Leaving Cert day one: ‘Curve ball’ question may have caught some students out

The first exam for tens of thousands of this year’s Leaving Cert students — English paper one — was described by teachers as a “beautiful” paper which gave candidates the opportunity for original writing.

The topical paper had an emphasis on “powerful voices” such as Amanda Gorman, the poet who came to global prominence during Joe Biden’s inauguration.

It also gave students the chance to share their thoughts on cancel culture, censorship, the impact of music and the importance of young voices in public debate.

Extracts from an essay by Man Booker Prize winner Ben Okri and Hugo Hamilton’s novel The Pages featured in the comprehending section.

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Paul McCormack, English teacher at The Institute of Education, said that, overall, the paper offered opportunities for original, fresh writing.

“The tasks were designed to reward those candidates who have worked hard to develop their insights into personal, narrative, persuasive and argumentative writing,” he said.

Nessa O’Meara, Teachers’ Union of Ireland subject representative and a teacher at Coláiste Eoin in Hacketstown, Co Carlow, said students were “very happy” after the exam, with a text asking them to write the text of a podcast proving particularly popular.

Jamie Dockery, an English teacher at Tyndall College in Co Carlow, said most students were “relatively pleased” with the opportunity to explore and discuss the significance of poetry, music and books.

“Overall, it was a fair exam with plenty of choice and stimulating material for the stronger candidates in particular to sink their teeth into,” said Mr Dockery, who is also a subject expert for Studyclix.

As usual, the paper was divided into three sections: reading comprehension question A; reading comprehension question B; and composition.

However, as a result of Covid-related changes, students were required to answer a composition task and either a question A or a question B task.

In the afternoon exam, home economics students faced a topical paper which reflected life in modern Ireland — but there was a twist, according to Sandra Cleary, a home economics teacher at the Institute of Education.

“A curve ball in the compulsory part of Question 4A may have caught some students out. Two topics, vegetables and food preservation, that have appeared on the paper in very recent years, came up again.

“Mortgages, veganism and Vitamin D all appeared, making this a topical paper that reflects life in Ireland in 2022,” Ms Cleary said.

Mairead Tomkins, TUI subject representative and a teacher at Coláiste Eoin in Hacketstown, Co Carlow, said the questions asked on the higher level paper were very current, with a section on home offices and a question concerning the eating habits of teenagers as the compulsory section B bar chart question.

Try this one at home:

Leaving Cert, English paper one, question b (40 marks):

Some students believe that the study of poetry should be an optional rather than a compulsory element of the Leaving Certificate English course.

Write an open letter, to be published on a popular social media platform, to encourage discussion on this topic. In your open letter you should: explain what, if any, value you found in the study of poetry as part of your Leaving Certificate English course, explore the reasons why you think the study of poetry should be an optional or a compulsory element of Leaving Certificate English in the future and seek to anticipate and refute views that might potentially be offered in opposition to your chosen stance.