Ordinary Level Irish
PAPER 1 - i Chonaola
220 marks.
Time: two hours 20 minutes.
Allow yourself 10 minutes to read through the paper.
Allow 35 minutes for each part of question one.
Ceist 1:
Ceapadoireac HT
(composition) - 120 marks.
You are required to answer two of the following:
A-Giota Leanunach
(short essay) - 60 marks.
Many of the topics in this section include material which you have already prepared for the oral exam, e.g. music, holidays, feastdays, young people, death on the roads, etc.
Sample topics:
Ceol La Fheile Padraig RiomhairiEire-is tir i le saoire a chaitheamh inti.
B-SCEAL
- 60 marks.
You will be given the opening lines and asked to continue the story e.g "Ag cur bia ar sheilf a bhi me ag obair nuair a thit an tseilf anuas ar an urlar . . ." Learn the past tense well if you intend to answer this section. It will be a great help to have a number of stories prepared for e.g a scary event, an unusual event, a robbery, a party you attended, etc.
- 60 marks.
You will be given a choice of two letters: one informal to someone known to you, the other formal; an application, a thank you letter, etc.
Ensure you know how to write an address in Irish e.g. 2 Teach Beag, An Spideal, Co na Gaillimhe.
Write the date in words under the address e.g 8 Bealtaine 2000.
The opening for an informal letter should be friendly A Chiara, a chara A Mhairtin dhil.
The opening for a formal letter could be as follows.
A chara
A Bhainisteoir a chara Half a page will suffice for the body of the letter Signing off an informal letter could be as follows
Slan go foill,
Aoife.
Whereas signing off a formal letter will differ, for example:
Le meas, Pol.
D-Comhra
(conversation) - 60 marks.
Ensure you know how to greet people, ask and answer questions, agree/disagree with someone, express delight or anger etc. Ceist shamplach:
"Is brea leat fein popcheol ach ta cara leat nach neisteann leis ar chor ar bith. Scriobh an comhra (leathleathanach no mar sin) a bheadh i gceist."
The sceal (b) and litir (c) tend to be the most popular choices. Half a page will suffice in each case.
CEIST 2:
Leamhthuisci NT
(reading comprehension) - 100 marks.
Points to note.
You will be required to do two reading comprehensions.
Allow 30 minutes for each.
The accompanying picture or photo will offer clues to the passage.
Read the passage carefully.
Then read the questions and reread the passage with a question in mind.
Before writing the answer underline the area in the passage which contains the answer.
Do not leave blank spaces. If in difficulty identify words/phrases that are common to both question and passage and attempt an answer.
Paper 2 - 100 marks. Time: two hours 20 minutes.
Allow 55 minutes for the prose section and 55 minutes for the poetry section.
Ceist 1
Pros - 55 marks.
This question is divided into pros dualgais (prescribed prose) 35 marks and pros roghnach (your own choice) 20 marks.
Pro dualgais includes:
Clann Uisnigh
Mise me Fein - Deoraiocht (examined 1999)
Seal le Siomon (examined 1999)
An Phiast no Inion Ri na Cathrach Deirge
You will be required to answer one question. In the past questions have been based on a quote from the story. You are asked to tell the story from either before the quote or after.
The second part of the question frequently relates to one of the characters or the theme of the story.
Pros roghnach - 20 marks
You must not use any of the prescribed texts above to answer this question.
It is advisable to prepare at least two stories for this section. From a given set of themes you are required to select one and give a short account of that theme in the text which you prepared. Ensure that you name the text and the author.
Ceist 2
Filiocht
- 55 marks
Like the pros the filiocht is divided into danta dualgais (prescribed poems) 35 marks and danta roghnacha (your own choice) 20 marks.
Danta dualgais include:
A Oganaigh an Chuil Cheangailte (examined 99)
Geibheann
Cartai Poist (examined 99)
Eiceolai
Fothrach Ti i Min na Craoibhe
You will be asked to answer one question. The text of the poem will be on the exam paper. Ensure that you know the name of the poet, something about the poet's life and work, the main theme and meaning of the poem, technique (metaphors etc) and also emotions.
Danta roghnacha:
You may not use any of the poems above to answer this section.
It is advisable to have prepared two to three poems.
Ensure that you write the name of the poet and poem.
In the past questions have related to themes, the poet's attitude, your response to that attitude and the emotions that the poem aroused in you.
Triail Chluastuisceana
(aural) - 120 marks
Same guidelines apply to ordinary level aural as apply to higher level aural.
Treasa Ni Chonaola teaches at St Michael's College , Ballsbridge, Dublin.