leaving cert english creative writing

Really Useful Links for Writers: Leaving Cert Essay Writing

Paul FitzSimons

• 29 May 2014

I have good news – the weather will be beautiful next Wednesday. The sun will shine, the skies will be clear, the temperature will be in the twenties. How do I know that? Because it’s the first day of the Leaving Cert Exams.

Besides being the unofficial start of summer, Day 1 of the Leaving is also English Paper 1, the culmination of two years’ work for around fifty thousand English language students.

The Leaving Cert English exam is divided into two papers – Paper 1, which is all about comprehension and composition and Paper 2, which covers The Single Text , The Comparative Study and Poetry. Like the other two-part exams Maths and Irish, English 1 and 2 happen on two different days – the first Wednesday and Thursday mornings of the schedule. Maybe this is to give brains and hands a chance to recover from a hectic morning of essay-writing.

Besides having the aptitude to tell a good story, writing essays at Leaving Cert level requires certain acquired skills, most of which we learn over the years of study prior to the exam. However, there are some aspects of writing the perfect essay that we don’t necessarily pick up or, with the deluge of knowledge that we’re trying to take in, have slipped from our memories. Thankfully, there are plenty of online resources that will fill in those gaps and also offer some additional advice on writing, organisational and time-saving that will prove invaluable on the day.

On the ever useful website LeavingCertEnglish.net – seriously, I wish this had been around in my day – we are given an invaluable guide to preparing for and then sitting down to English Paper 1. Their pages include advice on approaching each essay, what needs to be covered to achieve a passing mark and what flourishes will help to get that all-important A.

After sitting his Leaving Cert in 2011, student and blogger Aidan Curran decided to take the lessons he learned during that traumatic year and share them on his website. His post How To Get An A In English Essay Writing takes us through everything we need to remember coming up to and during the exam. He reminds us that, as essay-writing is not something we can memorize, it makes it both the easiest and most difficult part of the exam.

Most of the above applies to Paper 1 of the exam. Of course, there are also some essays to be written for Paper 2, which deals with curriculum’s prescribed texts, such as the play, novels and poetry. The Clevernotes website offers us some invaluable advice on tackling the second English paper compositions, suggesting that, in order to form a cogent and coherent response to the question asked, an essay must always contain an introduction, a number of well-focused body paragraphs and a conclusion.

For some slightly more tongue-in-cheek advice on essay writing, we can watch video blogger Clisare’s video on Entertainment.ie. She takes us through her unique thoughts on writing both English and Irish essays. She does offer some interesting insight but the fact that she advises us to remind the teacher that ‘Irish is a dead language’ suggests that we should probably take most of her tips with a grán salainn.

If you feel an online tutor will be able to help, check out TutorHunt .

“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” – Sydney J. Harris

A Whole Website Dedicated To It.

LeavingCertEnglish.net has all the advice, information and sample exams we need to tackle the Paper 1 essay.

“”Stick to the topic. Have plenty of ideas. Identify problems but also offer solutions.”

http://leavingcertenglish.net/2012/03/inspiration/ .

Them’s The Rules.

LeavingCertEnglish.net takes us through six important rules for writing the perfect essay.

“It’s really important to grab the reader’s attention. Use a quote, or a series of rhetorical questions, a list, or a vivid description.”

http://leavingcertenglish.net/2011/05/six-rules-of-essay-writing/

From The Horse’s Mouth.

Recent Leaving Cert student Aidan Curran takes us his advice on Essay-writing, based on his own experience.

“Obviously, when you get the essay titles first you say “That’s it, I’m screwed, we’ll call it a day”. But if you just look at them, you’ll realise that they can be changed to your strengths.”

http://aidancurran.com/how-to-get-an-a1-in-english-essay-writing-aidan-curran/

It’s Not All About Paper 1, You Know.

English Paper 2, which deals with the subject’s prescribed texts and poetry, also involves some essay writing. Clevernotes tells us how to tackle it.

“The most basic principal of essay writing is that it should be structured. Your essay must form a cogent and coherent response to the question asked.”

https://www.clevernotes.ie/english/hl/leaving-cert/how-to-write-a-paper-two-essay/

And Lastly, Some Proper Serious Advice (Or Maybe Not)

Vlogger Clisare gives us her unique take on Essay Writing.

“Always end English Language essays with ‘…and then I woke up.’ Teachers love that.”

http://entertainment.ie/wtf/WATCH-How-to-write-a-leaving-cert-essay/191520.htm

(c) Paul FitzSimons

About the author

Paul FitzSimons is a screenwriter and novelist and has written the novel ‘Burning Matches’ and a number of scripts for film and TV. He has worked as a storyline writer on RTE’s ‘Fair City’. His short stories are published in ‘Who Brought The Biscuits’ by The Naas Harbour Writers. Paul likes crime thrillers, good coffee and Cadbury’s chocolate. He doesn’t like country-and-western music or people who don’t indicate on roundabouts.

Paul also runs the  Script Editing service Paul | The | Editor .  paulfitzsimons.com

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What You Need To Know About Leaving Cert English

10 August 2021

8 minutes to read

• 01. What Should I Expect from the Leaving Cert English Exam?
• 02. How is the subject broken down for the Leaving Cert?
• 03. How Should I Study For The Leaving Cert English Exam?
• 04. Understand Paper 1: Composition and Comprehension
• 05. Preparing yourself for Paper 2: Studied Material
• 06. Prepare for the Leaving cert English Paper with Superprof

Leaving Cert English can be one of those subjects that send students into a cold sweat. It’s one of the three mandatory subjects, so even if it’s not on your list of favourite subjects, you still have to do it. It's not all bad news, however, as there are lots of resources available to you to help you!

Having made it out to the other end of what may seem at times like an endless tunnel, I can tell you that the leaving cert is going to be one of the most stressful periods in your academic journey.

With the sheer volume of writing that is required at the leaving cert level, coupled with the amount of material that you will need to study in order to be able to answer the featured questions in enough detail, preparing for the English exam may feel overwhelming.

To ease your nerves, I have created this guide to provide you with tips to help you navigate the complexities of the Leaving Cert English curriculum. I will examine all the things that will help you triumph once the big day rolls around, analysing aspects such as information, argumentation, persuasion, storytelling, and aesthetics. 

By grasping the nuances of how the subject is constructed and developing effective study techniques you'll be well prepared to demonstrate your expertise in the subject and achieve results in the 2024 Leaving Cert English exam.

I will provide a summary of what you can expect to appear on Paper 1 (Composition and Comprehension) and Paper 2 (Single Text Study) so that you are all set to reach your full potential in the upcoming exam.

We have a series of informative articles about English on our website! Want to get the edge when you are studying or are you just looking for some tips? Check out the Superprof guide to studying English!

What Should I Expect from the Leaving Cert English Exam?

The Leaving Certificate is a two-year study programme, and while it may seem like a massive undertaking, it can essentially be divided into two main parts: comprehending and composing.

