5th Weekly Special Offer

What will be covered in these 5th Year Accounting Grinds?

These 5th Year Accounting grinds give students an insight into what they can expect in June. A key element will be to focus on the previous exam questions and also on how to pick up easy marks. Each student will receive a full set of notes, which will be essential to improving exam grades. The following topics will be covered:

• Club Accounts
• Service Firms
• Farm Accounts
• Incomplete Records
• Cash Budgeting
• Product Costing
• Tabular Statements
• Ratio Analysis
• Marginal Costing
• Flexible Budgeting
• Production Budgeting
• Depreciation/Revaluation
• Control Accounts
• Cash Flow Statements
• Suspense
• Published Accounts
• Final Accounts

Meet your Accounting Teacher – Don Tierney: Don Tierney has 20 years of experience in teaching Leaving Cert Accounting. Prior to that, he spent two years working as an Accountant. He has a wide range of teaching experience in the subject. Confidence is instilled in his students as the students receive constant guidance and encouragement on how to earn top marks in their exams. He shares with the student’s exam techniques and equally as important, the most frequent and highly avoidable mistakes and over the years a high percentage of his students go on to study Accounting at Third level.

What will be covered in these 5th Year Applied Maths Grinds?

With the Leaving Cert Applied Maths syllabus not having changed in decades, this is a subject that can be rigorously trained for. By attending these grinds, students will have an intimate knowledge of what to expect in the exam in 2022, with a particular emphasis on the marking scheme and question appearance this year. You will receive comprehensive notes including probable exam questions, as devised and selected by our teacher. The following topics will be covered:

• Uniform Accelerated Motion
• Newton’s Laws
• Projectiles
• Collisions
• Relative Velocity

Meet your Applied Maths Teacher – Kieran Mills: Kieran Mills’ experience of correcting with the State Examination Commission gives him an in-depth knowledge of what is required by students. He is popular amongst students due to his mastery of the Project Maths Syllabus and is well-known for his ability to stimulate students’ interest in the subject. Kieran has 25 years’ experience teaching. He has co-written several books, including The Power of Maths series of Junior and Leaving Certificate Textbooks, trusted by thousands of students around the country. Kieran has also been an expert contributor on Maths for RTÉ Radio.

What will be covered in these 5th Year Biology Grinds?

The following topics will be covered:

• The Cell
• Osmosis
• Cell Division
• Scientific Method
• Flowering Plants
• Germination
• Photosynthesis
• Water Transport
• Food & Nutrition
• Nervous System
• Hormones & Reproduction
• DNA & RNA
• Genetics
• Evolution
• Ecology
• Microbiology
• Skeleton

Meet your Biology Teacher – Emily Brady: Emily Brady is a Biology and Chemistry teacher with an Honours degree in Science Education from Maynooth University.  She also completed a Professional Masters of Education in Maynooth University.  She has a passion for Biology and Chemistry and uses tailored teaching methods to enable students to grasp concepts.  Emily has extensive knowledge of the Leaving Certificate course content and how students can apply their knowledge in the exam to achieve their full potential in their exams.

What will be covered in these 5th Year Business Grinds?

Students will be given a valuable insight into the marking scheme, focusing on how answers must be structured. This course is essential for 5th Year students as it helps prevent them from developing any bad habits in answering questions. The following topics will be covered:

• People in Business
• Enterprise
• Managing 1
• Managing 2
• Business in Action
• Domestic Environment
• International Environment

Meet your Business Teacher – Gavin Duffy: With 19 years of teaching experience in both Leaving Certificate Business and Economics, Gavin has become an expert in his subjects, releasing first his ‘Exam Solutions’ book and recently the leading Business textbook for the Leaving Cert ‘Down To Business’. Gavin has always been focused on how students can maximise marks. He brings a great passion to his classrooms for both subjects and combined with an in-depth knowledge of how to excel in the state exams, he provides the opportunity for his students to achieve their potential.

What will be covered in these 5th Year Chemistry Grinds?

