6th Year Weekly Grinds

The course focuses on continuous practise of likely Leaving Certificate Higher level Accounting topics, with particular emphasis on the marking scheme and how students can maximise their grades in the exam. Time is spent studying the Theory section of the course, which is essential if students hope to achieve a H1 grade in the exam. Comprehensive notes with fully worked solutions will also be provided.

Topics from:

• 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.

The practical aspects of the course are examined in great detail and the reasons for various procedures are explained. Students are encouraged to participate actively in class by asking questions and taking notes. If a student cannot attend a particular class they have the option of taking that class at an alternative time of their choosing. All notes are made available to students with genuine reasons for absences.

Topics from:

• The Cell.
• Osmosis.
• Cell Division.
• Scientific Method.
• Flowering Plants.
• Germination.
• Food & Nutrition.
• Blood.
• Photosynthesis.
• Water Transport.
• Respiration.
• Excretion.
• Nervous System.
• Eye & Ear.
• Hormones.
• Reproduction.
• Meiosis & DNA.
• Genetics.
• Evolution.
• Ecology.
• Microbiology.
• Skeleton.

These classes prepare students for success in the Leaving Certificate Higher Level Business exam.

The course is divided into the following seven sections:

Unit 1 – Business Laws:

• People in Business
  Relationships between key stakeholders (investors & entrepreneurs or employers & employees).
  The Law of Contract.
• Consumers Laws
  The Consumer Protection Act 2007.
  The Sale of Goods and the Supply of Services Act 1980.
  The relationship between retailers & consumers.
• Industrial Relations
  Employer & employee relationships.
  Trade unions & industrial disputes.
  The LRC/WRC & the Labour Court.
  Unfair dismissal & discrimination.

Unit 2 – Enterprise:

• Enterprise
  Characteristics & skills of entrepreneurs characteristics.
  The notion of intrapreneurship.

Unit 3 – Management:

• Introduction to Management
  Characteristics of a manager.
  How managers and entrepreneurs differ.
• Management Skills 1
  The skills of Leadership and Motivation.
  Delegation.
• Management Skills 2
  The skill of Communications.
  Business documents.
  Information Communication Technology.
• Management Activities
  Planning.
  Organising.
  Controlling.

Unit 4 – Management in Action:

• Human Resource Management
  Six functions of a HR manager.
• Change
  Modern business techniques and systems.
  Modern facilitating mangers.
  Strategies to introduce change into a business.
• Taxation
  Tax calculations.
  Taxes a business must pay.
• Insurance
  The principles of insurance & risk management.
  Types of insurance a business can use to financially protect itself.
• Finance
  Types of short, medium & long term finances available to a business.
  Cash Flow Forecast analysis & calculations.
• Ratios
  Calculation of six major accounting ratios.
  How to interpret the results.

Unit 5 – Marketing:

• Identifying Opportunities
  Methods to generate new business ideas.
• Marketing
  Market research.
  Market segmentation.
  Target markets.
  Marketing strategies.
  The marketing concept.
• Product & Price
  First two elements of the marketing mix – Product & Price.
• Place & Promotion
  Next two elements of the marketing mix – Promotion & Place.
• Break Even Charts
  How to do break even calculations.
  How to draft a break even chart.
• Expansion
  Why a firm will expand.
  Organic & inorganic methods of expansion.
• Getting Started
  How to get money to set up your firm.
  Production options (job, batch & mass production).
  Formulating a Business Plan.

Unit 6 – The Domestic Scene:

• Business Scene
  Primary, secondary & tertiary sectors of the economy.
• Business Organisations
  Focus on nine organisational structures.
• Ethics
  Business ethics.
  Business social responsibility.
• Government & the Economy
  Government role in the economy.
  The six economic variables.
• Community Development
  Developing urban & rural disadvantaged areas.

Unit 7 – The International Scene:

• International Trade
  Trade.
  Balance of payments.
  Trading blocs.
  Opportunities & challenges firms face in international trade.
• Globalisation
  The impact of globalisation on Irish firms.
  Global adaptions to the marketing mix.
  Transnational companies & their impact on economies.
• European Union
  The benefits and challenges of the EU to Irish firms.
  EU institutions and decision making process of the EU.
  The Common Policies of the EU.