The syllabus also classifies language into five general headings, which can be examined and assessed under the two main parts mentioned above. So, let's take a look at these five headings!

First, we have the language of information, which is essentially any text that relays information. This is known as informative writing. It would include things like reports, records, memos, and documentaries.

The language of argument is any text that presents an argument. These texts should show reasoning, either deductive or inductive. They are typically found in journalism, philosophy, legal writing, and scientific essays.

This classification of the language of persuasion is texts that persuade you to take a particular action or change your point of view. These texts include things like political speeches, some forms of journalism like op-eds, and advertising.

The language of narration classifies texts with a narrative purpose. This includes novels, short stories, dramas, films, travel books, biographies, and autobiographies—basically, any text that tells a story.

Lastly, The aesthetic use of language includes texts that are for aesthetic pleasure and includes texts like fiction, drama, and poetry. Need an extensive breakdown of both English papers? Why not read our guide to the topics covered in the English leaving cert!

How is the subject broken down for the Leaving Cert?

The Leaving Cert English exam is a written exam, split into two papers. Paper 1 is a test of your comprehension and composing abilities. The paper will include three texts, all centred on a particular theme.

You should be able to identify the purpose of the text - information, argument, persuasion, or narrative. After each text is two questions, you’ll need to answer Question A and Question B. You can’t answer both questions on the same piece of text.

The next part of Paper 1 is composition. You’ll be given a choice of formats. Higher Level Leaving Cert English students have a choice of three formats, while Ordinary level students have a choice of two.

You have 2 hours and 50 minutes to complete this paper. Paper 1 is worth 200 marks - 50 marks for Question A, 50 marks for Question B, and 100 marks for the composition.

Paper 2 focuses on the single texts, the three comparative study texts, and the poets or poems prescribed for your leaving cert English course. Higher-level students will also have a previously unseen poem. Ordinary-level students will have studied the unseen poem during the two-year course.

You have 3 hours and 20 minutes to complete this paper. Paper 2 is worth 200 marks - 60 marks for the single text, 70 marks for the comparative study, 20 marks for unseen poetry, and 50 marks for prescribed poetry.

How Should I Study For The Leaving Cert English Exam?

Many students think that it’s only possible to study for paper 2, but this isn’t strictly true. It’s also possible to learn how to study for leaving cert English paper 1 as well.

I can’t provide a ‘one size fits all’ approach because I want to leave you with a blueprint for success in the Leaving Cert English exam that you can implement in your study plan for the subject. 

As you can see from the previous section, the content examined in the two leaving cert papers at both higher and ordinary levels is entirely different. 

The exam strategies that you implement in order to achieve a high grade will subsequently look substantially different as a result.

I will dissect the two papers and leave you with a sense of what you need to study before sitting down on each one.

When you’re thinking about how to study for leaving cert English paper 2, don’t just think about what topics you would like to come up with on the exam. Prepare quotes for all of the themes for your leaving cert year. There are other tips that can help you study for the examinations.

It is important to try out a number of study techniques to see what works for you! Why not have a look at the Superprof list of study tips that suit all kinds of learners!

Understand Paper 1: Composition and Comprehension

If you’re really setting your sights on a high grade and perhaps even plan on walking out of the exam hall with that H1, it's essential to become well-acquainted with the topics that commonly feature in the exam. 

Essay Formats to Master

In order to stand out from other students in your year and across the country, doing well in the essay section is a must. You’ll need to devote plenty of time to practising your essay writing and practice your pace of study telling. 

You don’t want your study to come to an abrupt end because you didn't have enough time left over in the exam hall!

The formats can range from stories and descriptive essays to narratives, articles and speeches. 

Given the diversity of the creative writing segment of the paper, being proficient in all formats is going to be the only way you can comfortably navigate the variety of questions that might come your way.

Reading Comprehension Preparation

This is for many Leaving Cert students across the country, the most daunting section. You can definitely understand why when you consider having to concentrate on an unseen extract and answer questions on it while battling your exam nerves.

Practising other comprehensions across past leaving cert english exam papers is going to be the best way to combat this and intill a sense of confidence in you.

Remember, you’ll need to show that you understand the text thoroughly. It's not just about understanding what's written but about giving a thoughtful analysis of how the text is written how well it works and what its overall influence is!

Adaptability is Key

It's important that you are ready for a variety of topics and essay structures. A great way to do this is to study how the questions are framed across your past exam papers and surface any trends in how or what is asked in the respective forms of writing.

Since Paper 1 can be rather unpredictable, try not to focus on guessing the theme but rather on honing writing skills that will help you with whatever style of question you get on the day.

Preparing yourself for Paper 2: Studied Material

After achieving a strong result in Paper 1, You will be halfway to getting rewarded with the grade that you worked so hard for. I will now explain how you can prepare for the Studied material so you can stay ahead.

Preparing for the Single Text Section

In the Single Text component of your Leaving Cert English Paper 2, you will explore a play. While there is some choice in the text that you opt to explore as part of the course, almost every secondary school across the country is teaching Hamlet.

This makes it a safe bet when you consider how this will, of course, be considered when the exam is being constructed.

Questions may center around how women are depicted in the play focusing on characters like Gertrude and Ophelia. You can also bank on a question inquiring about Hamlet's characters and an analysis of techniques used, including Hamlet's madness and the integration of supernatural elements.

Comparative section

In the Comparative Study part you'll be tasked with comparing three texts. You should focus on getting ready, for questions related to context literary genres techniques employed in each text type and how themes or issues are portrayed across mediums.

Discuss how the character's experiences are linked to their responses, delving into how themes and issues influence their journeys and how the cultural backdrop and literary methods enhance the significance and effect of the texts. 

If you want to have confidence that you are fully prepared for whatever may lie ahead of you in the Peoert section of the leaving cert english exam then you will want to train your eye for detail and make sure that you have a deep understanding of techniques. 

Succeeding in this segment depends on your ability to recognize and interpret the devices employed by the poet and how they contribute to the poem's overall meaning and emotional impact.

Prepare for the Leaving cert English Paper with Superprof

Being prepared is key to doing well in Leaving Cert English, but sometimes, there can be things outside of your control. It can be difficult to be prepared if there’s a disconnect between you and your teacher. You may learn differently from the teacher.

Having your own English tutor could offer priceless help. Our Superprof database has a number of experienced and affordable tutors near you, with some charging as low as 10 euro per hour!

Leaving Cert students can greatly improve their exam preparation by teaming up with a tutor from Superprof, who brings experience and knowledge of best practice exam strategies.

These tutors can assist students in creating a study schedule focusing on areas that require enhancement like essay writing, comprehension abilities and critical analysis.

A Superprof tutor can help you to prepare by offering feedback on practice essays advising students on how to structure their responses for marks.

Through your private tutoring sessions, you'll acquire skills to manage your time effectively during the exam, ensuring that you can tackle all sections confidently. This individualised assistance from a Superprof tutor can be pivotal in attaining the Leaving Cert grades that you worked so hard for throughout your years of schooling.

