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Irish Times
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
Leaving Cert English paper two: ‘Dense' questions posed a challenge amid relief over appearance of much-predicted poets
Students were relieved that several predicted poets appeared on this year's higher-level English paper, but many of the questions were very specific in scope, teachers have said. Kate Barry, a teacher at Loreto Secondary School in Cork and ASTI subject representative for English, said that both Eavan Boland and Tracy K Smith – a new poet on the course – both featured. 'But the question on Boland, which asked about the complex nature of powerlessness, was quite specific,' Ms Barry said. 'The question on Smith, which focused on the nature of their lives, was perhaps more candidate-friendly.' READ MORE Clodagh Havel, an English teacher at the Institute of Education, said that it was a testing paper. 'It was not necessarily an arduous one but nevertheless students will feel a lot more pushed to react and grapple with the exam than they did yesterday,' she said. 'Between densely phrased questions and some peculiar vocabulary, some students will be worried that they weren't on the right path. 'Each question was precise in its scope – they had a wide selection, but a narrow focus.' Gillian Chute, head of English at , said that students answering a question on the poet Derek Mahon may have been disappointed with the question. 'It was unconventional in nature,' she said. 'It asked them to what extent they think that an audience's appreciation of both Mahon's language and thematic concerns would be enhanced if his poetry was read out loud, and this may have presented considerable difficulty for some candidates.' Ms Havel said that candidates reading the first King Lear question may have paused and caught their breath on the mention of 'duality' – or two-ness – within the text's characters. 'For those who gave themselves a moment to fully read the question they will have found lots of choice in who to discuss: Lear, Gloucester, Edmund are all very comfortable candidates for discussions and only two were required.' Both Ms Barry and Ms Havel said that the second King Lear question were more accessible. 'The second question was gorgeous in its exploration of justice, order, chaos and cruelty but again the way the question was phrased was dense,' said Ms Havel. 'In the cauldron of the exam hall, composure and a level head are easier said than done. Everyone would have material to bring to fulfil these prompts, they just might not glide through it.' In the comparative texts, Ms Havel said that students aiming for the top marks will need to pick up on the nuances of texts in order to truly incorporate the elements of the 'subtle', 'contradictory' or 'paradoxical' elements mentioned. Both Ms Barry and Ms Havel praised the unseen poem. 'It covered familiar ground about a lost relationship, which is a common theme,' said Ms Barry.' At ordinary level, Ms Barry said that there was a lot of reading and wordiness on the paper, which may have thrown some students, although the questions themselves were not too difficult. 'On higher-level English paper one, students were asked to prepare a podcast, and podcasts also appeared on ordinary level paper two,' she said. 'This is probably because podcasts are such a popular medium these days. 'The other questions, including a debate around the ending of the text, were really nice.' Studyclix subject expert Sue O'Sullivan Casey, a teacher at Pobalscoil Inbhear Scèine, Kenmare, Co. Kerry, said that the ordinary level single text questions were accessible and many students would have managed well with the demands put to them. 'Other questions on Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible' and Colson Whitehead's 'The Underground Railroad' were challenging but not unfamiliar,' she said. 'The paper was fair and straightforward. A student who had prepared consistently over two years would have been ready to handle the questions well.'
BreakingNews.ie
5 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Leaving Cert: Teacher analyses English paper one as students complete first exam
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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement '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.'
