ACE Solution Books 2025

Joe’s Jotter: My Shortened Guide to Homework at Post-Primary School.

Homework is an extremely important part of your child’s learning at Secondary School. It is key that all students spend some time each night revising what they have learned in class each day. This also applies in situations where they are not given anything written or oral to do that evening. Tending to homework diligently each night will certainly reap benefits as a student enters their final years at second level.

How Much Time should my Child be Spending on Homework?

Time spent on homework varies according to what year a student is in. In sixth year, I recommend that students target at least two hours homework and one-hour revision each evening during the school week (Monday to Friday). Fifth years should target a minimum of at least two to two and half hours work in total each night. First up to third years should complete between one and two and a quarter hours work a night.

Further time spent on homework and revision during a weeknight will probably involve a loss in Information retention. To this end, it is important to use common sense as night draws in i.e. tomorrow is another day. Students that have their work done for the following day’s classes and find themselves falling asleep, should go to bed. Your body may be telling you to rest, so it is advisable to listen to it.
Time spent on homework is always time well spent. Students should always divide work due into two elements, namely ‘Urgent’ and ‘Important’. Homework will normally be urgent, as your teacher will be requiring it completed within one or two days.

Revision itself is ‘Important’, unless it is within a month of state exams and then I believe it is ‘Urgent’. Each week brings different ‘Urgents’ and students should use this knowledge to work out how many revision and homework blocks they can fit into each week.
Nights where a student has little, or no homework should allow a revision of topics learned in class over the previous few days to take place. More details on this concept are detailed in my study guide publication ‘How to ACE the Leaving Certificate’ for all subjects.

ACE Tips for on How Parents Can Help Their Child Enhance Homework Time.

Below are five helpful tips that will hopefully facilitate your involvement in making homework a positive learning experience for your child.

1. Provide your child with a suitable place and time to do their homework. Minimise interruptions/distractions from TV and other siblings.
2. If a child has difficulty with homework, you should try where possible to help them overcome it with explanations and examples, without actually doing it for them.
3. In the case of recurring homework problems, it is advisable to ring or send a quick note to the teacher to explain what the issue is. If you are a parent of a third or sixth year student or the issue is more urgent, a phone call is probably the recommended form of communication.
4. Parents should communicate with teachers about homework in the following cases: when your child cannot do homework due to family circumstances, when your child cannot do homework due to a lack of understanding (after studying their class notes), or when your child is spending an unreasonable amount of time doing homework in a specific subject.
5. As well as showing a keen interest in their homework, I would suggest being more aware of the type and content of homework they are doing. You can then attempt to link it to their everyday life by chatting to them about sports, prices, trends, media headlines, countries, travel etc. This will reinforce their learning.
Wishing you all the very best with your homework endeavours this year. Keep in touch via the below links. Joe. 🙂
More details about Joe’s Maths Tuition Classes for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate (2025) and his Award Winning ACE Maths Solution Books can be found via the links below:

ACE Maths Tuition Classes: acesolutionbooks.com/ace-maths-tuition
ACE Maths Solution Books: acesolutionbooks.com/buy-my-books
Joe’s page: https://www.facebook.com/JoeMcCormackEducationalExpert

Joe McCormack - Educational Expert Secondary School Maths Teacher, Solopreneur, Author, Accredited Thought Leader in Education (AIBF).

Joe’s Jotter: Key Pointers to Help Students Settle Back into Revision.

Dear Students,

As we reach the end of our first month in school, you may be struggling to return to some kind of a revision routine. Here are six useful signposts for all students to get you back into the swing of completing homework and revising classwork…

1. Take regular breaks.

Yes, really! Taking short five-minute breaks every thirty minutes should keep you fresh and focused. However, make sure that five minutes doesn’t turn into an hour! Go for a short walk, call up a friend or have a snack and then come back to your work on time. Some studies have found that having a natter with friends can have a positive effect on memory and that laughing increases serotonin (the body’s chemical that makes you happy). It is important to leave your study area during your breaks to get a change of perspective and return with renewed energy for the next session.

Enjoyable breaks will allow you to become more efficient with your study blocks. Setting mini targets like completing a long exam question followed by a prolonged break is a smart way to operate.

2. Stay alert and interested.

When reading, it is a good idea to make notes or highlight key terms. I believe you should always revise with a pen at hand. I feel that just by reading a piece of text, you are not actively engaging with it. In my experience, you will remember more by summarising it or even just by making red or green sub notes on the page. This method keeps the brain tuned in to the task at hand. Other learning methods you might consider for variety include YouTube videos, online quizzes, or creating mind maps.