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From how to write comparitively to how to spill your guts about Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, this podcast has you 100% covered for everything you need to know about the Leaving Cert English exam.

So what are you waiting for? Get stuck in here:

You can also listen to the Studyclix Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast...wherever you get your podcasts!

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Tips and Tricks for Leaving Cert English Composition

Updated: Feb 17

Most students stress about Paper 2 – Shakespeare , poetry and a range of texts is a lot of learning in fairness! – but did you realise that the Composition section on Paper 1 is actually the most important question you will do for your Leaving Cert English? Worth 100 marks, this is 25% of your overall grade! The breakdown is simple – if you ace this section, you’ve set yourself up really well to get the grades you want.

So what is this section on the course all about? The paper 1 composition – a fancy name for what most would call an essay – and is something you write on the day of the exam and is worth half of the total marks of this paper. Both Higher and Ordinary level English will have seven titles to choose from, and these will be a mix of personal essays, short stories, discursive essays, articles, descriptive essays and speeches, to name some of the more common options, each tending to follow a certain format. The titles will cover a variety of language genres (informative, persuasive, argumentative, narrative and aesthetic) so as well as getting the topic of the essay right, you need to make sure you’re getting the tone correct too. Those are the specifications the LC marking scheme will be focusing on.

Each year has a new theme for paper 1 – it will be written on the front of the paper – and every essay ties back to a reading comprehension about that theme. Does this mean your essay has to be about the theme? Not necessarily. But it does mean if you are stuck for inspiration you have a general concept to work from which can be a great help on the day.

Length-wise, for HL you’re aiming for around 4 or 5 pages which may sound like a lot, but when you realise it’s roughly 20 marks per page, it makes sense. Plus, by the time you have a decent introduction and conclusion done, you’ll have most of a page filled. Ideally, you’ll have picked a title whose writing style suits you, and ties into your interests and knowledge, so those extra few pages should fill themselves pretty quickly!

When choosing a title, stick to your strengths – if you’re amazing at factual writing and aren’t terribly creative, then a discursive essay is for you; if you have a great imagination and know how to tell a good tale, then the short story is right up your street. Pro tip: personal essays and short stories come up at least once (if not twice!) every year so are good ones to work on when doing essay writing!

On that note, you may not think it, but English is 100% a subject where practice makes perfect. The more you get used to choosing titles, planning what you are going to write that ties back into the title you chose , then writing while keeping the correct pacing in mind (75-80 mins), the better you will get at producing decent essays in exam timing and conditions. Reviewing your vocabulary and grammar as you write are key to helping you push up your language and mechanics marks.

Are you going to be able to write an H1/O1 essay in 80 minutes the first time you try? Unlikely, but putting in the work on your essay writing between now and your exams is a solid way to help yourself get there.

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Monday, March 30, 2020

Leaving certificate english resources.

• 6 Hamlet quotation Quizlet retrieval practice tasks.
• Our own SCC English revision podcasts are here , on ' The first soliloquy ',' The first scene ', and two ones which gather the 10 Characters series (below).
• Thinking about quotations : a series of exercises you can do on your own, or even better. in a pair. These are for when you know the play very well.
• Two essays based on podcasts: 1) on the opening scene . 2) on the first soliloquy .
• 10 Characters in Hamlet : our 5-minute podcasts on 'lesser' characters: Fortinbras , Horatio , Laertes , Rosencrantz and Guildenstern , Polonius , Ophelia , The First Player , Osric , The First Gravedigger .
• The whole text of the play : put it on your own computer.
• An episode of Melvyn Bragg’s In Our Time about the play.
• A series of 15 video/audio analyses of moments, using the ShowMe app for iPad.
• The whole text of the play as a Wordle (click on the image for a bigger view). \
• A recording of the 1993 BBC radio version with Kenneth Branagh.
• An excellent resource: the BBC Archive Hamlet .
• Radio documentary by 'This American Life' called ' Act V ' on a prison production of the play.
• The Ten Best Hamlets .
• The Patterns of Poetry: 15 five-minute podcasts on poetry techniques (useful for both the unseen and the prescribed sections). Podcasts 1-8 here (including alliteration and personification) and 9-15 here (including rhyme and metaphor).
• Eavan Boland: a summary of some resources. From us: a podcast on 'This Moment'.
• Boland in the excellent site ' A Poet's Dublin ', including readings of the poems. RTÉ radio documentary on the life of Paul Durcan.
• The Irish Film Institute Player has excellent resources, including this interview with Paul Durcan , and this one with Eavan Boland . 
• Back to Melvyn Bragg, and this episode of In Our Time on Wordsworth’s The Prelude .
• We're doing The Great Gatsby in the comparative: here are 15 annotated video analyses of key moments in the novel.
• An index to the whole novel.
• And then follow up with these questions to provoke thoughts about the moments.
• Of course the best thing you can do is read. As widely as possible. A great site for pointing you towards excellent reading is Five Books - recommendations from some of the most expert people around. If you find it difficult to get books right now, there's always Kindle delivery.
• We have 77 Articles of the Week for keeping your mind going (especially for the Comprehension sections of the exam).
• Everything starts with vocabulary: check out ‘ 6 useful vocabulary sites ’ from a top expert in this area, Alex Quigley. Spend 10 minutes every few days on Describing Words , for instance.
• Since you're unlikely to be covering anything new at the moment, make sure you use your time efficiently and effectively in revising. Below are some excellent proven strategies -
• The Learning Scientists have excellent advice: check out their videos here . Don't waste your time re-reading notes and using the highlighter like a paintbrush. Instead, test yourself by retrieving material (see below), space your learning out and so on.
• And here's a fine guide on those strategies from Carl Hendrick of Wellington - ' How should students revise? A brief guide .'
• Flashcards are always good, and of course they can simply be on paper. Quizlet is an excellent tech-version, and here are ours on Hamlet , for instance. The main thing is that answers should prompt thought about the play more generally. You could always compose flashcards that you share electronically with your peers.

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

Exams got underway at 9.30am for almost 60,000 leaving cert students.

Leaving Cert exams got underway today for more than 60,000 students. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill

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.

What will replace the Leaving Cert?

“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.

Carl O'Brien

Carl O'Brien is Education Editor of The Irish Times. He was previously chief reporter and social affairs correspondent

IN THIS SECTION

‘a primary school teacher shook a child in class, according to my granddaughter. what should i do’, secondary students regularly see ‘toxic’ content on social media, survey finds, ‘well how are you going to get a job with a degree like that’, teaching offers ‘many and varied’ career pathways, ‘change must come’: one man’s fight to end northern ireland’s segregated education, moving back to ireland would mean working till 10pm, no home of my own and bad coffee, i visited singapore to see why it is ranked as the top education system in the world. here’s what i learned, dublin pizza restaurant ranked 15th in top 20 european pizzerias, rory mcilroy files for divorce in florida after seven years of marriage, state considers further restrictions on benefits to refugees and people seeking asylum, latest stories, euro zone inflation to fall faster than expected, eu says, murphy faces tough challenge in ulster, forestry portfolio offers opportunity for long-term growth at €7m, manchester united ponder move for kieran mckenna if ten hag departs, e-scooters: under-16s banned from using them in a public space from monday.

