Leaving cert off to a good start

Louise Holden

It was a promising start to the exams for almost 52,000 students sitting higher and ordinary level English today.

Seven out of 10 students took English at higher level and were reportedly delighted with the theme of storytelling, and with references to popular TV dramas such as Homeland and Revenge.

Essay topics on storytelling in music, and urban versus rural lifestyles were considered “engaging” and “approachable” by students.

“There was a fairly good choice of compositions, from persuasive pieces to writing a feature article for a popular magazine. Also the topics themselves seem to be based on content that is familiar to young people – the competing attractions of rural and urban lifestyles, or the place of music and song in your life,” said teacher Anne Gormley of Laurel Hill Colaiste in Limerick.

“The choices for those selecting the short story were good also and not as limiting as other years. Questions ranged from writing about a central character who is manipulative or manipulated, to writing on the theme of reunion.”

One cloud on the horizon was a perceived lack of choice in the personal essays, students reported. Many students look to the personal essay for their composition option and this year’s selection was limited, according to Michael Doherty of Scoil Mhuire, St Oran’s Road, Buncrana, Co Donegal.

“There was a tough personal essay option on ‘the tension you find between the everyday treadmill and the gilded promises of life’. Most of my students opted for the other choice, on storytelling in music and song. This upped the ante in the personal essay, a popular option for many students.”

Irish Times Leaving Certificate diarist Catherine Vance of Dunshaughlin Community College said the exam had ‘something for everyone’ in her class.

Today’s writing exercises were regarded as accessible: scripting a talk on television and radio in the lives of young people is a staple of the Junior Cert exam, according to commentators, so Leaving Certs were well prepared.

Over 16,000 students took today’s paper at ordinary level and the theme of humour was welcomed in a paper that contained no surprises. Comedians Des Bishop, Michael McIntyre and Gary Larson all made the cut and featured on the paper.