Education

Junior Cycle Irish: Octopus question leaves some students in a tangle

Oscar-nominated film An Cailín Ciúin features at ordinary and higher level

Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill

Peter McGuire
Thu Jun 8 2023 - 15:21

This year’s Junior Cycle Irish papers had nothing out of the ordinary, but there would have been some tricky parts for higher-level students, according to teachers.

Commenting on the Teanga 2 paper, which is sat by students in English-medium schools, Anne Loughnane, ASTI subject representative for Irish, said that the aural exam seemed to be reasonably accessible and suitable.

“But there were one or two instances where people spoke quickly, and this may have been difficult for students to pick up,” she said.

Linda Dolan, Studyclix.ie subject expert and a teacher at Mercy College, Sligo, said that students welcomed the paper with open arms.

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In the comprehension section, students were asked about an octopus.

“There were parts about the anatomy of an octopus and this is not necessarily what a student would be learning in school, but the questions were direct and understandable which helped balance it out,” Ms Loughnane said.

In the section where students write about a drama or novel they studied, they were asked if they were satisfied or dissatisfied with the ending, and Ms Loughane said that this level of literary analysis may not have been suitable for the age cohort in question.

Ms Dolan said that the ceadapóireacht (composition) component provided two lovely options -describe a holiday or a concert/party.

“The award-winning An Cáilín Ciúin movie appeared in question nine. Students were given the task of circling the correct word in each sentence that described the film. The final section, based on poetry, offered students two undemanding questions on emotions and images.

“This paper was a large improvement on last year’s mind-boggling exam. Students and teachers alike undoubtedly would have been happy and greatly relieved to receive this paper today,” Ms Dolan said.

Ms Loughane said that the ASTI would welcome more emphasis on oral language skills at junior cycle level.

“This would involve less written and literary material, because oral communication is the essence and life force of any language,” Ms Loughnane said.

At present, there is no oral component in the assessed junior cycle exam although, in the classroom-based assessment, students give a pre-prepared talk on a topic of their choice.

Meanwhile, students in Irish-medium schools sat the Teanga 1 paper.

“It provided ample choice and gave students the opportunity to display their knowledge of the material they had engaged in for the last two years,” Ms Dolan said.

“The usual type of questions appeared in the literature sections, inviting students to explore traits and imagery etc. However, the question on the short film was very technical and some students may have struggled with the language.”

On the ordinary level T2 paper, the Oscar-nominated film An Cailín Ciúin also made an appearance, while students were asked about the musician Dermot Kennedy.

Ms Loughnane said that, while the paper was generally suitable, question five posed a challenge.

“They were asked to write a message to a friend inviting them to a film, and that would be a little bit demanding at this level,” she said.

The ordinary level T1 paper provided ample choice and gave students the opportunity to display their knowledge of the material they had engaged in for the last two years, Ms Dolan said.

“The usual type of questions appeared in the literature sections, inviting students to explore traits, imagery etc. However, the question on the short film was very technical and some students may have struggled with the language.”

Junior Cycle Irish T2 (higher level):

Junior Cycle Irish T2 (ordinary level)

Junior Cycle Irish T1 (higher level)

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