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The Leaving Cert English Paper

Helen shares her insights into prepping for this exam

Written by Helen Carroll

Voices - Advice

Young people share advice based on their experiences..

English is one of those odd papers to study for. There’s no “facts” like in biology and no sums to learn like in math. This means that there’s a good proportion of students who really struggle on just HOW to tackle this subject. I did quite well in English in my Leaving Cert, and I’ve been talking to a few who are doing their Leaving Cert this year. They seem to be most concerned about math and English. Unfortunately, I’ve always been terrible at maths and so can’t give any advice on it without seeming like a hypocrite but English was thankfully another story.

There’s a few elements of the English paper which are unique to it, and hopefully I’ll be able to show you guys how I studied for it and what seems to work for students.

The poetry section

If you’re in higher level, you’ve got to learn those poems off. But learning 6 poems from 5 different poets is 30 poems, and that’s insane. I would definitely recommend you study six poems from each poet, and do five poets so you are guaranteed at least one will turn up. How do you learn the full poem?

Well… you don’t. There’s no need to be able to cite off the entire poem, so get a sheet of paper and divide the page in half down the middle, putting the most important lines of the poem on one side, and the metaphors, emotions and possible double meanings etc. of those lines on the other side. Try to pick poems with a similar theme to each other eg: one on family conflict, then one on war, which is international conflict. You’ll end up with a double-sided sheet for each poet that shows you the ideas and messages the poets are trying to get across. This is now your Bible, and you should read your Bible every night before bed. It’ll drill it into your head without you even putting in much effort.

Also, my class noticed a general trend in the papers when I was doing my Leaving Cert. Almost every year, there was at least one female poet, one Irish one and one foreign poet. Sometimes the only foreign poet was female, so that satisfied two categories. This is playing strategy a bit, but I would suggest ensuring that you study every poet from one of these categories eg: study all the women. Ensure you’re doing five poets anyways, because you don’t want to be caught out! It DOES happen, and happened to a few friends of mine who thought they were getting ahead of the system by working out some “formula” that didn’t exist. Theories are theories, so the guesses people make can be wrong.

Improve your vocabulary

The obvious way to improve your vocab is reading books, but at this point in the year, I doubt you’ve much time to be doing that. There’s a couple ways to improve your spelling and grammar in the few months left until the Leaving, don’t worry.

My number one suggestion is disabling autocorrect on your phone. You can easily google how to do it. By having it on your phone, you get lazy with spelling because you know it’ll correct what you have to say, and you end up forgetting apostrophes and full stops. You don’t think when you type, and that’s when things start to slip. Disable predictive text too, if you can, because it limits the range of words you use.

When you find yourself struggling to think of a word to convey what you’re feeling, google it. Look up synonyms and antonyms of what you’re trying to think of, because it gives you different ideas and ways to express yourself, which looks fantastic on a paper. If you only know how to describe something as “cool”, “nice” or “awesome”, you’ll be throwing away easy marks.

Also, stop using words like “gotta” and “hella”. It won’t impress an examiner. It’s incorrect English. If you’re writing a story and a character speaks using slang, that’s obviously different, but don’t put it in an essay otherwise.

Timing and avoiding the dreaded hand cramp

It’s obvious you need to learn how to time yourself for the exam, but you need to work out what timing should be like for YOU. Maybe you need 15 full minutes to choose your questions at the start of the paper, or maybe you’re like I was and are able to choose within five minutes? We’re all different, and you need to work out what suits you. Timing yourself when you do homework and practice questions is a good idea, and be sure to give yourself between five and twenty minutes at the end of the exam to check back over for spelling and grammar. Anything outside that range is either too much time or too little, but it all depends on your own preference.

Another odd one that people complain about often, but never really talk about solving, is when your hand starts to cramp. English is a LOT of writing, as are a few other subjects like history or geography. Be sure to hold your pen firmly, but loosely. Don’t hold it in a death grip, and be sure to relax and wiggle your fingers every few minutes. Muscle cramp occurs when not enough oxygen is getting to the muscles, and when this happens it becomes very difficult to continue writing. Prevention is way better than cure, so making sure this doesn’t happen in the first place will ensure you can keep writing for the whole length of the exam.

Engage with the teacher

It’s been proven time and time again that if you genuinely enjoy a subject, you’ll do better in it. You study more and the study seems less like a chore. If you’re not the biggest fan of English, you should be. Not only is it on your Leaving Cert, it’s actually an awesome subject. Ask more questions in class, hype yourself up for the classes and really try with your homework. English is creative and there’s no wrong answer, provided you can back up a claim. Have fun with the subject. By seeing it as an opportunity to do something different to the rigid subjects like physics or chemistry, you’ll see it in a new light.

Another last point to make is that you should look up reviews for the books/plays/films you’re doing for your comparative. Try to find ones written by those with experience in the subject, not just some online article about “how epic” the movie was. Try find pieces that are similar to the ones you’re studying, or ones that were inspired by it. For example, I studied the movie Blade Runner, which was based on the Philip K. Dick book “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”.

By looking more into this, I saw it was one of the most popular dystopian books of all time. Fahrenheit 451 also focused on the same idea of a city crumbling apart, albeit under different circumstances. Dystopia is a sub-genre of science fiction, the opposite of utopia. There are books with what seems like a utopia and a dystopia in them at the same time, like H.G Wells’ “The Time Machine”, and so on. By seeing the jumps between different texts, you are able to back up your points more easily and you sound more scholarly (read= better grades).

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Descriptive Essay: Journey through a barren landscape for Leaving Cert English #625Lab

Write a descriptive essay in which you take your readers on a journey through a barren landscape (urban or rural) that you have experienced..

#625Lab . An excellent way to write a descriptive essay is to recall your travels, especially if there is a hint of nostalgia involved.   You may also like:  Complete Guide to Leaving Cert English  (€). 

• Post author: Martina
• Post published: May 24, 2018
• Post category: #625Lab / Descriptive Essay / English

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Tag Archives: Essay

Abcs of bullying.

A student of mine, who would prefer to remain anonymous, wrote this wonderful essay on bullying as a follow up to our school’s anti-bullying week and has kindly given me permission to publish it here. I feel it deserves to be read by a wider audience than me…

The ABC of Bullying

In every year group there is a girl just like the letter ‘Z’. Last in the ranking, no support behind her, often forgotten about.  ‘Z’ did not choose this life for herself. It almost just happened automatically, like nature. At the end of the day, if everyone is popular then nobody is popular.

In the beginning, ‘Z’ is her own worst enemy. Last on the list of 26 letters, she often feels lonely and out of the loop. Looking around my year group today, I can pick out quite a few ‘Z’s’. Easy targets. Insecure. Nobodies.

