Leaving Cert English paper 1: A ‘beautiful’ paper which gave opportunities for original writing

English paper 1, the first exam for tens of thousands of this year’s Leaving Cert students, 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.

Mr McCormack said the three reading comprehension passages were “accessible and thought-provoking”.

“The question A tasks were carefully crafted, with the usual mix of a straightforward comprehension task and a question which required analysis of the writer’s style,” he said.

“The part (ii) questions on all three texts, in which candidates were offered the opportunity to give their thoughts on censorship and cancel culture, the long-lasting impact of music or the importance of youthful voices in public debate, were all both challenging and designed to reward thoughtful, creative thinkers.”

The question B tasks also offered variety, he said.

The three formats were an open letter, a podcast and a newspaper editorial. The topics to be addressed included the status of poetry as a compulsory area of study for the Leaving Cert, the role of music in the writer’s life, and an imaginative response to an instance of censorship.

“All three questions were carefully structured and designed to reward the candidate who is able to put forward a logical, original and informed response,” he said.

Dockery said each of the three texts available in section one were “enticing” and the accompanying questions were generally accessible with the student being asked to explain three insights they gained into the power of either poetry, music or books depending on the text chosen.

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“Interestingly, however, in a move away from recent exams, students were not invited to use material from their Paper II course in this part of the exam,” he said.

“Instead, they were challenged to offer their considered opinions on the lack of diversity in public debates; whether music has a greater impact on us than books or films; or whether they agree or disagree with censorship and contemporary cancel culture. Some students may have struggled with these particular questions.”

In the composing section, McCormack said the seven composition tasks offered fantastic choice.

It featured two personal essay titles, two short stories, a speech, a discursive essay and a feature article.

The titles required candidates to write on topics as diverse as the nature of fashion, who the powerful voices in modern life are, objects they regard as “faithful companions” and the pleasure, satisfaction and personal growth derived from learning.

McCormack said: “The two short story titles offered lovely stimuli for imaginative narratives, and there was an engaging speech topic, in which the candidate, who had to imagine they are running for the position of President of Ireland, had to discuss their social and cultural values as well as Ireland’s image abroad.”

Dockery also said the composition section of the exam was a “triumph”, with students given a broad range of choice including personal essays, feature articles and “some really attractive short story options.”

Separately, Ms O’Meara reflected the views of many English teachers when she questioned plans to hold English paper one at the end of fifth year in coming years.

“By the end of sixth year, students have a better sense of self and have developed their unique voice and English paper one really allowed that to shine through.

English paper one settles the nerves of the students and also helps sets the tone for the students as they work their way through their exams. If English paper one is being proposed to be examined at the end of fifth year in two years time, will students have fully developed their unique voice by then?” she asked.

Try this one at home:

Leaving Cert, English paper 1, 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.