Guide

How to get a H1 in Leaving Cert Phys-Chem

By Clíona C. - 9 minute read

Clíona got a H1 in her Leaving Cert Phys-chem exam and in this guide, she shares her advice for succeeding in this subject.

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Introduction

Phys-chem is a great opportunity for those interested in science to get a feel for physics and chemistry. Many students struggle with physics and chemistry at Leaving Cert level and I think phys-chem as a combined subject is a little less challenging than the straight sciences. It is ideal if you want to go into the field of science at 3rd level as you’ll have a good understanding of both sciences under one Leaving Cert subject.

This was one of my favourite subjects in the Leaving Cert and with the right techniques, I think you can get on really well in it. Hopefully, this guide will help you do so.

Exam layout

It’s important to be familiar with the layout of the phys-chem paper before the exam. The paper is divided into 2 sections:

  • Section 1 (physics) is worth 200 marks.

  • Section 2 (chemistry) is worth 200 marks.

Question breakdown

You must answer 3 questions in each section so that’s 6 out of 12 questions in total. Here's a quick breakdown:

Physics questions Questions 1-6
Chemistry questions Questions 7-12
Short questions Questions 1 and 7 are short questions in which you must answer 11 out of 15 parts.
Single topic/chapter questions Questions 2-5 and 8-11 are based on a single topic or chapter. These can be very predictable so I would advise looking over past exam papers and you’ll see a repetitive pattern of topics in these questions over the years. For example, Q.2 is generally on mechanics and Q.9 is usually on acids and bases.
Choice questions In questions 6-12, you have a choice of parts to answer (similar to Q.1 and Q.7). However, it is very important to realise that in Q.6 you must answer 2/4 parts but in Q.12 you must answer 3/4 parts. It is easy to trip up on this in an exam situation and accidentally only answer 2 parts in Q.12 so make sure this doesn’t happen to you on the day.
Top tip

There are not many chemistry experiments but titration is guaranteed to come up every year and it’s usually Q.9 on the paper. Have a look over exam papers and you’ll see the titration questions are very similar each year. I’d recommend practicing these and knowing it well as it’s generally a nice question.

Timing

Unlike other exams in the Leaving Cert, you shouldn’t be under any serious time pressure for phys-chem. The exam is 3 hours long and I’d advise spending equal time on both sections as they are equally marked. I recommend following this timeline: 

  • Spend the first 15 minutes reading the paper and selecting your questions.

  • Spend 80 minutes on Section 1 (roughly 26 mins per question).

  • Spend 80 minutes on Section 2 (roughly 26 mins per question).

  • This leaves 5 minutes at the end to read over your paper.

As you practice exam papers you’ll see that you can take your time with questions and answer them well without being under any major pressure. When selecting the questions you're going to answer, pick the ones you think you’d score the highest marks in and put a line through questions you haven’t covered or don’t feel confident answering. Take your time with the questions and answer them to the best of your ability.

Top tip

I don't recommend answering extra questions as you can only be awarded marks for 6 questions. I think it’s better to spend 15 minutes in the beginning to read all the questions and to make a sensible choice on which ones you intend to answer as opposed to doing extra questions. 

Studying for phys-chem

Here are the practices I followed when studying to help me get the H1.

Don’t study the entire course

Phys-chem differs from other subjects in the Leaving Cert and schools have different approaches to the course. As I’ve mentioned before, you only answer half of the paper so many schools only cover certain chapters. However, some schools cover the entire course so that you have plenty of choice on the day.

From my own experience, I strongly advise not to cover the entire course when you’re studying. You can’t answer every question on the paper so I think focusing on certain chapters that suit you is a better option.

Top tip

I found it is best to prepare about 4 questions in each section rather than having the whole course done as it’s just not necessary.

Work on your weakest subject

It’s likely you’ll enjoy one of the sciences more or find one of them easier to study but it is key to give time to both sections of the course when you’re studying. As I’ve mentioned, the sections are marked equally and you must be strong in both to do well. If you find you’re struggling at one more than the other, give yourself extra time to work on it.

I found chemistry to be more challenging than physics so I gave a little extra time to chemistry when I was studying so that I could get it right. 

Top tip

You can’t rely on knowing only one of the sciences inside out and not the other if you want to achieve high marks.

Exam papers and marking schemes

With regard to studying phys-chem, I think marking schemes and exam papers are the key to this subject. If you take the time to go through the past papers as you’re studying the chapters, you’ll see just how repetitive questions are from year to year and you’ll see the exact same style of questions coming up again and again. This will give you a fantastic idea of what to focus on when you’re studying.