I can only imagine to a bully, they stick out like a sore thumb. A bully, someone deeply insecure in themselves, can easily sniff out other damaged souls of its kind. Do I feel sorry for the bully? The answer is yes, I completely do. I ask myself the question, is a bully a murderer or a mountain lion? Both kill, however one does it out of evil, the other does it to survive. I have always been of the opinion that the bully is the one who needs human help. The one who, similar to the victim, needs support.

“If a man cannot understand the beauty of life, it is probably because life never understood the beauty in him “

– Anonymous

Sometimes it is hard to believe the bully has no support. They come across so superior and confident. But on deeper observation they too are often missing some form of family/friendship back-up. They may belong to a tight group of friends, yet still not feel secure.

‘A’ is confident and popular. Leader of an elite group, the vowels. ‘A, E, I, O& U’ call the shots. If you are not in with them, you probably don’t exist. What proper word doesn’t have a vowel in it? Dominators of the English language, they have the power. ‘A’ knows all the letters in the Alphabet very well. However, she never really bothers with ‘Z’. She finds ‘Z’ to be boring, weird and ugly. “ Not even symmetrical! ”

‘A’ knows ‘Z’ is unpopular. She knows ‘Z’ holds very few pages in the dictionary. She just excludes her.

In today’s world, this behaviour is rampant. I see it every day. Nobody wants to be seen or associated with someone classed as ‘unpopular’. At this age in school, everything revolves around your social standing. And in an all-girls school, it is very important to have a boyfriend. If you don’t, there must be something wrong with you.

So where is ‘Z’ in all of this? So far we have established ‘Z’ is lonely, unsupported and insecure. Not popular, and with very few pages in the dictionary. Insignificant. The perfect victim.

‘A’ on the other hand, acts the complete opposite way. However, always being the centre of attention, she feels used and abused. She is fed up, but she wears the best disguise. ‘A’ really feels like ‘a’. She is about to snap.

It takes two to tango. ’A’ and ‘Z’ are a match made in heaven. It doesn’t take long for ‘A’ to unleash her pain and anger on ‘Z’. It doesn’t take long for ‘Z’ to let her away with this. And this is where the vicious cycle starts. Neither party really knows what they are doing, neither party knows how to escape.

So where am I in this equation of bullying?

I see myself as the letter ‘M’. Smack bang in the middle. Ordinary. Symmetrical. Safe. Neither a full bully, neither a full victim. Have I done some terribly cruel things to other humans during my short time on this planet? Yes, and I am forever ashamed of them, but haven’t we all at some point in our lives? However, since coming into secondary school, I have grown a lot.  I would like to think I know the difference between right and wrong, but is this enough?

Today, I know I could do a lot more for the ‘Z’s’ of my class. I know they are there yet I don’t do anything to help them. Being honest, I classify myself worse than a bully. Me being the letter ‘M’ means I have support all around. I have the ability to see both sides of the story and make the right decision. I have the ability to help. I have the ability to stop bullying!

“ Knowing what is right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right ”

-Theodore Roosevelt

I have learnt a lot from this year’s anti-bullying week.

Now I know my ‘ABCs’, it’s time for me to start helping all those ‘Z’s’.

Posted in Composing , Discussions , MSM students , Teachers

Tagged anti-bullying , bullying , Essay , opinion

Essay Writing (Othello)

Writing an introduction

For this exercise, I first got students to tell me what they found confusing about introductions. We listed their “things we want to know” about introductions on the board first. I can’t remember the exact list but it was something like this:

How should it begin? (Re-phrase the question and respond with your opinion)

How do we avoid just repeating the question word for word? (divide and conquer! Separate out the ideas. Use  synonyms). 

Should we include quotes? / how much detail goes into the intro ? (no quotes, unless you begin with one for dramatic effect. A list of topic sentences outlining what you will discuss but keep the detailed discussion for the essay itself)

Do we list the things we’ll discuss? (Y es, see  above! But don’t be a baby about it! NEVER write “ In this essay I will discuss… blah blah blah “. [This is like a little kid telling their parents exactly what they are going to do before they do it “ Mammy, I’m going to do a wee-wee now! “] We’re not thick. If it’s in your introduction we assume that’s because you intend to discuss it!)

How long should it be? (Anywhere between a third of a page and hall a page. Three-quarters of a page is probably too long. An introduction is supported to be brief and to the point! Long-winded is irritating)

Think of your introduction as a road map. You have been given a destination (the question) and there are lots of perfectly acceptable ways of getting there. In your introduction you lay out clearly what directions you’ll take in your essay. MAKE SURE TO USE THE WORDS FROM THE Q – but don’t begin by simply parroting back the question word for word. There is nothing worse than “I agree 100% that…..”.

• Re-phrase the question in your own words to prove that you have understood it.
• Divide the question into manageable chunks and discuss each part of the Q.
• List the things your essay will discuss to answer the question asked.

Let’s take an example:

“ Iago has a very low opinion of human nature and this colours his interpretation of every person in his life ”

Begin with part of the question:I re-phrase it in my own words. (Give an example)

Iago certainly feels superior to many of the people in his life. In the opening scene he criticises Othello & Cassio and he delights in creating pain and suffering for Brabantio. He does not respect other human beings, nor does he have a high opinion of anyone but himself.

Now I turn my attention to the other part of the question & list the things I’ll discuss in the body of my essay

He takes the most negative possible interpretation of human behaviour in every situation, accusing Othello of being a lustful gold-digger; accusing Cassio of being a naïve ladies-man with little battlefield experience; accusing Dedemona of being fickle and motivated only by lust; and finally, confiding to both Roderigo and to us the audience his general outlook on human beings, which is that they are selfish and self-serving. 

Body Paragraphs

When do you begin a new paragraph? (When you’ve got a new idea to discuss)

What should your first sentence do? (Respond to the Q with one relevant idea)

(NOT TELL THE STORY was actually my first response to this question!)

How long should it be? Do all paragraphs need to be the same length? How long is too long? (Depends how much you have to say about that idea. Paragraphs can vary in length. More than 3/4 of a page is too long.)

How many quotes and examples should you include? (Hard to answer this one. Depends on the point you’re making. At least 3 quotes, no more than 7? Quotes can be two or three words – e.g. “honest Iago” or half a speech! Don’t include really long quotes – it’s irritating and unnecessary). 

When do you quote? Can you begin with a quote or should you always begin with a statement (Quote to prove a point. Always begin with a statement? Yes, yes, yes – remember PQE from First Year English!)

