L.C. – Irish
Leaving Certificate Irish – Cultúr, Cumarsáid, Cruthaitheacht
Building Proficiency and Confidence Through Language, Literature, and Oral Expression
The Leaving Certificate Irish course builds upon the language developed at Junior Cycle. All four key language skills are further developed: aural comprehension, oral communication, reading comprehension and written production. The learner is encouraged to develop and share their views on a range of topics.
The Leaving Certificate examination, at both higher and ordinary levels, is broken down as follows:
Oral examination: 40%
Aural examination: 10%
Written examination: 50%
The written exam includes two papers.
Paper 1 examines aural comprehension and written composition. Students are presented with a choice of genre-specific titles in the written composition section.
Paper 2 covers reading comprehension and literature analysis based on the study of a prescribed set of prose texts and poetry, common to both ordinary and higher level. There is one extra literature question at higher level.
As evidenced in the breakdown above, the higher and ordinary level exams are very similar, and cover mostly the same material, albeit in greater detail at higher level.
The oral exam is a common exam for all, and the examiner is unaware of the candidate’s level. The exam is tailored to suit students of all levels and is a very manageable exam. This allows students the opportunity to secure a significant percentage of the overall marks before they sit the written papers.
Due to the similarities between the higher and ordinary level exams, and the common oral examination, it is strongly advised that subject level be chosen based on ability, and not based on the perceived workload involved. Students are encouraged to study Irish at higher level if they are capable of doing so, as this will allow them to achieve their maximum potential in the subject.
