There were some new and tricky elements in the higher level Irish paper two this morning, according to Asti subject representative Robbie Cronin.
With the much-maligned Stair na Gaeilge consigned to ancient history, the new look Irish paper 2 held few surprises, although it wasn’t without its problems.
The paper opened well with a comprehension piece about an Irish American Olympian named Jim Thorpe who won two gold medals in the 1923 Olympics. It was a “very interesting piece,” Mr Cronin said.
Overall, the questions based on the piece were, “fair,” he said. The final question on the piece was a new addition to the exam this year. Broken into two parts, a grammar question and an opinion piece, the question drew a mixed reaction.
The grammar section was fine, according to Mr Cronin, adding the opinion piece was too taxing. “For a maximum of ten marks, students had to say what the text reveals about the mindset of both the American people and the mindset of the IOC [International Olympic Council],” Mr Cronin said.
Dutch Gaeilgeoir Alex Hijmans featured in the second comprehension piece which was an extract from his book, Favela. “The piece was interesting and the questions were fair,” Mr Cronin said, although he pointed out that a glossary might have been helpful for some of the more unusual terms used. Question six again threw up some issues, asking students about the literary genre of the piece. It was unfair, Mr Cronin said.
The prose question, on Hurlamboc, presented no problems and the poem, An tEarrach Thiar was as expected.
Students should have had no issues with the extra literature question, Mr Cronin said.
Ordinary level students had a good start with two “very interesting,” comprehension passages. One was about sports presenter Evanne Ní Chuillin and the other was about tennis player Daithí Ó hEithir. The questions on both pieces were fair, Mr Cronin said.
The prose questions on Hurlamboc were unusual, he said, as students were asked six short questions rather than, “a more general, summary-like question”.
The second prose question about Oisín í dTír na nÓg was along those more traditional lines.
The two poems given were Géibheann and An tEarrach Thiar. These were accompanied by short questions and questions on emotions and imagery. “Students can’t complain about this,” Mr Cronin said.