Topics in these Leaving Cert Chemistry grinds are specifically chosen to ensure maximum preparation for the Leaving Cert exam. Past and possible Leaving Certificate questions will be provided, along with solutions. Strategies to maximise grades will be given, with particular emphasis on the marking scheme. The following topics will be covered:

• Atomic Theory
• The Periodic Table and Trends in the Periodic Table
• Chemical Bonding
• Anion Analysis
• The Gas Laws
• Oxidation & Reduction
• Stoichiometry
• Volumetric Analysis – Acid & Base / Redox
• Acids & Bases
• Rates of Reactions
• Mandatory experiments will be covered within the above topics as they arise.

Meet your Chemistry Teacher – Dr. Nichola Walsh: Nichola has a first class honours degree in chemistry and Ph.D. from U.C.D. and she completed her Postgraduate Certificate in Education at the University of Oxford. She is an experienced teacher who has taught G.C.S.E, A-level, and Leaving Certificate chemistry and was an undergraduate chemistry tutor and lab demonstrator in U.C.D. She is a passionate teacher who loves teaching science and this comes across in her classes. Nichola is also an examiner for higher level chemistry, which has given her an invaluable insight into grading the chemistry paper. She regularly incorporates this knowledge into her classes to ensure students maximise their marks.

What will be covered in these 5th Year Economics Grinds?

Students will get exam-focused notes covering all the main topics. This course will provide students with the essential foundations of these important topics, which links into many other sections of the syllabus. The following topics will be covered:

• Production & Consumption
• Supply & Demand
• Price & Output
• Factor Incomes
• National Income and its Fluctuations
• Money & Banking
• The Government in the Economy
• Inflation
• International Trade & Payments
• Economics of Population
• Economic Growth & Development
• Economic Policies, Problems & Conflict

Meet your Economics Teacher – Gavin Duffy: With 19 years of teaching experience in both Leaving Certificate Business and Economics, Gavin has become an expert in his subjects, releasing first his ‘Exam Solutions’ book and recently the leading Business textbook for the Leaving Cert ‘Down To Business’. Gavin has always been focused on how students can maximise marks. He brings a great passion to his classrooms for both subjects and combined with an in-depth knowledge of how to excel in the state exams, he provides the opportunity for his students to achieve their potential.

What will be covered in these 5th Year English Grinds?

These English grinds focus on building the techniques that the examiner expects you to be able to both use and analyse. You will be confident that you have our formula with which to navigate the probable exam questions.

These grinds focus on firstly building an awareness of what the examiner wants and then providing the confidence to be able to supply it. As our teachers have said over the years: It is a myth that English can’t be trained for. The following topics will be covered in detail:

• Essay Writing
• Questions A & B
• The Single Text
• Selection of poems from all 8 poets
• The Unseen Poem
• A wide selection of Comparative Texts

Meet your English Teacher – Gavin Cowzer: Gavin Cowzer is regarded as a leading English teacher in this country. Having developed a passion for this subject, including obtaining a Master’s degree, Gavin’s teaching style is focused on covering the syllabus in a concise way, so that students have the tools to successfully manage the likely exam questions. His experience correcting exams gives his students an edge in a subject which is often assumed to be an art. However it is clear that there is a strict science behind doing well in the English exam and Gavin’s students will be guided by this little-known fact. He has also been an expert contributor on Leaving Cert English for RTÉ Radio.

What will be covered in these 5th Year French Grinds?

By the time you leave these grinds, you will possess a host of past and likely exam questions, including full solutions. There will be a heavy emphasis on your game plan for the exam and a focus on the Chief Examiner’s reports and marking schemes. The following topics will be covered:

• Grammar
• Reading Comprehensions (exam techniques & content)
• Aural Comprehension (exam techniques & vocabulary)
• Oral exam preparation topic by topic
• Le Document option
• Diary Entry written task i.e. Journal Intime
• Le récit
• Abstract Topics (social problems & current affairs)
• Response Essay Pieces (structure, essay plans, vocabulary, sample answers) 

Meet your French Teacher – Amy Weddell: Amy Weddell has an International Degree in French and German and has spent time living in both countries. This, coupled with the Professional Masters in Education providing training on up to date teaching methodologies, ensures that she holds the skills to successfully aid students at any level to access language curricula, at both an academic and cultural level. An integration of language-learning skills based on the acquisition of language, such as phonics, provides all students with a strong foundation ensuring that they achieve the best possible grades in exams.