How do you end a paragraph? (Show how what you’ve just said is relevant to the Q. You may want to flow into your next point – this can be done in the final sentence of this paragraph or at the beginning of the topic sentence in the next paragraph. FLOW MATTERS so make sure you use connectives in your writing)

Here’s the advice and example I came up with to answer their questions in a concrete and specific way:

Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence. This first sentence indicates what your paragraph will be about. For example:

Despite having fought side by side with Othello for many years, Iago has a very negative opinion of his employer.    (this is your topic sentence)

The rest of the paragraph provides specific examples which illustrate that the topic sentence is true (either quotes or paraphrasing or RELEVANT plot details – but don’t fall into the trap of telling the story)

His bitterness at not getting promoted to lieutenant leads him to believe that Othello was “loving his own pride and purposes” when he gave the job to Cassio. Iago sees his decision as a personal slight and an insult, because Iago has a very high opinion of himself “I know my price, I am worth no less a place”. His bitterness leads him on a quest for revenge and he begins to see people as simply pawns in a game of chess; each one will either help or hinder him in his quest. For example, rather than search for a new job, Iago decides to do everything in his power to destroy Othello. He takes a very negative interpretation of Othello’s decision to marry Desdemona, telling Cassio that Othello was motivated purely by her money and is satisfied now because he has “boarded a land-carrick” or treasure ship and is now guaranteed wealth (through his wife’s fortune) for the rest of his life .

If you want to continue discussing the same basic idea (eg Iago’s low opinion of Othello) but your paragraph is getting too long, then break it into two paragraphs. You’ll still need a topic sentence, but this one will just introduce a related idea. For example:

Iago is also very quick to believe the rumour that Othello has slept with his wife . He comments that “it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets he has done my office ” and refuses to even bother checking if this rumour is true or not. This is hardly surprising given how certain he was that Othello was motivated by lust rather than love (“even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe”) – it’s as if Iago refuses to even consider the idea that human beings might be motivated by a noble emotion like love rather than by their base animalistic desires. Iago allows for the fact that human beings might be essentially ‘good’ when he describes Othello as being “of a free and open nature that thinks men honest that but seem to be so” but he sees this as naïve and stupid.

Finish your paragraph (or if the same basic idea stretches to two paragraphs, finish the second paragraph) by stating clearly how what you’ve just discussed is relevant to the question asked.

Thus, it is clear that Iago thinks very little of Othello, seeing him as motivated by lust and greed and interpreting his trusting nature as a weakness rather than a virtue.   ( this is the final sentence of this paragraph/section on Iago’s interpretation of Othello’s behaviour).

Without the meat the sandwich wouldn’t be a sandwich but without one of the two slices of bread it would also not be a sandwich! You need both slices of bread and lots of filling. If you have lots to say for one idea and it stretches into two paragraphs, this is basically a double-decker sandwich. It’s fine but too many double-deckers in one essay might mean you run out of space (or time!) so don’t fill up that essay too much with double-deckers!!!

Alternative ways of structuring this essay:

You could go through the play chronologically –

par 1 could discuss his failure to get promoted;

par 2 could discuss breaking the news to Brabantio;

par 3 could discuss his interpretation of Othello & Desdemona’s marriage;

par 4 could discuss the speech he makes to Roderigo about reason being superior to emotion;

par 5 could discuss his plan for revenge.

There is not ONE PERFECT WAY to structure any essay – the important thing is that each paragraph has a clear focus and that each paragraph clearly responds to the question. If you just tell the story, you will NOT do well.

NOTE: This example only deals with Act 1 because this is an essay we did when we finished that act. Obviously in the exam you’d be expected to draw from the events of the entire play, not just Act 1.

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Posted in Othello

Tagged Essay , essay writing skills , Othello , structure

Seeing Blind

For their house exam, my students have 1hr 30mins to write a work of inspired creative genius. So no pressure then! They’ll have to choose between a speech, a debate, a personal essay, a newspaper article or a descriptive essay and they have no idea what the topics will be… eek! (I’ll post them here on Friday after the exam).

So today, with the exams looming tomorrow, they asked me how the hell they can prepare. As well as revising the stylistic features required of each genre ( speech , article , personal essay , descriptive writing ) and the six rules of essay writing , here’s what we came up with:

How to prepare when you don’t know what the topic will be…

• List of personal anecdotes you might use… (remember sights, sounds, smells, taste, touch)
• List of quotes you might use…
• List of techniques you will use…
• List of official organisations (O.E.C.D., E.R.S.I., W.H.O., C.S.O..) & names of Ministers of State (minister for education, minister for children, minister for social affairs etc). When making up quotes and stats from experts give the person a title and attach them to a university or organisation to make them sound believable…
• Ideas on topical issues ( see this list ) plus any quirky news stories that catch your eye!
• Reading really good quality journalism – not just celebrity news ( check out Elaine Dobbyn’s blog post on how to find great writing on the web ).
• Funny jokes! (if you’re writing a more lighthearted piece you might be able to work one in to your essay)

Update: as promised, here are the essay topics my students faced into for their house exams on Friday last:

Write a composition on any ONE of the following:

1. “Write a lighthearted speech , to be delivered to your classmates, on your pet hates in life ”

2. “Write a newspaper article in which you uncover and expose a scandal ”

3. “Write an entertaining descriptive essay for a competition under the title “ If I ran this school “.

4. “Write a debate speech in which you argue for or against the motion that “ The future of publishing is digital ” (I got this from a mock paper)

5. “Write a personal essay entitled “ I’m weird but that’s OK “.

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Posted in Composing , Leaving Cert Paper 1 , MSM students

Tagged Essay , leaving cert english , paper one , prepare

Topic of the week: The Future

For some reason when people envisage the future, cities looks quite like they do now but they’re curvier and have random flying pods zooming about.

Everything is also crystal clean sparkly clear and the air is somehow fresher, brighter, sharper than it is when you look out the window (not sure how that will happen but here’s hoping) – or else we’ve been through some kind of armageddon and everything looks vaguely like it did during World War 2…

Given that we can only speculate, here are a few questions to get your idea juices flowing…

On a global scale:

• Will we end up zooming around in hovercrafts?
• Will the ice caps melt?… and will Ireland drown as corresponding sea levels rise?
• Will solar, wind and wave technology finally free us from our dependance on fossil fuels?
• Will medical advances allow us to grow spare body parts? And will we be able to select the genes our children inherit? Perhaps we’ll even be able to ‘transplant’ our brains into a new body and thus find a way to live forever!
• Will the threat of nuclear annihilation re-imerge? Will religious fundamentalism lead to the break-out of a global jihad between Muslims and Christians? Will ‘the Hunger Games’ ever come to pass? It may sound crazy but pick up a copy of Orwell’s 1984 and you’ll see just how much big brother’s already come to pass!
• Will robots finally do our housework for us? (please let the answer to this one be yes…)
• Will we find a way to populate other planets? Holidays on Mars anyone? Underwater cities? There are 7 billion of us on earth now after all. That’s a whole lotta peeps for one planet…

On a personal level:

• What will your life be life? What will you spend your time doing?
• What will you achieve?
• Will you make the world a better place? Or a worse one? Or have no effect on anything!
• Who do you picture IN your future with you?

I’m particularly taken by the idea of augmented reality which isn’t far in the future – check these out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cf7IL_eZ38

http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6cNdhOKwi0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4

Also, if you’re not doing the Leaving Cert until next year I recommend you read “ An Optimist’s Tour of the Future ” by Mark Stevenson over the summer. If you like reading that is…which I’m presuming you do if you browse this website for shits and giggles!!!

