Yesterday’s Leaving Certificate English paper two was overall viewed as “manageable” as poets Paula Meehan and Elizabeth Bishop both appeared.
The third day of the Leaving Cert begins at 9.30am today with geography, followed by maths paper one at 2pm.
Key reads
- Leaving Cert: ‘If I don’t do good, then it maybe sets a tone for the rest of my siblings’
- The Leaving Cert according to a guidance counsellor: ‘Their brains have been working so hard ... they need to get fresh air’
- 10 tips for parents supporting an exam student this month
- Sign up for our Classroom to College newsletter
So how was English paper two yesterday? ‘No curveballs,’ the teachers tell us
Our reporter Jack Brady spoke to Siobhán O’Donovan, a teacher at the Patrician Academy in Co Cork, who said students will be “very happy” with the exam overall as they faced “no curveballs”.
“I don’t think anyone had any big problem with the exam,” O’Donovan said.
“Its lovely to see them coming out happy,” she said, adding that it’s not always the case that you see students coming out of the exam hall with a smile on their face.
Liam Dingle, a teacher at the Institute of Education, said the appearance of poets Paula Meehan and Elizabeth Bishop would have given students a “little moment of triumph” before taking on the exam.
You can read the full paper review here.
If I fail maths, do I fail the Leaving Cert?
The short answer is no. There is no pass or fail system in the Leaving Cert.
If you fail maths, you will receive zero CAO points for the subject and likely won’t use it as one of the six subjects you count for CAO points.
Some college courses have a minimum requirement in maths, so you if you fail the subject you won’t be able to access those courses even with the right points.
But many courses do not have that requirement, and it is worth checking that before finalising your CAO choices if you feel it didn’t go well for you.
With the right college course selection, and six other strong subjects, it may not affect you at all.
‘I’m worried most about maths’
Seventeen-year-old Momin Bari from Dublin spoke to Jen Hogan today about his hopes for the maths exam.
He’s hoping to study either economics and finance, or commerce and is studying seven higher-level subjects and one at ordinary level.
Business and history are his favourite subjects. He’s worried most about maths. “I’m doing higher-level maths for the bonus points. Other than that, I’d probably do ordinary level. But those extra points really mean a lot.”
He has been taking grinds in maths, which has helped with his confidence. “Before, I was pretty weak, but you need to put in the hours obviously if you want to get better.”
So how many hours is Bari putting in? “I’d say anywhere between six to 10 hours” per day, he says. “I make sure I wake up early, and I’m sleeping well and eating well,” he says.
Read his full story here.
Today will see students face geography and maths paper one as the first week of the Leaving Certificate exams comes to a close.
After almost 3½ hours of English paper two yesterday, students may understandably be waking up a little groggy this morning.
Well, they have algebra to look forward to in maths paper one, along with differentiation and integration.
It’s not all bad though, because by 4.30pm this evening you will be through the bulk of the two core subjects, English and maths, with the weekend to prepare for maths paper two.
If you have any questions, thoughts or feedback, please email me, niamh.towey@irishtimes.com.
Good luck.