The Applied Math’s syllabus covers a variety of topics, designed to solve problems arising in Physics, Computer Science, Business and Finance. This course explores each topic in turn by first explaining the ideas behind, and motivation for the topic at hand, as well as applications to further study and professions. More concrete problems are then tackled, and once a level of proficiency and understanding is achieved focus is shifted to exam papers. Applied Maths assumes knowledge of the Leaving Certificate Maths syllabus, and so special care is taken to introduce topics only after 5th Year students are likely to have covered the necessary material in their own Maths classes.

Topics will be taught from the following list:

• Networks and Graphs
• Algorithms and Graphs
• Project Scheduling
• Dynamic Programming
• Units and Vectors
• Linear Motion
• Projectiles
• Newton’s Laws and Connected Particles
• Work, Energy and Power
• Collisions
• Circular Motion

Comprehensive notes will be given to students in advance of classes. They are designed not only to be followed during the first contact with a topic, but also to be an adequate revision tool after the fact. Multiple worked examples are provided, as well as questions to be worked through during class time, and optional homework to be completed after each class.

The Four Strands of Study:

Strand 1. The World of Heroes: Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid.

Strand 2. Drama & Spectacle: Greek theatre, Euripides’ Medea, the Roman Games, the Circus Maximus and the Colosseum.

Strand 3. Power & Identity: Alexander the Great.

Strand 4. Gods & Humans: Greek and Roman funerary practices, Greek and Roman temples and religious festivals, philosophy in Plato’s Crito and Horace’s Odes and Epodes.

Assessment: A research essay on an aspect of the ancient world must be completed by January of 6^th year. This essay is worth 20% of the final assessment. The remaining 80% comes down to a single two and a half hour exam paper.

These are the books required for both 5^th & 6^th years:

1. 1. G. Lloyd, Alexander the Great: Selections from Arrian, Cambridge University Press.
   2. Homer, The Odyssey, Penguin Classics (Must be translated by E.V. Rieu)
   3. Virgil: Selections from the Aeneid, Cambridge University Press, translated by Graham Tingay.

This course focuses on all aspects of the Leaving Certificate Chemistry syllabus, with particular emphases on exam technique and past papers. Chemistry practicals are also discussed in detail.

Topics from:

• Atomic Theory: History, electronic configuration, orbitals ionisation energies, trends in the periodic table, shapes of molecules, and radioactivity.
• Stoichiometry: Calculations involving moles, molecules, grams, and volume of chemicals, limiting calculations, and Gas Laws.
• Bonding: intramolecular bonds and intermolecular bonds.
• Acids and Bases: Definitions, strengths, amphoteric, conjugate pairs, and salt and anion tests.
• Volumetric Analysis/ Titrations: Acid and base titrations.
• Volumetric Analysis/ Titrations: Redox titrations.
• Rates of Reaction: Conditions, definitions, catalysts, and graphs.
• Equilibrium: Factors that affect equilibrium, and calculations.
• pH: Calculations, indicators, and graphs.
• Organic Chemistry: Experiments, reactions, and fuels.

Please bring periodic table and calculator

Our 6th Year Economics grinds help students to develop the knowledge and critically, the flexibility, needed be successful at Higher Level by assisting them in developing a deep understanding of all aspects of the Economics course. Having a broad knowledge across the entire course is an absolute pre-requisite for success and our exam focussed classes assist students to develop that breadth of knowledge. Students will learn how to apply that knowledge to exam style questions and will become familiar with the attention to detail consistent with H1 standards. Furthermore, students are encouraged to understand and evaluate real world economic events as this is another essential component for success in both the written examination and the research project.

In addition to expert guidance on the completion of the research project, the following topics are covered:

Strand 1: What Is Economics About?

1.1 Economics as a way of thinking

1.2 The economic concepts of scarcity and choice

1.3 Economic, social and environmental sustainability

Strand 2: How Are Economic Decisions Made?

2.1 The market economy

2.2 The consumer

2.3 The firm

2.4 Government intervention in the market

Strand 3: What Can Marketers Do?