If you find yourself struggling to stay alert, you are probably tired, and it may be time for a break or retirement for the evening.

3. Be ruthless with your notes.

Many students go to educational institutions after Christmas to boost their store of materials and, of course, their confidence. However, I have seen many students over the years become overwhelmed with too much material and they just end up getting swamped, not knowing where to start.

In subject areas you find difficult, reduce your material into manageable, thought provoking snippets. If you take notes in class, make sure to date and keep them for revision later. Dig out last year’s material requiring revision at this point. It is important to keep a record of what topics you have done in class and how long your teacher has spent on them. This will ensure you are clear on what has been covered and what still needs to be investigated. Being persistently consistent in relation to your notes is a big factor in doing well in exams.

4. Set goals and keep records.

Setting goals will help you monitor your study and will give you something to work towards. If you under perform in a class test, set a mini goal for your next test to improve by a certain percentage. In your school journal, write down all your goals and check them off as you complete them - name it a ‘Junior Cycle or Leaving Cert bucket list’. Ultimately, use long-term goals to motivate you to ACE the short-term ones.

Long-term goals might include a points target in your Leaving Certificate, a possible trip to third level or scoring that rewarding job later. A short-term goal will help you get where you want to be long term. Reviewing the success of your short-term goals every two weeks will give you a sense of achievement. An example of a short-term goal could involve summarising and understanding a chapter from your book and completing a past exam question relating to it. All my successful students over the years have created plans and set goals for themselves.

5. Earn your rewards.

Don’t forget to ‘have a life’ as you develop a routine that works for you. Reward yourself after a long study session with a trip to the cinema or visit to your friends. Ultimately, reward yourself with breaks, taking a reasonable one after every good hour’s work.

There is nothing wrong with the odd bar of chocolate, ice-cream, or packet of gummy bears; everyone who has done something constructive deserves a little thank you. Earn rewards with each thorough revision session you complete. This will Increase motivation and improve your overall revision output.

6. Start thinking about Past Exam papers.

Those of you in Exam years: Are you familiar with the layout of each exam paper and its marking scheme? If not, you need to get checking. You can source all the past exam papers in the ‘Examinations Material Archive’ section of the examinations.ie website. If you are doing exams in 2025 and haven’t a set of exam papers for each subject, don’t delay, get them today. A large part of your revision should be to assess and practice answering questions from past exam papers (under time pressure) on the topics you have covered in class.

Remember also that each subject’s exam paper is different, so you need to familiarise yourself in each subject. You need to find out the exact layout and style of each individual paper. Is there a choice in sections? How many questions do you need to attempt in each section? Are there short/long questions or both? And most importantly, how long can you plan to spend on each individual question? Being super familiar with paper layout is key. Joe

‘Eat that Elephant, chunk by chunk, bit by bit, step by step.’

More details about Joe’s Maths Tuition Classes 2025 for 5th & 6th Year (Leaving Certificate Students) can be found via the below:

ACE Maths Classes: acesolutionbooks.com/ace-maths-tuition

Students who write down their Goals are 42% more likely to achieve them!!

What are goals?

Goals are something we desire to achieve…
Maybe you want to ACE an exam, exercise every day, start your own podcast, get a part-time job, get a starting place on a team, or learn to play an instrument..

Why set goals?
• Goals give you a sense of purpose
• Goals give you a reason to get out of bed
• Goals help to focus your mind
• Goals help us to be more creative
• Goals help to motivate us

Goals are 42% more likely to happen if you write them down regularly….

Students Task:
Write down three short term goals for the month of December…

Joe’s Jotter: How 2nd and 3rd Years can best use their Evenings.

Students, as we come towards the end of the first few weeks back in Secondary School, it is important now that you get into a routine of homework and revision, both during the week and at the weekend. Breaks are important for all students who are putting effort in at home each night, as well as giving yourself some wind down time before bed also. Over the next few months, try and improve the standard of your homework.

Always take pride in how you complete written homework. Doing homework like a mini exam is the best form of preparation for your any upcoming tests. Here are four more practical tips you can try to get the more out of your evenings.

Be positive.

Being positive will vastly improve your attitude towards study and therefore its quality. You should always focus on what you have studied, what you have learned or what you know as opposed to continually looking at what needs to be done. When you come across an awkward question, you need to box it off properly in your mind. Instead of thinking, “we haven’t covered this!” or “how is this relevant to what I know?”, you need to reflect on how it links into your subject, topics within the subject and what your Teacher has taught you in class.

