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Leaving certificate irish exam & revision.

The Leaving Certificate Irish Exam is the final test for students studying Irish as part of their Leaving Cert. Irish is mandatory for most students and is regarded as one of the larger subjects and more difficult subjects students must prepare for. Ireland's Leaving Cert Irish Course is comprised of two parts, an Oral examination and Paper Examination. The Leaving Cert Irish Oral Exam is worth 40% of the overall grade, while the written paper exam carries the remaining 60%. SimpleStudy offers exclusive revision tools and learning resources for Leaving Certificate Irish. Revision Notes, Past Exams, Quizzes, Essays, Questions by topic, and other unique features usually reserved for private schools or expensive tutors.

SimpleStudy® H1 Revision Notes

Leaving cert irish notes.

Irish Leaving Cert Revision Notes; study beautiful, concise and carefully curated learning materials. SimpleStudy’s LC Irish Notes are broken down into curriculum focused topics, already highlighted, and structured for easy recall in an exam environment.

SimpleStudy® Past Papers

Leaving cert irish exams.

Irish Leaving Cert Exams; Easily study years of LC Irish Past Papers and marking schemes. Build custom Irish Exams or Tests from previous Irish exam questions with marking schemes for each answer. Studying Irish exam papers, marking schemes and building custom exams is effective & easy with SimpleStudy.

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Leaving cert irish questions.

Leaving Cert Irish Questions; Explore LC Irish state exam questions. SimpleStudy’s Irish questions are divided by topic, timed, and offer a marking scheme for each question. Easily study previous Irish questions, pick your topic, and simulate the exam environment with our unique timer for each Irish question.

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Leaving cert irish quizzes.

Leaving Cert Irish Quizzes; Unique LC Irish quizzes designed for each topic. Practice multiple choice LC Irish quizzes built to replicate short form exam questions. Pick an Irish quiz, answer each quiz question, and review your results; check what answers you got, how long the quiz took you, and try to beat your high score.

SimpleStudy® Essays

Leaving cert irish essays.

H1 Leaving Cert Irish Essays; study perfect Irish sample Essays. Concise and curated for specific LC Irish Essay questions. SimpleStudy’s LC Irish essays allows you read full Essays for key exam questions. Review exclusive Irish essays and get full marks in your Leaving Cert Irish Exam with Simplestudy’s sample Essays.

Leaving Cert Irish topics to explore

Poetry - an spailpín fánach, poetry - an tearrach thiar, poetry - colscaradh, poetry - géibheann, poetry - mo ghrá-sa, a thig ná tit orm, prose - an gnáthrud, prose - cáca milis, prose - oisin i dtír na nóg, prose - hurlamaboc, prose - dís, poetry - éiceolaí, poetry - caoineadh áirt, poetry - fill arís, poetry - a chlann, the family as a caring unit, oisín i dtír na n-óg, an gnáthrud, an spailpín fánach, mo ghrá-sa (idir lúibíní), an tearrach thiar.

Algebra topic

Mathematics - Edexcel

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Complete Guide: H1 Leaving Cert Irish

Edited by Leaving Cert examiners, this guide is guaranteed to give you that welcome boost. The notes span 208 A4 pages (55,000 words). If you are unhappy with the product, contact us within 2 weeks of purchase and we will issue a no qualms refund in full. Suitable for all Leaving Cert examination years.

Section II: Written Composition

Nathanna cainte

TSMC – Taispeáin – Sampla – Mínigh – Ceangail

Seanfhocail

Connecting words/phrases

Exclamations/opinions – neutral, negative and positive

Miscellaneous

Óráid – Tús agus Críoch

Díospóireacht – Nathanna úsáideacha, tús agus críoch

A debate on school uniform – An tábhacht a bhaineann le héide scoile a chaitheamh

Irish in the year 2018 – Should it be made an optional subject?  – An Ghaeilge sa bhliain 2018 – Ar chóir don Ghaeilge a bheith mar ábhar roghnach? (Díospóireacht)

The Health System – Does It Need to Be Improved? –  Díospóireacht – An Córas Sláinte – An bhfuil gá feabhas a chur air?

