Leaving Cert: Teacher analyses English paper one as students complete first exam

BreakingNews.ie

04-06-2025

A teacher has given her initial reaction to Leaving Cert English paper one, which students completed on Wednesday morning.
Overall, students would have been very happy with the paper's accessibility, Sue O'Sullivan Casey from Pobalscoil Inbhear Scèine, Kenmare, Co Kerry, said.
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She added: 'The three reading comprehensions centred on how perspectives can change either on a personal or societal level. Candidates would have been pleased with the variety of text types, which included an article on 'underdogs', a speech by novelist Margaret Atwood and a narrative extract from the Booker-prize winning novel, Orbital by Samantha Harvey.'
'The 2025 paper was student-centred and would have appealed to the candidate who had diligently worked hard on the language aspect of the course over the two years. Those candidates who used past papers in their own study would have benefitted from seeing familiar or similar tasks appear and would have had the confidence and ability to execute each question successfully.'
Ms O'Sullivan Casey, who is a Studyclix
subject expert,
said candidates sitting the Ordinary Level paper would have been pleased with the accessibility of the three texts to choose from.
'An article, narrative extract and a series of quotes, lyrics and images were all on offer and the Question As were easy to navigate and manage.
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'The Question B writing tasks were familiar to those candidates who had diligently prepared. A pamphlet, letter and interview were available to choose from and the tasks were clear in their requirements.'
She added: 'The Ordinary level paper was clear and straight-forward, asking students to demonstrate their understanding of language and their writing skills.'
Junior Cert
In the Junior Cert, Ms O'Sullivan Casey said the Higher Level paper was 'fair'.
'There were some surprises but nothing too challenging for those candidates who had prepared', she said.
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'An unseen poem formed part of Section A and was accessible in its subject matter and themes. However, candidates would have been surprised to see the studied poetry question require them to write about two poems that they have studied in Junior Cycle – a departure from recent years that only the prepared candidates would have managed well.
'The studied drama question asked candidates to write about moments of suspense, but the latter question asked candidates to identify the 'moral lessons' of the play. Some candidates may have had difficulty with this terminology.
'Another curveball was the question asking candidates to write about a short story in class. This is a new style of question for Junior Cert English and candidates may not have prepared for this going into the exam.'
She said the Ordinary Level paper would have been welcomed by some students who had a good understanding of their studied texts.
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'The short questions were easy to navigate and accessible. The paper required candidates to answer questions on studied poetry, a drama and a novel which is challenging but the style of short-answer questions allowed for candidates to navigate the paper in an easy and straightforward manner. Writing tasks included writing a letter and candidates would have been well prepared for this.'