3.1 Market structures

3.2 The labour market

3.3 Market failure

Strand 4: What Is The Relationship Between Policy and Economic Performance?

4.1 National income

4.2 Fiscal policy and the budget framework

4.3 Employment and unemployment

4.4 Monetary policy and the price level

4.5 Financial sector

Strand 5: How Is The Economy Influenced By International Economics?

5.1 Economic growth and development

5.2 Globalisation

5.3 International trade and competitiveness

This course covers all the four competencies necessary for success in the Leaving Certificate Higher level French exam – Aural, Oral, Reading and writing. While the content is similar to the 5th year course, the complexity of material covered is designed to reflect the demands of the Leaving Certificate.

Topics from:

• Letter writing.
• Diary entries.
• Abstract topics.
• Response pieces.
• Comprehensions (method and content).
• Listening comprehensions.
• Oral French.

This course helps students achieve their maximum potential in their Leaving Certificate Higher Level German exam. The classes are exam focused and homework is given throughout the year.

Topics from:

• Oral Exam
  Exam format.
  General questions.
  Role play.
  Picture sequence / project work.
  Option to discuss a film or novel in the oral will be covered.
• Aural Comprehension
  Practice using CDs and authentic listening material.
  Focus on listening skills required for the test.
  Reading comprehension.
  Introduction to journalistic and literary styles of texts.
• Writing
  Answering skills & techniques for the written exam.
  Letter writing.
  short essay.
  Opinion of issue practice.
• Grammar
  Techniques needed for the examination.
  Formal grammar.

This course is designed to help students prioritise their work that needs to be done in preparation for the Leaving Certificate Higher Level History exam in June 2025. In the first term of Sixth Year, each of the four course modules will receive attention. Students will be provided with useful exam advice and study aids to facilitate learning. Many of the online class sessions will also feature short video clips to add to the learning experience, encourage student engagement and invite questions and discussion. In April 2025, students will receive an additional study pack of sample essay answers from each of the course modules. These answers will serve as a useful study aid as well as demonstrate to students how to manage and structure course content to create effective and high scoring essays.

The four Leaving Cert History course modules that feature are:

• Politics and Society in Northern Ireland, 1949-1993
• Sovereignty and Partition, 1912-1949
• The United States and the World, 1945-1989
• Dictatorship and Democracy, 1920-1945

Topics from Irish and European History

Irish History

Module 1: Politics and Society in Northern Ireland, 1949-1993.

Topics that will feature form the Northern Ireland course module will include:

• Lord Brookeborough and the emergence of the welfare state in Northern Ireland, 1943-1963.
• Cultural identity and symbolism in Northern Ireland.
• Case Study: The Apprentice Boys of Derry.
• The O’Neill era, 1963-1969.
• Case Study: The Coleraine University controversy.
• The Civil Rights Movement, 1967-1969.
• The outbreak of the Troubles, the collapse of Stormont and Direct Rule, 1969-1972.
• Case Study: The Sunningdale Agreement 1973.
• Impact of the Troubles on Northern Ireland and political efforts that tried to establish peace.
• The contributions of Bernadette Devlin, John Hume, Margaret Thatcher, Ian Paisley, and Seamus Heaney to Northern Irish affairs.
• The contribution of Capt. Terence O’Neil to Northern Ireland.
• The contribution of Brian Faulkner to Northern Ireland.
• How the Troubles impacted on music, sport, and the arts.

Key personalities, core course content and material outside the syllabus will be analysed to give the student extra insight and understanding of these modules to aim for the higher grades in the state exams.

Throughout the year, students will gain access to data, content and personalities that often do not feature in mainstream textbooks. The students will have a stronger grasp of each course topic and a greater range of content with which to answer any exam question.

Students will also be introduced to the several core-course themes that run through each of the modules. These themes influence the frame-working of exam questions. Knowledge of these themes and how they feature throughout the various course topics will help students achieve a deeper understanding of the subject and ensure they are better prepared for the state examination.

Information and tips regarding managing content, effective writing and essay structure will be referred to throughout the year.

Students will be instructed how to address and effectively answer the compulsory documents section of the exam paper.