We have an effective government in this country at the moment –  Díospóireacht – Tá rialtas éifeachtach againn sa tír seo faoi láthair

The future of Irish – Todhchaí na Gaeilge

COVID-19 – An Coróinvíreas

Alcohol and drugs  – Alcól agus drugaí – fadhbanna móra an lae inniu

Crime and violence in Ireland – Coiriúlacht agus Foréigean in Éirinn

The refugee crisis – Géarchéim na dTeifeach

Mental health – Aiste meabharshláinte

Environment and climate change – An Timpeallacht agus Athrú Aeráide

Immigration – Tionchar na hInimirce

Housing crisis – Géarchéim na Tithíochta

Problems in the lives of young people – Is iomaí trioblóidí agus trialacha a bhíonn ag daoine óga inniu

Social media – An maitheas is an donas a bhaineann leis na meáin chumarsáide

Sport  (from a non-athlete’s perspective) – Tábhacht an Spóirt i saol an duine

The education system in Ireland – Tá ár gCóras Oideachais as data ar fad

Brexit – An Breatimeacht

Ukraine – An Úcráin

Cost of living – Costas Maireachtála

Q2: Studied Prose

Maidir leis an scéal béaloidis Oisín i dTír na nÓg, déan plé gairid ar do rogha dhá cheann de na ceannteidil seo a leanas:

(i) An pháirt a ghlacann Niamh Chinn Óir sa scéal. (ii) Cruachás Oisín ón uair a d’fhág sé Tír na nÓg.

(i) An pháirt a ghlacann Pádraig Naofa sa scéal. (ii) Scríobh síos dhá shampla den áibhéil sa scéal agus déan plé gairid ar gach ceann díobh.

Q3: Studied Poetry

Q4: additional literature / litríocht breise.

Translations – Colmáin, Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire, Fill Arís – i m’fhocail féin

Leideanna – Sraith Pictiúr (sraith tips)

Leideanna agus leagan amach don Scrúdú Béil (oral tips and layout)

Nathanna breise don Scrúdú Béil (extra phrases for oral)

Notes on conversation (introduction, my family, myself, my area, school, hobbies)

What does the guide  not  cover?

The guide has plenty of useful samples to be used as templates for the one you will write for in the exam. Please note that we do not cover:

– Sample answers for the Extra Prose except An Triail and A Thig Na Tit Orm.

– Notes/Samples on the listening comprehensions, as this is purely a matter of practice.

– Notes/Samples on the prós and filíocht “Roghnach” questions, as this is not widely answered compared to the 5 named poems and prose included above.

With this guide, you will get:

priority access to 625Lab: we will give you feedback on one typed up essay corrected. Use the  625Lab submission form  and your essay will be moved to the top of the queue

priority access for Leaving Cert study advice. Email [email protected] with your query

notes as detailed above

Does it come in the post?

It’s a download, so there’s no need to wait for the postman. You automatically get a download link straight into your email inbox. If you run into any problems with the download, we will sort you out – simply reply to the email you get from us.

Yes. All notes are printable.

Start with these free resources:

• Leaving Cert Irish Predictions 2024 (Higher Level)
• Irish essays corrected and marked by experienced examiner #625Lab
• An Díospóireacht for Leaving Cert Irish (Higher Level)
• An Triail – Pádraig Mac Cárthaigh
• Bainistíocht Ama do Ghaeilge na hArdteiste (Ardleibhéal)
• Oisín I dTír na nÓg Sample Essay (Higher Level Leaving Cert)
• Aiste: An maitheas is an donas a bhaineann leis na meáin chumarsáide
• Irish: Ask a straight H1 student
• An tSraith Pictiúr

You may also like:  Irish Times Guide to Leaving Cert Irish State Examination Commission Layout of Irish Papers

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Mastering Irish Essay Phrases for Leaving Cert Success - Tips and Tricks for Achieving Success

Updated: Sep 28, 2023

Introduction

Irish essay writing can be challenging for Leaving Certificate students, but mastering a few key phrases can make a big difference in your grade. In this blog post, we will cover some of the most commonly used Irish essay phrases that can help you to improve your writing and achieve success in your exams.

"Introductory Phrases"

• Tá sé seo i gceist: This is the topic at hand

• Tá sé tábhachtach a thabhairt faoi deara: It is important to note

• Is é an chaoi a ndéanann mé: The way I would go about

• Tá sé ábhar dúshlánach: It is a challenging subject

• Déanfaidh mé iarracht: I will attempt

"Transitional Phrases"

• Mar sin féin: Nevertheless

• Ar an gcaoi chéanna: In the same way

• Is é an fhírinne: The truth is

• I gcomparáid le: In comparison to

• Dá réir sin: Therefore

"Concluding Phrases"

• D'fhéadfadh sé a bheith: It could be argued

• Is é mo dhearbhú: My conclusion is

• Ar deireadh: In conclusion

• Tá sé éasca a fháil amach: It is easy to see

What are some common Irish essay phrases that are useful for Leaving Cert students to know?

Some common Irish essay phrases that are useful for Leaving Cert students to know include "ar an gcéad dul síos" (to begin with), "mar shampla" (for example), and "chun an pointe seo" (up to this point).

How can using Irish essay phrases in a Leaving Cert essay help to improve a student's grade?

Using Irish essay phrases in a Leaving Cert essay can help to improve a student's grade by demonstrating their proficiency in the Irish language and their ability to effectively express themselves in it. Additionally, it can also showcase a student's understanding of Irish culture and history which is an important component of the Leaving Cert Irish exam.