I’d advise having a look at the marking schemes as well to get a feel for the precise answers and keywords your examiner will be looking for. A bit of hard work in this subject goes a long way and getting the basics right is crucial. If you have a look at the marking scheme, you’ll see that marks are awarded quite generously. For example, if you didn't get a full definition correct, marks are awarded for any correct keywords you have written down. A good understanding of the basics can get you a lot of marks in the phys-chem exam.

Top tip

Keep doing exam paper questions and correcting your work with the marking schemes and trust me, this will pay off in the end. It’s a great way to test yourself to see if you really know a chapter after revising it. 

The graph questions

Graph questions are very common in the phys-chem paper so be sure to bring a full-sized ruler with you for drawing graphs. Generally, you’re given a table of information and you’re simply asked to graph the results. If done well, this is a very easy place to pick up a lot of marks.

Take a moment before diving into drawing your graphs, however, as often, units or results must be changed. For example, in the questions on the Snell’s law experiment, they could give you the angles and you must work out the sin of the angles before graphing the results. In graph questions, if it says 'draw a suitable graph', the word 'suitable' usually means that something has to be changed before you draw your graph. Watch out for this as you’ll lose a lot of marks if your graph is not accurate. 

Remember

If the examiner doesn’t hand out graph paper in the exam, you must ask for some.

Switching units

Across both sections of the paper, students can often trip up on units. Sometimes I think they try to trick you with a very simple question but the units must be changed to the correct SI units. I’d advise you to be confident with your ability to switch units around going into the exam as this is an easy place to throw away marks, even if everything else you did in the question was correct. It’s also important to be familiar with your log tables and to know where to locate the formulas you’ll need in the exam. 

Top tip

If you don’t have a copy of an SEC log table, I’d advise that you pick one up to have at home so that you’re familiar with it by June. You don’t want to be wasting precious exam time flicking through the pages of your tables.  

Final tips

Final Tips

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Use flashcards

I used a serious amount of flashcards when studying phys-chem. I found it useful to have all of my definitions and key points on flashcards and I think this made it easier to learn them off. Leading up to the Leaving Cert, I stuck some flashcards around my house so that I could subconsciously learn the information from looking at the different flashcards every day. This might not work for everyone but coming up to the exams, this really helped me to learn those tough definitions and formulas when it seemed like they just weren’t going in.

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Know the experiments

I’d advise being very confident on the experiments in both physics and chemistry. There are quite a few physics experiments and some can be difficult but I’d really advise you to be able to draw the diagram for any experiment that could come up. You can achieve high marks for simply drawing a clear, well-labelled diagram. 

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Stay motivated

It’s likely phys-chem will be your final exam or one of your last exams in the Leaving Cert. In my case, I had a 4-day break before the exam and I must say, it was difficult to stay focused and motivated. It’s important to push it out and use any free days that you have before phys-chem wisely. Hopefully, at this stage, all your hard work will be done and you’ll just be reading over notes and brushing up on questions.

The night before the exam

The night before the exam I’d recommend focusing on definitions and experiments. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself in the final moments before the exam as you’ll only get stressed out and upset. Remember to pick the questions you’re most confident in and take your time with them. Don’t forget your calculator and full-sized ruler. Go in with a positive attitude and do your very best.

Some final tips

for your Leaving Cert Phys-chem exam.

Use flashcards

I used a serious amount of flashcards when studying phys-chem. I found it useful to have all of my definitions and key points on flashcards and I think this made it easier to learn them off. Leading up to the Leaving Cert, I stuck some flashcards around my house so that I could subconsciously learn the information from looking at the different flashcards every day. This might not work for everyone but coming up to the exams, this really helped me to learn those tough definitions and formulas when it seemed like they just weren’t going in.

Know the experiments

I’d advise being very confident on the experiments in both physics and chemistry. There are quite a few physics experiments and some can be difficult but I’d really advise you to be able to draw the diagram for any experiment that could come up. You can achieve high marks for simply drawing a clear, well-labelled diagram. 

Stay motivated

It’s likely phys-chem will be your final exam or one of your last exams in the Leaving Cert. In my case, I had a 4-day break before the exam and I must say, it was difficult to stay focused and motivated. It’s important to push it out and use any free days that you have before phys-chem wisely. Hopefully, at this stage, all your hard work will be done and you’ll just be reading over notes and brushing up on questions.

The night before the exam

The night before the exam I’d recommend focusing on definitions and experiments. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself in the final moments before the exam as you’ll only get stressed out and upset. Remember to pick the questions you’re most confident in and take your time with them. Don’t forget your calculator and full-sized ruler. Go in with a positive attitude and do your very best.

Hope these help - happy studying!

Best of luck in the exam! You'll be great.

By Clíona C.

Clíona got an H1 in her higher Leaving Cert PhysChem paper. She’s now studying Human Nutrition at UCD.

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