving Certificate Biology exam.
Don’t cross out answers
All your work will be corrected so even if you think it’s wrong, you might get marks for it.
Don’t panic if you can’t answer a question
Don’t freak out if you can’t answer a question. Take a deep breath and tell yourself that you know it, you put in the work and you can do it! If you start to get worked up in the exam you could ruin your mindset for other questions so try not to let one question throw you.
Don't leave anything blank
Even if you think your answer is ridiculous, it could get you marks (you never know, you could be right).
Read the question carefully
There are very similar-looking yet different-meaning words in biology and you don’t want to mix them up. Also, know what the question is looking for; do you need to merely list information or do you need to describe it in detail?
Hope these help - happy studying!
Boost your grades
Studyclix Boost is a study and revision tool that has interactive videos, notes, tips, and more. With the help of some of the best teachers in Ireland, Studyclix has broken each LC biology topic into smaller, more specific subtopics. Each Biology Boost article contains videos and interactive components to make the information more consumable.
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Best of luck in the exam! You will be great.
By Eimear Dinneen
Having spent previous years contributing to content creation, sales and communications, Eimear now manages the customer support and communication teams. Her enthusiasm for culture, travel and languages means she's lived in France, Germany and Scotland to date, and her favourite thing to do is try new food.