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Irish Times
10 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
10 hours ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Teacher reacts to 'generally fair' Leaving Cert Irish Paper 1
The 2025 Leaving Certificate Higher Level Irish Paper 1 was "generally fair" according to Studyclix subject expert Stephen Doyle of Moyle Park College in Dublin. 'The 2025 Leaving Certificate Higher Level Irish Paper 1 was a solid paper that covered the key areas students expected." Advertisement He said the aural section had clear recordings covering a good variety of topics, 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. 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. 'Students could also choose to write a story based on either "Dóchas" (hope) or "Is ait an mac an saol" (life is strange and wonderful). For those not satisfied with Section A options, Section C offered alternatives where students could write a debate or speech on either the life of young people today or the opportunities and challenges of Artificial Intelligence. 'The exam was very topical and covered issues that students would be genuinely interested in, such as A.I. which was expected to appear, as well as global politics and whether Ireland is a good country to live in. Advertisement 'Most well-prepared students would have found enough here to show their Irish skills and should have been happy with this paper. "Overall, this was a fair and balanced paper with a wide variety of options that gave students good opportunities to succeed," he said. Leaving Cert Irish Paper 1 (Ordinary) Mr Doyle called the The Leaving Certificate Ordinary Level Irish Paper 1 "very accessible for students." "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," he said.
Irish Examiner
11 hours ago
- General
- Irish Examiner
'Very topical' Leaving Cert Irish paper covers areas students would have expected
Irish paper 1 presented students with topics like AI and asked them to consider if Ireland is a good country to live in, as the Leaving Cert exams continued on Monday afternoon. The 2025 higher level Irish paper 1 covered key areas students would have expected, according to teacher Stephen Doyle, subject spokesperson with Studyclix. 'The aural section had clear recordings covering a good variety of topics," he said. However, while the questions were 'generally fair', some detailed questions in 'cuid c' required careful listening skills, he believed. '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." Students could also choose to write a story based on either 'dóchas', which means 'hope', or around the statement 'is ait an mac an saol' which means 'life is strange and wonderful'. Mr Doyle added: 'The exam was very topical and covered issues that students would be genuinely interested in, such as AI which was expected to appear, as well as global politics and whether Ireland is a good country to live in.' Ordinary level The ordinary level paper was also very accessible, he thought. '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. "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.' Leaving Cert exams continue on Tuesday with Irish paper 2 and biology, while Junior Cycle exams will continue with graphics, Italian and French.
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.'