Module 2: Sovereignty and Partition, 1920-1949

During parts of Term 1 and most of Term 2 core course material will be revised from the Sovereignty & Partition module; the topics that will get most emphasis from this module will be taught as intended targets for the 2022 state exam paper as well as being designed to allow students gain insight into the key events and personalities from this era.

• Unionist resistance to Home Rule, 1912-1914.
• The 1916 Rising.
• The rise of new Sinn Féin, 1916-1918.
• The War of Independence.
• Case Study: The Treaty Negotiations.
• The contribution of Countess Markievicz, Padraig Pearse, Arthur Griffith, and Michael Collins to Irish affairs.
• Socio-economic developments in the Irish Free State.
• Case Study: The 1932 Eucharistic Congress.
• Social morality in the Irish Free State.
• Law and Order in the Irish Free State.
• Steps to assert Irish sovereignty, 1922-1949.
• Anglo-Irish relations, 1922-1949.
• The path to partition, 1912-1949.
• The role of education, the Irish language and religion in the Irish Free State.
• The contribution of Cosgrave and de Valera to Irish affairs.
• Case Study: The Belfast bombings, 1941 and a comparative analysis with the war experience in Dublin.

European History

Module 1: The United States and the World, 1945-1989.

Topics that will feature from the USA module include:

• The growth of the US economy after World War II.
• How economic growth changed the way people lived.
• The changing role of women in the USA.
• Urban crime and poverty.
• Background to racial conflict and tension in the United States.
• Case Study: The Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955-1956.
• The contribution of Martin Luther King to US affairs and key Civil Rights legislation.
• Black militancy, urban riots and blaxploitation.
• Overview of US foreign policy, 1945-1961.
• The Age of Consensus.
• Case Study: Lyndon B. Johnson and the Vietnam War.
• US military tactics in the Vietnam War and the impact on society.
• The collapse of the Age of Consensus.
• The contribution of Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson to US affairs.
• Case Study: The Moon Landing, 1969.
• The era of détente, 1969-1979.
• Advances in military and information technology.
• The Reagan era and the end of the Cold War, 1980-1989.

Throughout the year, students will gain access to data, content and personalities that often do not feature in mainstream textbooks. The students will have a stronger grasp of each course topic and a greater range of content with which to answer any exam question.

Students will also be introduced to the several core-course themes that run through each of the modules. These themes influence the frame-working of exam questions. Knowledge of these themes and how they feature throughout the various course topics will help students achieve a deeper understanding of the subject and ensure they are better prepared for the state examination.

Information and tips regarding managing content, effective writing and essay structure will be referred to throughout the year.

Students will be instructed how to address and effectively answer the compulsory documents section of the exam paper.

Module 2: Dictatorship and Democracy, 1920-1945. (Compulsory Documents Case Study Section for the 2024 Leaving Certificate exam)

Emphasis will be given to the three document case studies. Other areas of the course will also feature to enable the student to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of events that influenced each of the case study topics.

• The Rise of Hitler, his totalitarian regime, and life in Nazi Germany.
• Nazi Propaganda.
• Case Study: The Nuremberg Rallies.
• The characteristics of fascism.
• Britain between the Wars.
• Case Study: The Jarrow March
• Stalin’s Russia – ‘Fear and Transformation’.
• Case Study: Stalin’s Show Trials.
• Propaganda in Stalin’s Russia.

Over the course of the year, students will also be coached in how to address and answer the DBQ section of the exam paper. They will also have the marking scheme for this section of the exam paper explained to them.

Sample answers will also be provided to aid the students in their study and understanding of the Documents section of the exam.

These classes cover all areas of the Leaving Certificate Higher level Irish exam.

Students receive sample answers in all areas of Poetry and Prose, with significant emphasis on exam technique. Weekly emphasis on the Oral and Aural sections, which cover 50% of the entire exam, is also included.

Topics from:

• Aiste Díosóireacht Scéal Oráid
• Gramadach
• Léamhthuiscint
• Filíocht
• Prós
• An Triail
• Filíocht bhreise
• Cluastuiscint

The course covers all the essential methods, formulae and procedures required for success in the Leaving Certificate Higher Level Maths papers. Comprehensive notes are provided on a weekly basis, with fully worked solutions.