The same goes for studying prior to the exam. Take control by changing the way you speak about your preparation. Instead of saying “I should be studying more”; be good to yourself and say, “Well I did a solid two hours this morning and will go back to it tonight”. Change “I should be…” to “I’m going to...”

Research has shown that positive language can lead to more positive results. If you say: “I can’t climb that wall”, you are less likely to succeed in the task, as your brain has almost been auto programmed to fail. As a Maths teacher, I love this equation of positivity:
Positive attitude + Positive actions = Powerful results.

Look after your eyes.

You will be doing plenty of reading from textbooks, summary notes, post-its, flashcards and the likes over the next few years, so it is important to look after your eyes during this period. The expert’s advice on reducing eye strain is to apply the twenty-twenty-twenty rule. That is to take twenty seconds to look at something twenty feet away and repeat this every twenty minutes. Going outside on your breaks will get some fresh air to the eyes.

Another good exercise is to simply rest your eyes in the palm of your hands for a few minutes, making sure that no light gets through. Too much time on devices wouldn’t be great for keeping your eyes fresh. Just saying!

Rotate your learning.

The brain can only concentrate on a subject matter for a certain time period. At times, when I was penning my ACE Study Guidebook, I needed to get away and come back to it in order to maintain my focus. Rotate your work between memorising content, writing, oral work, audio, Internet research and watching documentaries etc. Most importantly, rotate your subjects.

We all enjoy discovering about subjects we find interesting, but it is so important not to forget the subjects you find difficult or the ones you are just not as interested in. Rotation of stimulus will trick the brain into performing better and going for longer.

Become an active learner.

During study sessions, always have a pen and a highlighter to hand. You should mark the key points onto your textbook, write brief comments at the side of the page or underline the important sentences. This information should then be transferred to a summary page later.

I really like this method of revision as it reduces the quantity (amount) of notes you have to analyse and there shouldn’t be a need to revisit that part of your textbook again. Active learning is a great way to keep yourself tuned into what you are studying. Spend time thinking about how you can use your life experiences and places visited to enhance essays or answers with a few extra bells and whistles.

Individuality and drawing on your personal experiences are what every Teacher and examiner is looking out for in your answers. You need to try and stand out a bit from your fellow students.
Get in touch if I can help you in any way. Joe.

“Record all revision done so you can track what's what later.”

More details about Joe’s Maths Tuition Classes 2025 for 3rd, 5th & 6th Year (Leaving Certificate Higher Students)

ACE Maths Classes: acesolutionbooks.com/ace-maths-tuition

ACE Maths Solution Books: acesolutionbooks.com/ace-solution-books-package/

Joe’s Jotter: Unlock Confidence in Challenging Subjects (Case Study - Maths).

Students, as you settle into the new year, teachers and parents totally understand that even though you are making great strides, you still have plenty of fears. From speaking with students over the years, I find it’s not the full set of exams that cause concern; it is usually only one or two subjects.

Naturally everyone has their own talents and subjects they prefer. Personally, I was better at the Sciences than the languages, but I persevered and got the grades I wanted in the languages I chose.
Sometimes subjects you are not looking forward to are the ones that have you on guard and you end up doing better in; A paper on the day can go well in an exam you were dreading.

I regularly hear welcome surprise coming from students on results day, with comments such as “I didn’t expect that result in # # ”. The moral of the story here is that too much concern about a subject could end in false worry and be draining you of energy; energy you need for revising all subjects and getting your head space right.

Preparing for one of your less favoured subjects is a blatant case of having to ‘get on with it’. Of course, it is easier to revise and work on subjects you enjoy and are good at, but you must not ignore the others. Studying and preparing the ‘frog subjects’ is probably the biggest challenge you will face in school. You must prioritise these subjects on your weekly ‘Lifestyle Study Timetable’. I will detail how to setup this timetable in a later blog feature. Author and reconstructive surgeon, Jack Penn, once said:

“One of the secrets in life is making steppingstones out of stumbling blocks”.

Building Confidence in Maths.

Maths is one of those subjects that many students find difficult. To me Maths is about grafting to understand the basics, building your confidence, and not being prepared to give up easy. Always start by attempting the easier topic questions (usually the part a’s and b’s) and subsequently graduating to the part c’s and d’s. You should check your work as you go against a good quality solutions book and thus be constantly ‘learning by doing’. Here are some of my top tips to improve your performance in Maths (and its exam) at any level.

Joe’s Top Tips for Success in Maths.

