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Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Leaving Cert Irish paper two: Sighs of relief as predicted topics make for approachable exam
Well-chosen questions and the appearance of predicted topics on the higher level Irish paper two made for an accessible exam, teachers have said. 'The paper would no doubt have been well-received by the students,' said Stephen Doyle, subject expert and an Irish teacher at Moyle Park College in Dublin. 'The two reading comprehensions were well chosen – the first text focused on Rory Gallagher and music while the second passage about sport in Ireland was very relevant and easy to relate to,' Mr Doyle said. 'Both were very manageable. The grammar threw up no surprises while the 6B questions were a bit more specific than in previous years.' READ MORE Danielle O'Connell, an Irish teacher with , said that 6B posed the biggest challenge in an otherwise mostly accessible, manageable and fair paper. 'Section 6A followed a familiar pattern, with the grammar components proving predictable and well within students' expectations,' she said. 'However, Section 6B presented a more complex challenge, echoing a trend seen in recent years. Candidates were asked to respond to the prompt: 'Tabhair dhá phointe eolais, i d'fIocail féin, as an sliocht a léiríonn fírinne an ráitis sin' (Give two points of information, in your own words, from the passage that show the truth of this statement), which may have required additional interpretation.' In the prose section, students were relieved to see the long-awaited Hurlamaboc appear. 'Students were expecting it last year but it didn't appear; thankfully this year it did,' said Mr Doyle. 'Students had an option between Hurlamaboc and Oisín I dTír na nÓg with the questions being very straightforward with no surprises.' Nuala Úi Cheallaigh, an Irish teacher at the Institute of Education, said that it was a 'lovely continuation of previous papers with broad questions that allowed students to adapt their material.' In the poetry section, Ms Úi Cheallaigh said that both 'Colscaradh' and 'An Scailpín Fánach' were both highly anticipated. 'The questions were in line with previous years, but students looking to optimise their marks in this section would need to be attuned to the effects of the techniques asked in the middle question,' she said. The litriocht bhreise section also offered broad and approachable questions, said Ms Úi Cheallaigh. 'Those who prepared An Triail will have ample choice of material in exploring the women's failure to understand Máire's circumstances, with at least three key characters jumping to mind. 'Those doing A Thig Ná Tit Orm would have needed to focus on the specific positive moments of the author's recollections but will also have several moments to explore the requisite joy and shenanigans,' said Ms Úi Cheallaigh. 'Overall, this paper allowed students to demonstrate their work and grasp of the material in a very fair and open way. 'The real challenge will be the exam discipline necessary to make the most effective use of the tight timing by selecting and editing what to cover and what to exclude,' said Ms Úi Cheallaigh. Ordinary level On the ordinary level paper, Mr Doyle said that it was student-friendly and covered the basics well. 'The reading comprehensions focused on the Olympics and the Phoenix Park (nature), topics that were accessible and relatable for students. The prose section offered a choice between 'Dís', 'Oisín I dTír na nÓg' and 'Hurlamaboc' which was expected and gave students good options,' he said. 'The poetry section included 'Mo Ghrá-sa','An tEarrach Thiar' and 'Colscaradh' with straightforward questions that tested students' understanding of the main themes and content. 'There were no surprise questions. Overall, this paper provided ordinary level students with plenty of opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge successfully.' Try this one at home: -Leaving Cert Irish paper 2, Q2(a) (a) Freagair an cheist thíos ar an ngiota as an úrscéal Hurlamaboc. 'Tugtar léiriú dúinn sa ghiota as an úrscéal Hurlamaboc ar Lisín, bean a bhfuil go leor cúiseanna ceiliúrtha aici agus nach mbíonn riamh díomhaoin.' Déan plé ar an ráiteas sin.