Topics from:

• Numbers & Algebra.
• Algebra.
• Algebra & Functions.
• Algebra & Graphs.
• Algebra: Powers and Logs.
• Geometry.
• Geometry: Constructions.
• Trigonometry.
• Co-ordinate Geometry.
• Probability.
• Differentiation.
• Sequences & Series.
• Financial Maths.
• Complex Numbers.
• Integration.
• Statistics.
• Inferential Statistics.

Please bring log tables and calculator

These classes cover all material on the Leaving Certificate Higher Level Physics syllabus. Strong emphasis is placed on the exam and past paper questions. Classes are taught in a friendly, relaxed and structured manner that is conducive to understanding the principles of physics. Detailed, accessible notes are provided on all topics, and fully worded solutions are provided for all past paper questions dating back to 2002, the first year that the present syllabus was examined.

Topics from:

• Mechanics 1
  Linear motion.
  Newton’s laws.
• Mechanics 2
  Moments.
  Circular motion.
  Planetary motion.
  S.H.M.
• Sound and Waves
  Doppler Effect.
  Standing waves.
  Sound intensity.
• Light
  Reflection.
  Refraction.
  Diffraction.
• Electricity 1
  Nature of charge.
  Coulomb’s law.
  Capacitance.
• Electricity 2
  Resistivity.
  Resistance.
  Conductivity.
  Semiconductors.
• Heat and temperature
  Thermometers.
  S.H.C.
  Latent heat.
• Electromagnetism
  Magnets.
  Electromagnetic induction.
• Modern Physics
  Photoelectric effect.
  X-rays.
  Radioactivity.
  Nuclear energy.
• Particle physics
  Cockcroft and Walton.
  Mass-energy.
  Quarks.
• Exam Focus
  How to study physics.
  How to prepare for the exam.
  How to correctly read exam questions.
  How to “answer what is asked”.

Please bring log tables, past papers and calculator

This course operates in a manner that places more responsibility on its students to engage with content and concepts than a traditional ‘grinds’ environment. Central to its specifications are the theories of 16 Key Thinkers, who range from political philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Karl Marx, to modern Feminist thinkers such as Sylvia Walby and Martha Nussbaum.

Handling supporting data (Section B, the “Data-Based Question”) and integrating relevant contemporary case studies from home and abroad into Section C (“Discursive Essays) form the backbone of the course content covered in these grinds. This is supplemented by a detailed examination of national, international, and supranational institutions, treaties, and Non-Governmental Organizations.

The course explores four interconnected strands thought the 29 weeks:

• Power & Decision Making
• Human Rights & Responsibilities
• Globalisation and Localisation
• Active Citizenship.*

*In addition to traditionally examined materials, the subject also includes an “Active Citizenship Project” worth 20% of the students’ final grade. Given the very wide range of possible topics that students investigate in this process, this revision course offers guidance on the projects, such as layout, focus and drafting of each section, and clear engagement with the marking scheme, but the projects will not be undertaken within this structure.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

***Any students undertaking Politics and Society as a subject outside their normal timetables school subjects must ensure that they have a cooperating teacher in their own school who will be in a position to “sign-off” on their Citizenship Project and verify that it has been completed by the student. They must also ensure that they have informed their school principal that they intend to sit the exam and that their school exam centre will be in a position to facilitate this.***

This course prepares students for success in the Leaving Certificate Higher Level Spanish exam. Initial emphasis is placed on developing grammar skills. Once this important foundation has been established, students then practice with past papers and learn strategies to maximize their marks in the Oral, Aural, Reading and Written sections.