By incorporating these commonly used Irish essay phrases into your writing, you can improve the structure and fluency of your essays. Practice using these phrases in your own writing and you will find that your essays will become more polished and effective. Remember to also focus on other important writing skills such as organization, clarity, and strong arguments. With hard work and dedication, you can achieve success in your Leaving Certificate exams.

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Irish - Higher

An important subject to pass at either level, Irish is needed to study at most Irish universities.

The syllabus has changed in recent years to place greater emphasis on spoken Irish so you should try and spend some time in the Gaeltacht if possible. It is worth practicing speaking Irish aloud as often as possible. You'll find some advice on preparing for your Oral on our blog .

Higher Level Course Content:

• AURAL - Comhrá (Conversation)
• AURAL - Phíosa Nuachta (News Pieces)
• AURALS - Fógra (Announcement)
• Poetry - An Spailpín Fánach
• Poetry - An tEarrach Thiar
• Poetry - Colscaradh
• Poetry - Géibheann
• Poetry - Mo Ghrá-sa
• Poetry, extra - A Chlann
• Poetry, extra - Caoineadh AUL
• Poetry, extra - Colmáin
• Poetry, extra - Eiceolai
• Poetry, extra - Fill Aris
• Prose - A thig Ná Tit Orm
• Prose - An Gnáthrud
• Prose - An Lasair Choille
• Prose - An Triail
• Prose - Cáca Milis
• Prose - Canary Wharf
• Prose - Dís
• Prose - Gafa
• Prose - Hurlamaboc
• Prose - Oisín i dTír na nÓg
• Prose - Tóraíocht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne
• Reading Comprehension
• Sraith Pictiúr 2023
• Sraith Pictiúr 2024
• Studied Poetry (Filiocht Roghnach)
• Studied Prose (Pros Roghnach)
• Write a Debate..
• Write a News/Magazine Article..
• Write a Story..
• Write an Essay..

Ordinary Level Course Content:

• AURAL - Píosa Nuachta (News Pieces)
• Prose - Oisín i dTír na n-Óg
• Write a blog..
• Write a Conversation..
• Write a Letter/email...
• Write about a studied Folk Tale..
• Write about a studied poem (Roghnach)..
• Write about studied film/drama
• Write about Studied prose (roghnach)..
• Write an Essay...

Foundation Level Course Content:

• Fill in a Form..
• Match the pictures with text..
• Reading - A Brochure
• Reading - A Letter
• Reading - Extract
• Reading - Newspaper article
• Reading - Poem
• Write a letter..
• Write a Notice..
• Write from pictures..

Ardleibheal/Higher Level (i)   Bealtriail (The Oral/ speaking exam)  240 marks - 40%

(ii)  The Aural/listening exam. 60 marks - 10%

(iii)  Two written papers.  300 marks - 50% Paper One - 100 marks

•  An Chluastuiscint (listening exam).
• Composition Section with a choice of an essay, a story, a newspaper article or a debate/speech  an Chluastuiscint (listening exam).

Paper Two - 200marks

• First, there are two reading comprehensions usually connected to cultural affairs, famous people, current affairs, etc.
• Then there are questions on compulsory prose and poetry. There are four stories and one film/drama on the prose course which are also on the ordinary level paper. There is a question on a theme or character or an aspect of the story or film.
• Students must answer a poetry question, Filíocht Ainmnithe or Filíocht Roghnach.
• Drama/Biography/Short Stories/Bealoideas. You are required to write about an Irish language drama that you've studied

Gnathleibheal/Ordinary Level (i) Bealtriail: The Oral exam is an important part of the exam. 240 marks - 40% 

(ii) The Aural/listening exam. 60 marks - 10%

(iii) There are two written papers (50%) - Paper one is worth 100 marks and paper two is worth 200 marks Paper One – 100 marks

• An Chluastuiscint (listening exam)
• A Written Composition Section with a choice out of:  a letter, conversation, story or paragraph. Usually, these options are topics that you will have studied for the Oral exam.

Paper Two - 200 marks

• Two reading comprehensions, one usually about a famous person and the other about something to do with young people, current affairs etc.
• Questions on compulsory prose and poetry. Students must answer two questions from sections 2A, 2B, 3A or 3B.

Bonnleibheal/Foundation Level

The main part of this course is Listening and Speaking. There is one written paper only and this is very similar to Junior Cert Ordinary level consisting mostly of reading comprehensions. There are no prescribed prose or poetry sections in this course. However, you may be asked questions about an unseen poem.

Future Careers with Leaving Certificate Irish

Irish is a requirement for entry into a number of third-level courses. Future careers include Teaching, Translation, and working in Gaeltacht areas.

Download the Leaving Cert Irish Chief Examiner's Report   (2017) 

Past Papers

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