What will be covered in these 5th Year Geography Grinds?

Leaving Cert Geography is not about essays and waffle-like many students think. Chief examiners require what are called SRPs (Significant Relevant Points). These are what dictate the marking scheme and are the key to unlocking this subject. By the end of these Leaving Cert Geography grinds, you will have multiple essays with 15 SRPs in each. You will receive a pull-out sheet at the end of each essay in which you can write your 15 SRPs using the notes and a trigger-word section. Topics covered are:

• Plate Tectonics
• Earthquakes & Volcanoes
• Folding & Faulting
• The Rock Cycle
• Weathering
• Karst Landscapes
• Landform Development
• Human Interaction with Surface Processes
• Map Reading
• Aerial Photograph
• Regional Case Studies
• Option Unit – Geoecology

Meet your Geography Teacher – Tracy Gannon: Tracy Gannon holds an Honours Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Geography, a Professional Diploma in Education & Master of Education. Her passion for her subjects has been shown in her ambition to further educate herself whilst also being a full-time post-primary teacher & part-time lecturer in University College Dublin.

Tracy’s style of teaching instils confidence in her students by providing them with a well-defined understanding of the syllabus. Her teaching experience and work as a Leaving Cert Geography state examiner have afforded her the opportunity to have a key insight into preparing her students to achieve top marks in their final exams.

What will be covered in these 5th Year German Grinds?

Over the course of the academic year, Amy will cover in great detail every section of the Leaving Cert German exam in the weekly grinds (from the oral exam right through to the written production). She will focus on key aspects of the German oral exam (worth 25%) guiding students on how to answer with confidence exactly what and how much the German oral examiners want to hear in the exam. She will provide students with profitable pointers and vital strategies on how best to approach the reading and listening comprehensions and will demonstrate and equip students with essential vocabulary and grammar and writing skills required to reach an H1 standard.

In our Leaving Cert German grinds, students will receive detailed exam-focused notes covering all topics on the Leaving Cert German syllabus. Close examination of the marking schemes and a thorough analysis of the use of language and typical questions asked in the reading (worth 30%) and listening comprehensions (worth 20%), as well as the written production section, will enable students to confidently tackle difficult questions in these sections.

Meet your German Teacher – Amy Weddell: Amy Weddell has an International Degree in French and German and has spent time living in both countries. This, coupled with the Professional Masters in Education providing training on up to date teaching methodologies, ensures that she holds the skills to successfully aid students at any level to access language curricula, at both an academic and cultural level. An integration of language-learning skills based on the acquisition of language, such as phonics, provides all students with a strong foundation ensuring that they achieve the best possible grades in exams.

What will be covered in these 5th Year Irish Grinds?

Students will get notes on the composition covering the most common questions. The course will cover simple shortcuts to help students raise their grade along with guidance on how to avoid the common mistakes made. Students will also be given guidance on what areas to prioritise in 5^th year along with a breakdown of the marks allocated for each section. The following topics will be covered:

• Oral Exam Preparation
• Aiste
• Diospoireacht
• Sceal
• Oraid
• Grammar
• Comprehensions
• Filíocht
• Prós
• An Triail
• Filíocht Breise
• Cluastuiscint

Meet your Irish Teacher – Séadhan de Poire: Séadhan de Poire is specialised in providing students with a clear, fundamental understanding of the syllabus and marking scheme. His teaching style is focused on covering the curriculum in a concise way, so that students have the tools to successfully manage the likely exam questions.

Séadhan is a popular teacher due to his ability to stimulate students’ interest in the subject.

What will be covered in these 5th Year Maths Grinds?

These 5th Year Maths grinds are emphasised by their exam-focused nature, with a huge focus on taking advantage of the marking scheme. The following topics will be covered:

Maths Paper 1 Topics

• Section 1. Number     
• Section 2. Algebraic expressions
• Section 3. Algebraic equations
• Section 4. Sequences and Series
• Section 5. Financial Maths

Maths Paper 2 Topics

• Section 1. Geometry
• Section 2. Measurement
• Section 3. Trigonometry
• Section 4. Co-ordinate Geometry

Meet your Maths Teacher – David Lewis: David’s ability to relate to students has resulted in him becoming a popular teacher at The Academy. His teaching methods are unique and are tailored to the Maths Syllabus. David is a member of the Irish Mathematics Teachers’ Association and is specialised in providing students with a clear, fundamental understanding of the syllabus. As an examination corrector in Maths, David is adept at understanding the mistakes for which students frequently lose marks.