Posted in Discussions

Tagged Essay , essay writing , future , leaving cert , leaving cert english , vision

Six Rules of Essay Writing

• Plan x 2 = brainstorm ideas for the topic, organise them, then make a list of techniques you’ll use.
• Dramatic opening paragraph – it’s really important to grab the reader’s attention. Use a quote, or a series of rhetorical questions, a list, or a vivid description. Say something shocking or provocative. However you do it, make the reader feel eager to read on.
• Variety of ideas . A good way to come up with ideas when you’re stuck is to ask yourself to apply the idea to ME / EUROPE / WORLD  PAST / PRESENT / FUTURE
• Variety of techniques . Use your techniques plan. As you use them cross them off. Some people write well naturally & don’t need this but lots of people need reminding that it’s not just what you say that matters, it’s also how you say it!
• Flow .  Connecting phrases create a flow and transition from one idea to the next.
• Dramatic final paragraph – it’s really important to leave the reader feeling satisfied. Use a quote, or a series of rhetorical questions, a list, or a vivid description. Say something shocking or provocative. However you do it, make the reader sad that your essay is over. Some writers like to come full circle & begin & end with the same idea.

It’s hard to say exactly how long your essay should be. A brilliant debate 3 pages  long will do better than a boring 7 page article. A guideline is between 3&half & 5 pages but quality is always more important than quantity! Choose your essay title based on the topic but also on the genre – which style of writing suits you best???

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English: boring, predictable and oppressive

And that’s what I think of British people. Now, onto the Leaving Cert Higher English exam…

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with the school subject. Actually, scratch that. I’ve always had a neutral relationship with english. And not the “I don’t really care one way or the other” kind of neutral. I mean an abusive relationship of ecstatic ups and terrible downs. English will spit into your face and bitch-slap you into submission if you don’t do what she wants. But as long as you follow her rules, she’ll be really sweet and nice and might even let you feel her up. English, in other words, unlike most subjects, has a titanic, towering ego. Unfortunately for me, so do I. We get into a lot of fights, and I end up with a lot of high-Cs and low-Bs.

English is a liar, you see. She tricks you. She says “in English, there is no right or wrong answer. But if you don’t write it right you’ll be wrong” (Believe me, I’m as confused as you are, ladies and gentlemen.) The truth, is that there IS a right answer. English is just as cut-and-dry as mathematics. It’s just that english is very tricky and round-a-bout about it.

“What is your personal opinion of Bishop’s poetry?” — This question is not asking for your personal opinion. Oh how it looks that way, but it’s not. It wants you to regurgitate a bunch of crap about imagery and metaphor and similes and how she uses a lot of nice VERBS and ADJECTIVES which make it good. They want a simple, dull answer. Which sucks for those of us who are complex and vibrant. As my English teacher once put it: “your essays make for great reading, but they don’t engage with the task.” See, I think that’s the exam’s fault. They’re putting on airs of intellectualism, asking for ‘personal opinions’ — as if a stressed-out 18-year-old student has opinions on the pointless self-indulgence of feminist poets. And then they’re all WTF!? when they are met with an intellectual response. What they really ought to do is drop the bullshit and just say “Regurgitate some of that crap you learned about Bishop and then GTFO.” No ambiguity there.

However, the very thing that makes me hate it also makes me love it. It is by far the easiest exam to BS, because they’re not looking for facts, figures or even some semblance of understanding. They just want some bullshit. 75% of the test (to be specific: The composition section of paper 1 (25%) and all of paper 2 (50%) can be done before you even go into the exam. It’s then just a matter of remembering the key points of what you’ve already written down. Even the parts that are harder to prepare for — the comprehension section of p1 and unseen poetry of p2 — are very formulaic. Writer has a colloquial style with colourful language; Poet uses rich imagery and colourful metaphors; Photographs are striking and… colourful. It rarely even matters what it’s about.

I feel I should break this down even more, as a study aid: Paper 1

Section 1 Question A is all about drawing from the text. Usually there’s one “state the obvious” question, one “features/style of writing” question and one “support a point” question, all with reference to the text.

Section 1 Question B is probably the hardest to prepare. It tends to be something gay like a radio interview/speech/letter/magazine article on some subject matter that’s retarded and meaningless (because, like, our generation can totally like, relate to retarded meaningless stuff and shit. Profound, intelligent subject matter is totally uncool)

Section 2: Composition is fairly tricky, too, but usually there’s a pattern. At least, there is for me, because I’m planning on doing a short story, and usually they have a “write a short based on this picture” question, which means it’ll only take a few quick alterations. The trick is to prepare a story that has a vague theme which could be related to anything (and, obviously, to make it good). Usually my exam-stories suffer from either being ill-thought-through or having a rushed ending. Hopefully by keeping one in mind I’ll be able to make it flow evenly (and be able to add in intricate little details). It might seem easy to me, though, because my mind is kind of built for story-telling (so I’ll have no problem retelling a story verbatim two months after I wrote it). For the curious among you, it’s a story about an idealistic thief dude who robs a rich dude’s gaff and then (SPOILERLOL) realises that by selling off the phat lewt he’d be no better than the corrupt politician he nicked it from, so he breaks it all.

Single Text  for me is Macbeth. Looks like it’s the same for the majority of folk. S’all about remembering those quotes, and slapping them in as much as possible (preferably in a way that makes some kind of sense). Themes of evil, deception, kingship, characters of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banquo, all that doesn’t really matter. The stuff between the quotes is easily bullshittable, and a lot of the quotes apply to several themes. All you need is a fistful of quotes (and their context in the story I suppose) and you could handle anything. Blah blah evil blah blah *quote* blah blah evil blah blah sex blah *quote*

Comparative is probably the easiest to prepare. There’s really only three questions: Theme/Issue, General Vision and Viewpoint and Cultural Contexts. Terms overused so much by my teacher I shuddered when I see them. Every answer is exactly the same. Just a matter of remembering the key scenes and a few key points on each topic for each text.

Unseen Poetry is like the comprehension. Like I said before, just spout crap about imagery and stuff. They’re looking for key words on “the features of good poetry” or whatever, straight from the textbook.

Prescribed Poetry is predictable. Larkin, Rich and Mahon came up last year, which means they’re probably out. Montague the year before, though that’s less significant. Keats, Walcott and Bishop are probably your best bet. Personally, I’m only going to study Bishop. As much as I hate her, there’s a 95% chance of her showing up (there’s never been a year without a female poet, and Rich came up last year). Plus I can entertain myself by writing the essay with sarcastic undertones. The essay itself is usually quite straight-forward. A thinly veiled “regurgitate here” marker.

AND THEN YOU’RE DONE.

(Woo, about 1100 words. Is that a new record?)

29 thoughts on “English: boring, predictable and oppressive”

I like Paper One. Well, when I say like, I mean, prefer it to paper two. Paper two is a pain in the ass. I detest poetry, drama & crap comparative texts.