1. Put formulas, explanation of words and keynotes into a little pocket notebook.
2. Practice as many past exam questions as you can and check your answers against a fully developed and explained solutions book.
3. Challenge yourself to try and come up with a second method of doing questions.
4. Try to approach each question from different angles. Always write down something. Do not be afraid of making a mistake.
5. Draw a diagram (if possible) and label it to simplify a question.
6. Be familiar with what is and what is not in your log tables.
7. When studying, exhaust all attempts to answer an exam question before referring to your solutions book. Do not give up easily.
8. Read each question in Maths carefully underlining the key words and phrases.
9. At all levels, if you feel overwhelmed by the length and difficulty of the course – start with basic Algebra.
10. Find yourself a study buddy to share questions and resources with. Discuss problems with each other and encourage.
11. Use various Internet sites as a companion to improve your Maths skills.
12. Consult your teacher about problems with topics or specific Maths questions during and after class.
13. Start by attempting basic questions for each topic, building up to a full exam question. Answer the exact question being asked.
14. The word FAIL in Maths for me means First Attempt In Learning.
15. Do not be afraid to explain a solution to a question with words if you cannot do so with numbers and symbols.
16. Spend five to ten minutes daily going over what you have learned in class that day.
17. Every time you write down a formula, draw a box around it to help you remember it. Check if this formula is in your log tables. If not, you need to memorise it.
18. Anything that you type into your calculator (related to a question) must be written on your answer book/copy also.
19. Have all resources present when doing Maths questions i.e. Full Maths set, pencil, calculator, and log tables.
20. 3rd and 6th Years, practice as many previous exam questions as you possibly can.
21. Rewrite sample questions given in your textbook to get an understanding of the basics.
22. It is ok to look at a solution to a question if you have tried your best to solve it alone. Use the answer to figure out the exact method for the question. Re-do it without help.
23. Work with groups of friends on harder Maths questions. Bounce ideas off each other in order to understand and learn from their thinking.
24. Always write out every single step of your answer. This will be easy to look back, revise and follow later.
25. Talk positive about subjects you find difficult. Don’t throw away your shot at success by talking your way into failure. Get in touch if I can help you in any way. Joe.

‘Sail on the Seas of ambition and land on the shore of success.’

More details about Joe’s Ongoing Maths Tuition Classes for 5th & 6th Years here:

ACE Maths Classes: acesolutionbooks.com/ace-maths-tuition

Joe’s Jotter: Positive Ways to Navigate Secondary for a Student with SEN.

Students who have Special Educational Needs (SEN) can struggle with various different tasks each day at Secondary School. As teachers and parents of first year students, we want to make their transition to Secondary School as smooth as possible. We are also cognisant, however, of those in other year groups heading back into a new year group this September with many fears and anxieties. How can help them be the best they can be and try and support them along their new journey?

The Additional Educational Needs (AEN) Coordinator manages resources for the one in four students (ESRI, 2017) who benefit from support that goes beyond standard classroom teaching. Resource Teachers provide such support and often facilitate learning in small groups or on a 'one to one' basis. Practical supports are provided by Special Needs Assistants (SNA's) to allow some students access the curriculum as independently and inclusively as possible.

Many schools have autistic classes where 'best practice' in inclusion means that autistic students are supported by the whole school community to develop their strengths, meet their potential, and enjoy school life alongside siblings and peers.

This feature article should provide some sapient advice on how you can help your child navigate their day-to-day engagements more seamlessly. It also contains some useful advice and informative recommendations for Parents of Students with SEN that are already attending Secondary School (2nd Years upwards). As I see it, the support they require is twofold: ‘Home’ Support and ‘School’ Support.

The ‘Home’ Support.

1. Photocopy their timetable, have copies in their locker, on the fridge, in their journal and for their pocket.
2. Photocopy their bus ticket. Have a spare ticket in their school bag, at home and in their school locker in case it is misplaced.
3. Get colour coordinated folders. Give each subject a colour. For example, all English related work and notes goes into a green folder. Put a green sticker on the English textbook and English copies and colour code ‘English’ green on their timetable. If you have a map of the school, then the room where English class takes place should also be shaded green. Everything ‘English’ related is green and so on for each subject.
4. If using a locker key, make multiple copies and get a springy key chain so that they can attach it to a loop on their pants or skirt. Alternatively, use a combination lock and get them to memorise the code between now and the start of school. Mark with nail varnish or spray paint to make it brighter and easier for them to see their property from a distance.
5. Have a stash of spare copies and additional stationery material in a cupboard at home. Let them know where it is, so that they can draw on it as things go missing or get filled up.
6. Have a morning checklist on the fridge for: books, lunch, keys, jacket, PE gear etc.
7. If possible, arrange for them to tour the school before day one. It is also a good idea to do a trial run of their trip to school to get an idea of the route and timing. This will avoid any travel trauma’s during week one. Leaving extra time, if possible, is wise of course.