Irish Times
20 hours ago
- Science
- Irish Times
Leaving Cert Irish paper one: a topical paper with some notable absences
Higher-level Irish paper one was topical and covered the key areas of the course, although not all anticipated topics appeared, according to teachers. Stephen Doyle, subject expert and a teacher at Moyle Park College said that, while the questions were generally fair, some detailed questions in Cuid C required careful listening skills. 'The composition section provided excellent choices that any well-prepared student could tackle confidently,' Mr Doyle said. 'The essay options gave students a wide range of current and relevant topics including people they admire, whether Ireland is a good place to live, environmental issues, and timely topics like world politics and current news stories.' READ MORE Artificial intelligence, which was expected to appear, provided opportunities for students on a paper most students would be happy with, said Mr Doyle. Lorraine Finn, ASTI subject representative for Irish, said that she found the artificial intelligence question a bit niche, while the climate change question provided limited scope. 'Otherwise, there was more or less everything you might expect. Most students would have an essay prepared on their topic of their lives today,' she said. But Danielle O'Connell, an Irish teacher with , said that expected topics such as An Ghaeilge (the Irish language) and córas oideachais (the education system) were notably absent from the exam. 'One welcome inclusion for many students was the essay prompt scéalta nuachta na linne seo (news stories of our time), which allowed candidates to adapt their prepared content across a range of issues,' said Ms O'Connell. 'This flexibility meant that topics such as géarchéim na tithíochta (the housing crisis) and even education or climate issues could be woven into the question Éire – an tír mhaith í le cónaí inti? (Ireland – is it a good country to live in?), provided students took time to plan their approach carefully.' Overall, Mr Doyle said that this was a fair and balanced paper. 'There was a wide variety of options that gave students good opportunities to succeed,' he said. Ordinary level On the ordinary-level paper, Mr Doyle said it was very accessible. 'The composition section offered simple choices including writing a blog on shopping, an interesting place or their favourite sports person. 'On the other hand, the vocabulary needed for section C (the letter, would have challenged any sixth year ordinary-level student. Section D, the conversation, allowed students to talk about a part-time job; however, the question was very specific. 'The story option would be welcomed by students as it allowed them to discuss music and a concert they attended. Overall, this was a manageable paper,' Mr Doyle said. Try this one at home: Scríobh AISTE nó ALT NUACHTÁIN/IRISE ar cheann amháin de na hábhair seo. A - Daoine a bhfuil meas agam orthu. B - Éire – an tír mhaith í le cónaí inti? C - An comhshaol – ábhar imní do phobail an domhain. D - Polaiteoirí agus cúrsaí polaitíochta ar fud an domhain. E - Scéalta móra nuachta na linne seo.
BreakingNews.ie
5 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Junior Cert: Teacher analyses Junior Cert Irish papers
A teacher has given their initial reaction to Junior Cert Irish papers for higher and ordinary level which students completed on Thursday. Studyclix subject expert Stephen Doyle of Moyle Park College in Dublin said the higher level paper was fair and well-balanced. 'The 2025 Junior Cycle Irish Higher Level paper was fair and covered relatable topics for students. The reading comprehension, for example, was about climate change and young environmental activists, something that matters to students. Advertisement "Question H on the reading comprehension may have challenged less prepared students but, overall, the listening and reading sections were very manageable. The grammar section was also straightforward and not too complicated compared to previous years 'This year saw a change with the Drama question being paired with a short film question. "This meant students needed to have both Drama and Novel prepared, as the Novel became a stand-alone question. All the literature sections questioned students on how the events, emotions or images made them feel. Students' opinions and insights were very important throughout this exam. "Overall, the literature questions would have been welcomed by students as they were of the same standard as previous years with no major surprises. Advertisement 'Question 6, the essay-style question, had more choices this year which students will appreciate. It asked students to write for the school magazine about either a big event in Ireland or abroad, or a birthday party or day out in the city. This 50-mark question should have left students feeling confident. 'This was a fair paper that rewarded students who prepared well and should have been manageable for confident students. This paper was well-balanced and most students who studied hard would have been able to show their Irish skills well.' Verdict on JC Irish T2 (Ordinary) Speaking about the ordinary level paper, Stephen Doyle said: 'It was easy to approach and covered the basic language skills students need. "Short reading questions were about everyday things like cooking class and a visit to a concert and a disco with friend topics that students could understand easily. Overall, the paper was well set out and friendly for students, giving them different ways to do well while keeping to the right level for this level.'