We’re doing James Joyce’s Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man as one of our comparaive texts. I literally have no idea what goes on in that book… not a notion. I know that the main character’s Dad embarrasses him at one point, and I just twist this same point around and around to make comparisons to the other texts. It seems to work, so I’m not going to try an work out something else that happens.

We did Bishop as our first poet at the start of 5th year, so the essay for her sticks in my head. I’m going to use this as a backup. I’m going to go with Longley or Walcott, even though I hate them both, because I can see Bishop being marked quite harshly seeing as it’s pretty much a given that she’ll be up. Having said that, I wouldn’t be solely relying on her coming up, just in case.

I recently flicked through my English pre-paper and realised that the examiner didn’t notice two pages of my Paper 1 essay. The rest of the double paper was decorated with modest tic marks at the end of each paragraph, yet two pages of my short story were completely blank, and out of place. I numbered them for God’s sake. I also read the essay without those two pages and, surprise surprise, it didn’t make sense! Silly, silly examiner.

you’re cool Emerald.

Yes, Libby, Yes I am.

If you’d like, I could sign your boobs…

Haha! No thanks, you’re not THAT cool. But how did you get so.. insightful? I feel so inferior to you. Do you go to a really good school or do you read loads or were you just born amazing?

Aww, don’t feel inferior. You see, I am the son of God. Well, not THE son. But I AM his favourite. Unlike that egomaniac Jesus, I can live without all the fanfare. He’s been different ever since he went to that liberal arts college. God confided in me that he’s been worried that JC might be a pothead, and that he’ll move on to harder stuff. He’s just been bumming around at home for the last 2000 years, not really making anything of his life. He’s a smart kid, he’s just been a bit down in the dumps ever since he got crucified. I mean, get over it. Bobby Sands died twice as painfully for his beliefs.

Anyway, don’t feel bad. No mortal can really compare to me…

Hmm…I don’t know what to say back to that.

Actually, according to you, I’m boring, predictable and oppressive. 🙂

that face isn’t suitable

Aww, I just couldn’t resist the turn of phrase. I’m not really an anglophobe.

English is beautiful. Full of lesbians. Great stuff.

Lesbians are only good when they’re not depicted as over 50.

English would be so much more interesting if there was just one little artist’s sketch of a 20-year-old Adrienne Rich getting it on with a 18-year-old Liz Bishop.

I wonder if there’s a niche for porn inspired by literary history…

There is now. Make it happen.

Rule 34 on porn inspired by literary history

Your short story hints of a vague and subtle link with the German movie ‘die Edukators’, no?

..That, or you’ve just got a mind that subconsciously screams of Teutonic movie plots and my observation is a total coincidence. 🙂

Yeah you are cool, i really hate Rich shes a self obsessed egotistic wanker, i cant stand her stuff droaning on about how horrible everything is, english is a joke -bishop, cultual context, and a character study of macbeth or macbeth&banquo will come up

theres no room for personal expression, “creative writing” ? no your better off doing art its the only section of the leaving cert that offers some creative exploration but even then your forced to draw a horse show or something boring like that

emerald couldnt agree with you more

Glad someone is thinking straight.

I completely agree with you on Paper 2.

I don’t see how anyone could think that my understanding of life will be improved by reading Victorian murder mysteries (Macbeth), watching Jim Carey try to be more idiotic than usual (The Truman Show), quoting from a text that appears to have been written by a 4 year old with Tourettes (A Portrait Of The Artist) and trying to identify the subtleties within the writings of a liberal dyke (Our favorite lesbian pensioner ^^).

I’m actually quite fond of Paper 1 though… I find the short story fun to write! The mocks were themed on childhood and because the paper did tend to have a… morose air about it, I made it my duty to write the most idiotic and pointless fiction I could. Three pages and minimal character development later, I achieved 77/100 for my efforts.

A tip to all those who find the short story hard: – Think of a random event. – Mold to required theme. (Usually from a picture) – Mention the color of everything. – Mention the size of everything in relation to the main character. – Mention how the character feels about the colors and sizes of everything. – Try not to turn the main character into a Mary-Sue (Google it). – Close with an inspirational quote/sentence.

Anyway, 3 days to go. Good luck all!

It’s all in the similes, people.

“John and Mary had never met, like two hummingbirds who had also never met”

“He was about as tall as a six-foot high tree”

Ollllllllllllld. Stop being so ollllllld. Gosh. Can’t be that hard to think up new ones.

“The woman was about as pretty as a pig, which had been genetically modified to actually look very pretty.”

Not perfect, but it’s not olllllld.

You are not cool, particularly… at all tbh, you’re obnoxious and completely egotistical, and a bit annoying. But you make some good points and you’ve clearly got a sense of humour, charm can only get you so far… im not quite sold.

I dislike the way you make it seem like this shit is easy. I read all of this, including the comments, and all I have got from it is lesbians and rule 34ed Lizzy Bishop and Ms. Rich (Yeah I write there names like that because it makes english cooler).

Now…onto to trying to study Macbeth. This is going to SUCK

Yessir, I’m back again. Any ideas of the quotes I should learn in Macbeth? Im going through the book and realised that sleeping through the classes is not the best way to underline the quotes. I’m looking for about 20. Any ideas?

‘I have a towering ego and I’m obnoxious.’

‘LOL, check out this guy’s towering ego and obnoxiousness! OMG! Anybody notice that about this guy, or is it just me!? Gosh! It’s almost as if he’s TRYING to be like that for entertainment value! That’s just not cool! Everybody knows being snotty and arrogant is the way to go…’

Yes, that was you, Aaron. That’s what you sound like.

Anywayz, It’s not exactly easy. It’s just predictable. Since I’m going to have to learn it regardless, I’ll come up with some quotes for you. Probably will help me remember them myself.

OMG that is so true. commenting kinda late cos i was looking for sample comparative answers and this work of genius came up!! Just thought id say well done!! *Pat on the back* Do you know a guy called Robert Lydon? You guys are INCREDIBLY alike, its freaky

Aww, thanks Rosemary.

I don’t know anyone called Lydon, but if we’re alike it’s probably ’cause he ripped me off. Not to insult your boyfriend or anything…

I heard Robert Lydon was involved in the Josef Fritzel case and for fun he would throw ice cream at aging primates.

It’s probably not true though.

And yes, Emerald aka guy who lookes like 70 year old rock star, please hit this with some quotes.

Danke (Junior Cert German in this bitch)

http://leaving-cert.net/macbeth-quotez/

I dont mind enlish at all! Just a pain to get it all done in the day! At this stage I dont reli care what comes up! I just want it over with already!!

I got 44% in mocks and I was writting until the end so I need these quotes. Thanks man….I won’t insult your strangly old looking face again.

How did you know he was my boyfriend? And how do you know my full name is Rosemary? Duuuude you’re psychic:) How did your English paper go? I’m curious! And yes, he wrote in the Josef Fritzel thing because that’s the kind of thing that he does! You’re both word-wizards XD

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