Follow our updates here with paper reviews to follow later.<\/p>\n
Key reads<\/p>\n
The Irish Paper two exam is now over and Peter McGuire has some early reactions to the paper.<\/p>\n
Leaving Cert Irish paper two: Widely anticipated texts deliver relief around exam centres<\/p>\n
There were few surprises on a fair and manageable higher-level Irish paper two, according to early reaction from Stephen Doyle, Studyclix.ie subject expert.<\/p>\n
Doyle, who is a teacher at Moyle Park College, said the paper was accessible. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe texts that appeared were widely expected and the questions were straightforward, giving students plenty of opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said that reading comprehensions \u2014 one focusing on Sister Stan and the other on the issue of fast fashion \u2014 were topical and relevant, while the grammar section presented no significant difficulties for those who had put in the work.<\/p>\n
\u201cA sigh of relief would have been heard around many exam centres as the much-anticipated c\u00e1ca milis and d\u00eds appeared in the pr\u00f3s section. Students had a choice between the two texts and the questions were very straightforward, focusing mainly on characters and their traits. The fil\u00edocht section was equally predictable, with An tEarrach Thiar and Mo Ghr\u00e1-sa (Idir L\u00faib\u00edn\u00ed) appearing on the paper. The questions focused on imagery and students\u2019 understanding of the poems, rewarding those who had prepared them well.<\/p>\n
The final litr\u00edocht bhreise section also offered considerable choice. <\/p>\n
\u201cAn Triail and A Thig N\u00e1 Tit Orm examined main characters and their experiences, while Gafa asked students to explore family relationships and the consequences of choices made within them,” Doyle said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanary Wharf invited discussion of how a character overcame difficulties.”<\/p>\n
Doyle said all of these questions were accessible and allowed students to draw on a strong knowledge of their chosen text.<\/p>\n
\u201cOverall, this was a very fair paper with no major surprises,\u201d Doyle said.<\/p>\n
Good news for ordinary level students too?<\/p>\n
At ordinary level, the mood was similarly positive. The reading comprehensions covered R\u00e1th Chairn and the music group The Corrs, and both were manageable, said Doyle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe prose section offered a choice between C\u00e1ca Milis, D\u00eds and Hurlamaboc, with students answering on two of the three texts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe poetry section featured G\u00e9ibheann, An tEarrach Thiar and An Spailp\u00edn F\u00e1nach, again requiring answers on two poems.”<\/p>\n
Doyle said that both sections were in line with previous years and rewarded those who had prepared well.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a fair and manageable paper that gave ordinary-level students plenty of opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding successfully,\u201d Doyle said.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll have a full review of the Irish papers later.<\/p>\n
The Leaving Certificate is a slog. Lots of preparation. Lots of research. Lots of hours spent familiarising oneself with the various subjects. And oh so much writing. And that\u2019s just The Irish Times journalists in preparation for our State exams coverage. <\/p>\n
But it\u2019s certainly no walk in the park for students, as reader Alan Bonny rightly points out over on today\u2019s letters page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sir, \u2013 Why does The Irish Times give so much coverage to the Leaving Certificate exams?<\/p>\n With all the pressure students feel at this time of year, it does not help that so much attention is put on the exams. It also unnecessarily feeds into the (problematic) view that the Leaving Cert is the be-all and end-all for students finishing secondary school<\/a>. \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n ALAN BONNY,<\/p>\n Ballinteer,<\/p>\n Dublin 16. <\/p>\n It\u2019s not quite a case of misery loving company, but it can be helpful to read about others going through the same experiences, sometimes in different ways. The Leaving Certificate is not the be-all and end-all for students and in our continuing coverage we\u2019ll be looking at the very many different options open to students when the exams are over. <\/p>\n And yes, we\u2019re all counting down to the exams being over..<\/p>\n \u201cAn \u201cexponential\u201d increase in schoolchildren getting exemptions from Irish<\/a> is denying them part of their identity, is not inclusive of children with additional needs or born abroad, and is out of sync with how other European countries teach minority languages\u201d. That\u2019s according to a report published on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Our Social Affairs Correspondent, Kitty Holland, explains \u201cIrish exemptions are granted for two main reasons \u2013 pupils having a learning disability<\/a> or having had their primary education abroad.”<\/p>\n The report says children exempted from Irish are being denied \u201cthe cognitive benefits of bilingualism, a deeper insight into their heritage, part of their identity, the career and social opportunities … from an ability in Irish, the opportunity to attend a Gaeltacht course, and the opportunity to help their own children with their Irish homework in the future\u201d.<\/p>\n You can read Kitty\u2019s full piece here<\/a><\/p>\n I spoke with the mother of a dyslexic child about why her daughter is at home sorting the clothes in her wardrobe, rather than sitting the Junior Cycle exams.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people hear the word dyslexia they think, \u2018Oh, they just can\u2019t spell properly\u2019. And that\u2019s the biggest misconception of dyslexia ever. Because dyslexia is so much more\u201d, Sophie\u2019s mother Kate told me.<\/p>\n The lack of understanding makes life very difficult for adults and children, Kate says. \u201cEspecially school life, when you\u2019re all put into the same box, are expected to know the same things, be able to learn the same things, and that\u2019s just not the case.\u201d<\/p>\n Sophie struggled to keep up with her school work in secondary school and began to stop attending. \u201cShe was getting sick every day from the anxiety. She was having panic attacks in school.\u201d<\/p>\n Kate discusses making the difficult decision that Sophie wouldn\u2019t sit the exams, and how her daughter feels about it.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s embarrassed not to be sitting the exams,\u201d says her mother, Kate, especially as people have asked her why. Sophie has given various excuses to those who ask. \u201cShe\u2019s trying to find a way to avoid people thinking she\u2019s not clever\u201d.<\/p>\n You can read the full piece here<\/a><\/p>\n Following the unexpected piano tuning question on Maths Paper one, over on our letters page, Gary Woods, a fifth-generation piano tuner reassures students for whom the question which may have struck a \u201cbum note\u201d, that maths shouldn\u2019t put them off pursuing a piano-tuning career.<\/p>\n Play it, Gary.<\/p>\n Sir, \u2013 I am writing regarding your coverage by Peter McGuire of the Leaving Cert<\/a> mathematics exam and the piano-tuning question (\u201cLeaving Cert maths, paper one: A song and dance about a bum note<\/a>\u201d, Education, June 5th).<\/p>\n I recall my first day learning to tune pianos when our lecturer discussed the physics of string tension, different partial series and which beats to listen for to ensure enough tension was added per string per note for a correct piano tuning.<\/p>\n Following this class, I panicked given how low I scored in my Leaving Cert maths exam. Many years and pianos later, I can assure students not to be put off the piano-tuning trade. As with all careers, once you know what to listen for, you will be okay. \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n GARY WOODS,<\/p>\n Fifth-generation piano tuner,<\/p>\n Clane,<\/p>\n Co Kildare.<\/p>\n Good morning. It\u2019s day five of the Leaving Certificate exams and Irish paper 2 is underway this morning, with Biology to follow this afternoon.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SNNMRFVWUFGEZBAAHF2I2TIE4Q.png\")
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