Topics from:

• General overview of the exam paper.
• Key grammar points
  – Verbs: present, future, conditional, 3 past tenses, subjunctive, imperative and gerund
  – Some special verbs: gustar, ser and estar
  – Pronouns
• Reading Comprehension
  – Exam techniques and vocabulary from past papers.
• Writing
  – Opinion piece (Structure, topics, vocabulary, idiomatic expressions…)
  – Writing techniques for Diary entries and Notes.
  – Sentence building. Work on common errors.
• Listening comprehension
  – Vocabulary from past papers
  – Vocabulary for the weather report
  – Strategies to maximise marks
• Oral
  – Understanding the oral exam.
  – Interview. Expanding on common topics.
  – Sample answers.
  – Role-plays

A. Please refer to our full schedule of grinds on our website.

A: Yes, All classes, whether online or onsite, are recorded and available to students to watch back online for revision. All students will be sent login details for our student platform; where they can watch back any of their classes.

A: No, a hard copy will be provided to each student from the teacher for the subjects they enrol. If you are attending a class onsite, class notes will be provided to you in the classroom.

A: Yes. We will facilitate class changes up to October Mid-term, subject to available places.

A: 3rd Yr 1hr, 5th & 6th Yr 1hrs 15min, Extra Subject 1hr 30 – 2hrs depending on subject.

A: This depends on the number of subjects and the year group taken. Please refer to the fees table to see a list of fees.

A: Yes, though please note: Classes are taught for 29 weeks. A refund (or partial refund) can be given for requests made before Week 15. Please contact susan@brucecollege.ie.

A: There are 29 weeks (29 classes) of tuition between September and May. Students will have one class per subject booked per week.

A: Yes, fees are reduced 3 times throughout the year. The website will always show the most up-to-date pricing.

A: Yes, students are required to sign a roll sheet at each class they attend. Bruce College however accepts no responsibility for students who fail to attend class.

A: Yes, the classes schedule generally follows the normal school calendar with breaks at mid-terms, Christmas & Easter.

A: Yes, with consideration being given to the suitability of the subject. It is advisable that a student only takes on a new subject at the start of the academic year (5th yr) and notify their teacher. Please note that our classes cover the theory of the curriculum and project work and do not carry out any practicals.

A: There is a separate published schedule of classes on our website.

A: Our classes are run in more lecture style than most students might be used to in school. However they are also interactive and our teachers use a variety of methods to ensure that students can ask questions and contribute to the class.

A: No, in the weekly classes each subject commences in September and runs through to the end of the academic year in May. Students can catch up on what they have missed by reviewing the previous class recordings and notes.

A: Teachers have their own individual teaching plan for the year, and should be able to advise on this.

A: No. Teaching is a central part of all our courses. The notes are to facilitate recall and revision of the day’s work covered by the teacher.

A: A full schedule of classes will be available on our website.

A: Yes, you can enrol in other classes at Bruce College.

A: Students enrolled on the course will receive an email from us containing their unique login details and links to access their chosen subjects. Login credentials will be sent in advance of course start date. Only those details sent to you will enable you to successfully access classes online.

A: All online classes are hosted live on Microsoft Teams. The links to the weekly classes are accessed via Moodle. Students must sign into both Moodle and MS Teams with the @brucecollege.ie login credentials sent to the student.

A: No, each online grinds class is streamed live as per the timetable Recordings of classes will be available after each live class is completed. These can then be replayed as a revision aid.

A: Yes, recordings of classes will be available after each live class is completed. These can then be replayed as a revision aid. These will be available up until the end of the academic year.

A: We would advise that all students enrolling in our online grinds have the following:
• Access to a reliable wifi service.
• Access to a PC, Laptop, Tablet, or similar device.
• We would not recommend using a mobile phone.
• Headphones/earphones.

A: Yes, students enrolled in online grinds will receive a monthly delivery of notes for each chosen subject. Please allow five working days for delivery from the time of booking.

A: No, a hard copy will be posted out to each student for the subjects they enrol in, on a monthly basis.

A: Our classes run in a more lecture style than most students might be used to in school, but they are also interactive, and teachers will use a variety of methods to ensure that students can learn and understand and feel comfortable asking questions and contributing to the class.

A: Yes, in most subjects this is suitable if the student is happy to attend. There may be course exam specific content in that would differ, (eg) a fifth year English student would have different texts than a 6th year., so in this case this would not be suitable.

A: Payments can only be as a single payment for the year, or two payments over the year as published.

A: Yes, these classes are also attended by students who are currently studying for the subject in their own school. The classes are longer and differ in price structure.