personal essay leaving cert ordinary level

English - Ordinary

This subject will test your creativity and your comprehension of poets, plays and fiction.

In the exam, it is really important to work to the clock and get your timings correct so that you get all questions finished. Pay attention to your vocabulary, grammar, punctuation and handwriting as this all will play a part in how the examiner marks your exam. Finally, don’t forget to study Paper 1 – there is just as much potential for practice and preparation as the studied material on Paper 2.

Higher Level Course Content

• 1 Composition (Personal Writing)
• 1 Reading Comprehension
• Comparative - Cultural Context (2024)
• Comparative - Literary genre (2023/24)
• Comparative - Theme or Issue (2023/24)
• Comparative - Vision & Viewpoint (2023)
• Hamlet (2024)
• Macbeth (2023)
• Othello (2022)
• Poetry - Bishop (2023)
• Poetry - Dickinson (2023)
• Poetry - Donne (2023)
• Poetry - Heaney (2024)
• Poetry - Hopkins (2024)
• Poetry - Kavanagh (2023)
• Poetry - Mahon (2023)
• Poetry - Meehan (2023/24)
• Poetry - Ni Chuilleanain (2024)
• Poetry - Plath (2024)
• Poetry - Rich (2023)
• Poetry - Yeats (2023)
• Text - A Doll's House
• Text - All the Light We Cannot See
• Text - Frankenstein (2023)
• Text - Pride & Prejudice
• Text - Regeneration
• Text - The CrucibleText - The Handmaid's Tale
• Text - The Picture of Dorian Gray (2023)
• Text - Wuthering Heights
• Text- Days Without End
• Unseen Poetry

Ordinary Level Course Content:

• Comparative - Hero, Villain
• Comparative - Relationships
• Comparative - Social Setting
• Comparative - Theme
• Poetry - Brooks (2023)
• Poetry - Bryce (2023)
• Poetry - Dickinson (2022)
• Poetry - Donne
• Poetry - Duffy (2022/23)
• Poetry - Eliot
• Poetry - France (2022/23)
• Poetry - Hughes (2024)
• Poetry - Joseph (2023)
• Poetry - Meehan (2022/23)
• Poetry - Morrissey (2023)
• Poetry - Muldoon (2023)
• Poetry - Ni Chuilleanain
• Poetry - Rich (2022/23)
• Poetry - Shakespeare (2023)
• Poetry - Shelley (2023)
• Poetry - Williams (2024)
• Poetry - Yeats (2023/24)
• Text - All My Sons
• Text - All the Light We Cannot See (2021)
• Text - Frankenstein
• Text - Never Let me Go
• Text - Philadelphia, Here I Come!
• Text - Room
• Text - The Cove (2023)
• Text - The Crucible
• Text - The Handmaid's Tale (2021)
• Text - The Lauras
• Text - The Picture of Dorian Gray
• Text- A Raisin in the Sun (2023)

The English exam is very understandable and approachable. The exam is designed to let you express what you do know rather than catch you out on things you don't know. The exam consists of two papers, for both Higher and Ordinary levels. 

Higher and Ordinary Level - 170 mins (200 marks)

Three texts (one of which is visual) are presented to you on a general theme.  Two sets of questions, an A and a B follow each text. You must answer a Question A on one text and a Question B on a different text.    (100 marks)

Section II 

Composing - you must write an extended composition in a specific genre of language from a list of seven choices (story, talk, debate, article, essay). (100 marks)

Higher and Ordinary Level - 200 mins (200 marks)

    Section I    The single text    (60 marks)

    Section II   The Comparative study  (70 marks)

    Section III  Poetry     (70 marks)

    (i)  Unseen poem   (20 marks) 

    (ii)  Prescribed poetry  (50 marks)

    (i)  Unseen poem   (20 marks)

    (ii)  Four poems will be printed on the exam paper and you must answer questions on one of the four.   (50 marks)

Future Careers with Leaving Certificate English

A pass in English is a requirement for entry into many CAO courses. Students who like English can follow a wide variety of career paths including; Advertising, Writing, Arts, Business, Management, Journalism, Politics, and Entertainment.

Download the  Leaving Cert English Syllabus

Download the Prescribed texts for the 2022 Examination

Download the Prescribed texts for the 2023 Examination

Download the Leaving Cert  English Guidelines for Teachers

Download the Leaving Cert English Chief Examiner's Report  (2013) 

Past Papers

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Leaving Cert Papers, News, Notes, Tips and Resources

Higher Level Papers

2019 Paper 1 2019 Paper 2 2018 Paper 1 2018 Paper 2 2017 Paper 1 2017 Paper 2 2016 Paper 1 2016 Paper 2 2015 Paper 1 2015 Paper 2 2014 Paper 1 2014 Paper 2 2013 Paper 1 2013 Paper 2 2012 Paper 1 2012 Paper 2 2011 Paper 1 2011 Paper 2 2010 Paper 1 2010 Paper 2 2009 Paper 1 2009 Paper 2 2008 Paper 1 2008 Paper 2 2007 Paper 1 2007 Paper 2 2006 Paper 1 2006 Paper 2 2005 Paper 1 2005 Paper 2 2004 Paper 1 2004 Paper 2 2003 Paper 1 2003 Paper 2 2002 Paper 1 2002 Paper 2

Ordinary Level Papers

Higher Level Marking Schemes

2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003

Ordinary Level Marking Schemes

2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002

3 thoughts on “English”

no english marking schemes?