Meet your Maths Teacher – Stephen Grimes: Stephen Grimes holds an Honours Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Physics, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education & Master of Education. He has over a decade of experience teaching Physics and Mathematics at the highest level, both with the Irish syllabus and the Cambridge A-Level syllabus while teaching abroad in Kuwait and Kenya. His vast experience of different curricula has given him the unique opportunity to have key insight into preparing students for a wide variety of questions that they may be challenged on. Stephen’s passion and teaching style instills confidence in his students while providing them with a deep and clear understanding of the syllabus.

What will be covered in these 5th Year Maths Ordinary Grinds?

With Project Maths beginning to settle, predictable trends are now being identified. We will show you the shortcuts to take full advantage of this. Each student will also receive a full set of notes, with solutions, which will be essential in improving exam grades. The following topics will be covered:

• Statistics
• Probability
• Geometry
• The Line
• The Circle
• Trigonometry
• Number
• Financial Maths
• Area & Volume
• Arithmetic
• Sequences & Series & Patterns
• Algebra
• Complex Numbers
• Functions
• Calculus
• Differentiation

Meet your Maths Teacher – Carl Brien: Having worked for the State Examination Commission, Carl brings his reputation as an authority on the Maths Syllabus to The Dublin Academy of Education. As a member of the Irish Mathematics Teachers’ Association, he is a popular teacher amongst students due to his mastery of the Project Maths Syllabus, and is well-known for his ability to stimulate students’ interest in Maths.

What will be covered in these 5th Year Physics Grinds?

In these grinds, we will break down Leaving Cert Physics to its fundamentals. It will be shown that the Leaving Cert Physics course is no more advanced than Junior Cert standard Maths and the learning of definitions and experiments. The following topics will be covered:

• Light and Sound (Waves)
• Electricity (including Electromagnetism)
• Modern Physics
• Particle Physics (Option)
• Heat
• Mechanics

Meet your Physics Teacher – Stephen Grimes: Stephen Grimes holds an Honours Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Physics, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education & Master of Education. He has over a decade of experience teaching Physics and Mathematics at the highest level, both with the Irish syllabus and the Cambridge A-Level syllabus while teaching abroad in Kuwait and Kenya. His vast experience of different curricula has given him the unique opportunity to have key insight into preparing students for a wide variety of questions that they may be challenged on. Stephen’s passion and teaching style instills confidence in his students while providing them with a deep and clear understanding of the syllabus.

What will be covered in these 5th Year Spanish Grinds?

These 5th Year Spanish grinds focus on manipulating the exam to your advantage. Firstly, these grinds focus on building an awareness of what the examiner wants and then on providing the confidence to be able to supply it. You will learn what your examiner is looking for and be given notes on key topics. The following topics will be covered:

• Grammar
• Reading Comprehensions (exam techniques & content)
• Oral Exam Preparation topic by topic & Role-plays
• Opinion Piece (structure, plans, vocabulary & sample essays)
• Dialogue Construction (repetitive structures, vocabulary & tenses)
• Diary Entry & Notes
• Aural Comprehension (exam technique & vocabulary)

Significant time is dedicated to preparing for the Oral Examination. This preparation includes:

• Free mock oral examinations during the year, one taking place before Christmas and one after. Each student is given a feedback sheet
• Oral exam preparation starts at the beginning of the academic year as it is worth 25% of the overall grade

Meet your Spanish Teacher – Katie Lenehan: Katie Lenehan holds a degree in French and Spanish, and a Professional Masters in Education. Her training as a teacher was based on the most up to date education models and methodologies and is designed to ensure all students are catered for and can reach their goals in the most efficient way possible. Her knowledge of languages and linguistics, as well as teaching in some of the most prestigious schools in Dublin, will ensure that students obtain the best possible grades in their exams. Katie has also been an expert contributor on Leaving Cert Spanish for RTÉ Radio.