LEAVING CERT IRISH PAPER 2 HIGHER AND ORDINARY LEVEL:PAPER TWO might have felt like deja vu for higher level Irish students who had practised their exam technique on last year's Leaving Cert paper.
“Stair na Gaeilge was the main offender, but there was more repetition throughout the paper,” said Gearóid Ó Ciaráin, a teacher in Coláiste Raithín in Bray.
Indeed, while the Stair na Gaeilge section was identical to the previous year's, the poetry section also looked familiar, as three out of five poems: Bímse Buan ar Buairt Gach Ló, Faoiseamh a Gheobhadsaand Gealt? featured on last year's paper.
This alone wasn’t too much of a problem, but some of the questions had been asked already in recent years.
The remaining two poems, An Mháthairand Dá mb'fhéidir arís dár gcumann, were as expected.
Overall, however, the poetry questions were “quite good”, Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (Asti) representative Robbie Cronin said, although he did have issues with certain parts. “I don’t know why examiners persist in asking questions about the meter of a poem,” he said. “Meter isn’t even asked on the English exam any more really.”
Poet Cathal Ó Searcaigh was conspicuous in his absence from both higher and ordinary level papers. “There was neither sight nor sound of him. He didn’t appear at all in any section, which is unusual,” said Irish revision guide author Éamonn Maguire.
The prose part of the higher level paper was generally welcomed, although the first question about a young woman slowly losing her mind was criticised. “Many candidates had difficulty understanding what was being asked,” said Clare Grealy, Irish teacher at the Institute of Education. “The adjective ‘chiaptha’ was used and many candidates would not have understood this word.”
In the drama section at least, there were no complaints. Questions on An Triailwere very nice indeed, according to Maguire.
The repeat appearance of material was not confined to higher level. Poems Bímse Buan ar Buairt Gach Lóand Gealt? featured on both the higher and ordinary level papers. The former piece would have been difficult for ordinary level candidates, according to Grealy, but Gealt? is a "perennial favourite", she said. In keeping with the pattern at higher level, two out of three poems, Bímse Buan ar Buairt Gach Lóand Jack, appeared last year.
“Some argue that there should not be a second paper at ordinary level,” Maguire said. “It will be interesting to see the standard of answers this year.”
The overall reception for the ordinary level paper from teachers and students was more positive than for higher level. “There were smiles all round,” Grealy said.
Some teachers believe that this repetition in paper two was a deliberate move to dispel the idea that questions can be anticipated on the Irish exam. “It isn’t that students don’t study what came up the year before. It’s just that they may not focus on it to the same extent,” Cronin said.
“This year goes to show that there are no questions you can bank on any more.”