Excellent help and support for our country’s certificate exams which we are considering a review for. Thank you.

Would request a print out of the 2009 or 2010 exam paper please, for professional work at the Ministry of Secondary Education, Yaounde Cameroon. Thanks.

Comments are closed.

Really Useful Links for Writers: Leaving Cert Essay Writing

Paul FitzSimons

• 29 May 2014

I have good news – the weather will be beautiful next Wednesday. The sun will shine, the skies will be clear, the temperature will be in the twenties. How do I know that? Because it’s the first day of the Leaving Cert Exams.

Besides being the unofficial start of summer, Day 1 of the Leaving is also English Paper 1, the culmination of two years’ work for around fifty thousand English language students.

The Leaving Cert English exam is divided into two papers – Paper 1, which is all about comprehension and composition and Paper 2, which covers The Single Text , The Comparative Study and Poetry. Like the other two-part exams Maths and Irish, English 1 and 2 happen on two different days – the first Wednesday and Thursday mornings of the schedule. Maybe this is to give brains and hands a chance to recover from a hectic morning of essay-writing.

Besides having the aptitude to tell a good story, writing essays at Leaving Cert level requires certain acquired skills, most of which we learn over the years of study prior to the exam. However, there are some aspects of writing the perfect essay that we don’t necessarily pick up or, with the deluge of knowledge that we’re trying to take in, have slipped from our memories. Thankfully, there are plenty of online resources that will fill in those gaps and also offer some additional advice on writing, organisational and time-saving that will prove invaluable on the day.

On the ever useful website LeavingCertEnglish.net – seriously, I wish this had been around in my day – we are given an invaluable guide to preparing for and then sitting down to English Paper 1. Their pages include advice on approaching each essay, what needs to be covered to achieve a passing mark and what flourishes will help to get that all-important A.

After sitting his Leaving Cert in 2011, student and blogger Aidan Curran decided to take the lessons he learned during that traumatic year and share them on his website. His post How To Get An A In English Essay Writing takes us through everything we need to remember coming up to and during the exam. He reminds us that, as essay-writing is not something we can memorize, it makes it both the easiest and most difficult part of the exam.

Most of the above applies to Paper 1 of the exam. Of course, there are also some essays to be written for Paper 2, which deals with curriculum’s prescribed texts, such as the play, novels and poetry. The Clevernotes website offers us some invaluable advice on tackling the second English paper compositions, suggesting that, in order to form a cogent and coherent response to the question asked, an essay must always contain an introduction, a number of well-focused body paragraphs and a conclusion.

For some slightly more tongue-in-cheek advice on essay writing, we can watch video blogger Clisare’s video on Entertainment.ie. She takes us through her unique thoughts on writing both English and Irish essays. She does offer some interesting insight but the fact that she advises us to remind the teacher that ‘Irish is a dead language’ suggests that we should probably take most of her tips with a grán salainn.

If you feel an online tutor will be able to help, check out TutorHunt .

“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” – Sydney J. Harris

A Whole Website Dedicated To It.

LeavingCertEnglish.net has all the advice, information and sample exams we need to tackle the Paper 1 essay.

“”Stick to the topic. Have plenty of ideas. Identify problems but also offer solutions.”

http://leavingcertenglish.net/2012/03/inspiration/ .

Them’s The Rules.

LeavingCertEnglish.net takes us through six important rules for writing the perfect essay.

“It’s really important to grab the reader’s attention. Use a quote, or a series of rhetorical questions, a list, or a vivid description.”

http://leavingcertenglish.net/2011/05/six-rules-of-essay-writing/

From The Horse’s Mouth.

Recent Leaving Cert student Aidan Curran takes us his advice on Essay-writing, based on his own experience.

“Obviously, when you get the essay titles first you say “That’s it, I’m screwed, we’ll call it a day”. But if you just look at them, you’ll realise that they can be changed to your strengths.”

http://aidancurran.com/how-to-get-an-a1-in-english-essay-writing-aidan-curran/

It’s Not All About Paper 1, You Know.

English Paper 2, which deals with the subject’s prescribed texts and poetry, also involves some essay writing. Clevernotes tells us how to tackle it.

“The most basic principal of essay writing is that it should be structured. Your essay must form a cogent and coherent response to the question asked.”

https://www.clevernotes.ie/english/hl/leaving-cert/how-to-write-a-paper-two-essay/

And Lastly, Some Proper Serious Advice (Or Maybe Not)

Vlogger Clisare gives us her unique take on Essay Writing.