The ‘School’ Support.

1. If possible, arrange that they meet as many of their subject teachers and year head prior to starting back or as soon as is possible. This gives them certainty about who will be working with and helping them this year.
2. Look into having a safe and reliable person that they can approach for help and advice in school on a daily basis.
3. If they have a Special Needs Assistant (SNA), make sure that person has a copy of their colour coordinated timetable, a spare locker key and a copy of the bus-ticket. Provide this person with anything else that might smooth the transition back to school for your child.
4. Make it your business to get to know your child’s Assistant Principals and Class Tutor as soon as the year commences. Connecting with teachers is always a good start to any year.
5. Have a notebook that they can write in during the day in case they find something challenging. Both of you can reflect on it together when a suitable time during the week arises, in order to see what challenges might need to be overcome.
6. For the first hour each evening, allow them to breathe and relax when they get home. Do not expect them to talk immediately after school. It is advisable to allow them some quiet wind-down time first.
7. Advise them to choose/request a Locker at eye level and at the end of a row. This is so important, as all their classmates and other classes may be scheduled to go to their lockers together, leading to mayhem at times. Having to reach down with people blocking their path can be especially challenging for someone with social or communication difficulties. This is definitely one practical suggestion that will ensure they are on time for each class and that they can get access to the correct materials for each class quickly also.
8. Encourage them to link up with a buddy or designated person in each subject class, so they can text them to find out what homework they have, should the need arise.
9. If they are using a laptop, most Secondary School books now come with a code written inside to allow the eBook version of it to be uploaded digitally. This means they can leave more books at school each day, lightening their load.
10. Getting to know the school secretary, for both you and your child is very worthwhile, as this person will have an awareness of who your child is and what their challenges are etc. With high volumes of traffic, any extra support or eyes around the Secondary School environment can help greatly for those who struggle in various practical ways.
11. Be aware that your child may get side-tracked at times, realising then that their class is already gone to the next period. This actually happened to me in first year and it’s not a good feeling. Talk to them about what to do in this scenario. Again, an idea for them might be to go to secretaries office. Talking through a few of these little potential situations can really ease their mind as they will retain a visual of what to do should they occur.
To view last week’s feature article on ‘Transitioning to 1st Year from Primary’, click here.

“Sometimes, if you don’t take a risk, succeeding may become difficult.”

More details about Joe’s Maths Tuition Classes 2024 for 5th & 6th Year (Leaving Certificate Students) can be found via the link below. (Only a few places left in each class)

ACE Maths Classes: acesolutionbooks.com/ace-maths-tuition

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Parents and Students,

Some excellent Junior Cycle French Notes. Would be a good baseline for LC students also.

https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1Tkl3Y-Q3LajsSr0g6q4pdGjke5VwiZ3U?usp=sharing&fbclid=IwAR2wjfEsmUWCZfk1pV7_0KCe08ntcrcN_eBfGUmaafuEcQJYSAqYAkS-Yek

Junior Cert - Alan Stenson - Google Drive

ACE Maths Competition Today. 🙂

To celebrate the highly successful launch of my ACE Maths Solution Books (Junior/Leaving) 2022, I am announcing an impressive competition today (Draw Wed 10th). Win a full Stationary Pack (worth over €150) to get your child all the way to June 2022. This Pack contains....

- Choice of my Junior or Leaving Certificate ACE Maths Solutions eBook 2022.
- How to ACE the Leaving Certificate Study Guide Textbook 2022.
- Casio fx-83GTX Classwiz Calculator.
- Pack of 3 Post-its.
- Pack of 10 Black Bic Pens.
- Pack of 8 Staedtler Highlighters.
- Noris 10 piece Mathematical Set.
- A4 Pukka Ring Binder.
- 200 Page A4 Pukka Refill Pad.
- Oxford 30cm Folding Ruler.
- Pack of 3 Noris HB Pencils with erasers.
- Pack of 100 Pukka Flash ‘Revision’ Cards.
- Pack of 3 Zebra Ballpoint Ink Pens.
- Pack of 3 Tipp-Ex Mini Pocket Correction Tape.
- Pack of 8 Paper Mate Ballpoint Pens.
- 100 Page A5 Indexed Hardback.
- Henkel Pritt Stick.

Enter your details on this form today to win:

https://form.jotform.com/212443961942054