“Always end English Language essays with ‘…and then I woke up.’ Teachers love that.”

http://entertainment.ie/wtf/WATCH-How-to-write-a-leaving-cert-essay/191520.htm

(c) Paul FitzSimons

About the author

Paul FitzSimons is a screenwriter and novelist and has written the novel ‘Burning Matches’ and a number of scripts for film and TV. He has worked as a storyline writer on RTE’s ‘Fair City’. His short stories are published in ‘Who Brought The Biscuits’ by The Naas Harbour Writers. Paul likes crime thrillers, good coffee and Cadbury’s chocolate. He doesn’t like country-and-western music or people who don’t indicate on roundabouts.

Paul also runs the  Script Editing service Paul | The | Editor .  paulfitzsimons.com

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Leaving Cert English Personal Essay: Irishness #625Lab

“the shoes of irishness fit me well.”, write a personal essay in which you explore your sense of what it means to be irish. (2001).

This is a good essay from a current Leaving Cert student. It’s published under our #625Lab section that reviews the strengths and weaknesses of students’ essays. Note the corrections and comments: these will point you to common mistakes to avoid and help you increase your grade.

⚠️Want a FREE 2024 Study Planner?

• mdramimsarker
• Nov 19, 2022

Tips and Tricks for Leaving Cert English Composition

Updated: Feb 17

Most students stress about Paper 2 – Shakespeare , poetry and a range of texts is a lot of learning in fairness! – but did you realise that the Composition section on Paper 1 is actually the most important question you will do for your Leaving Cert English? Worth 100 marks, this is 25% of your overall grade! The breakdown is simple – if you ace this section, you’ve set yourself up really well to get the grades you want.

So what is this section on the course all about? The paper 1 composition – a fancy name for what most would call an essay – and is something you write on the day of the exam and is worth half of the total marks of this paper. Both Higher and Ordinary level English will have seven titles to choose from, and these will be a mix of personal essays, short stories, discursive essays, articles, descriptive essays and speeches, to name some of the more common options, each tending to follow a certain format. The titles will cover a variety of language genres (informative, persuasive, argumentative, narrative and aesthetic) so as well as getting the topic of the essay right, you need to make sure you’re getting the tone correct too. Those are the specifications the LC marking scheme will be focusing on.

Each year has a new theme for paper 1 – it will be written on the front of the paper – and every essay ties back to a reading comprehension about that theme. Does this mean your essay has to be about the theme? Not necessarily. But it does mean if you are stuck for inspiration you have a general concept to work from which can be a great help on the day.

Length-wise, for HL you’re aiming for around 4 or 5 pages which may sound like a lot, but when you realise it’s roughly 20 marks per page, it makes sense. Plus, by the time you have a decent introduction and conclusion done, you’ll have most of a page filled. Ideally, you’ll have picked a title whose writing style suits you, and ties into your interests and knowledge, so those extra few pages should fill themselves pretty quickly!

When choosing a title, stick to your strengths – if you’re amazing at factual writing and aren’t terribly creative, then a discursive essay is for you; if you have a great imagination and know how to tell a good tale, then the short story is right up your street. Pro tip: personal essays and short stories come up at least once (if not twice!) every year so are good ones to work on when doing essay writing!

On that note, you may not think it, but English is 100% a subject where practice makes perfect. The more you get used to choosing titles, planning what you are going to write that ties back into the title you chose , then writing while keeping the correct pacing in mind (75-80 mins), the better you will get at producing decent essays in exam timing and conditions. Reviewing your vocabulary and grammar as you write are key to helping you push up your language and mechanics marks.

Are you going to be able to write an H1/O1 essay in 80 minutes the first time you try? Unlikely, but putting in the work on your essay writing between now and your exams is a solid way to help yourself get there.

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How much to write?

Lots of you wonder how much you should write for each of the sections and most teachers will say it depends on the student, on the question etc..

I’ll give you some general guidelines courtesy of my mate Benny who corrects Leaving Cert Hons English every year (those doing ordinary level will probably write less for some sections).

Comprehension answers :

10 marks = half page

15 marks = three quarters to one page

20 marks = one to one and a half pages

Question B = one and a half to two pages.

Depends on task. Language of information asks to you be direct, succinct and get to the point so a report, set of guidelines, leaflet might be a page or just over. However, a general guideline suggests two pages – and when you’re counting, don’t include the addresses in a letter. They don’t count as half a page!

Composition = 4 to 6 pages. Quality is more important than quantity. Don’t write so much that the reader gets bored and wishes it was over.

Single Text = 4 – 5 pages. Beyond 6 and you’re probably just waffling.

Comparative = 5 – 7.  Anything less is flimsy. You do have 3 texts after all.

Unseen poetry = Page and a half maximum.

Studied poetry = 4 pages.

Obviously some people write slow, some fast, some big, some small. The important thing is that the examiner sees you are focused on the question and organised in your approach. Don’t waffle.

Oh and one more thing! Bear in mind that the average number of words per line is 10-12. Now grab a copy, any copy and count your words – how many do you usually have per line?

If it’s 8 or less your writing is very big

so you may need to write a bit more.

17 responses to “ How much to write? ”

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