• Junior Cert 3 Hibs English Sub
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• Junior Cert 3 Hibs English Proficiency
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Students emerged pleased with the Junior Certificate English exam today after sitting a paper described as general and doable.

The two-hour exam sprung a few surprises with the studied film module not turning up on the paper for the third year running.

Otherwise though, students had a fair chance to show off the work they had done through the year, according to Kate Barry, ASTI English spokesperson and teacher at Loreto, Fermoy, Co Cork.

The final exam is worth 90% of the overall marks for students, with the remaining 10% based on work done during the year.

Junior Certificate students emerged happy from their higher level English examination on Wednesday morning after sitting a paper that threw up few surprises. While this was the third year running. HIBS ENGLISH: Home Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 Year 13 Debating Junior Cert. Coaches: Team: Timeline of Debates: Round One: Round Two. Coaches: Team: Timeline of Debates: Round One: Round Two: Round Three.

Ms Barry said that her students were very happy with the paper. She said there were no nasty surprises and described many of the questions as “general and very doable”.

The questions didn’t catch anybody out and I think that is fair given that the course is very open.

One of the complaints that did emerge was that there was no discernable difference in the difficulty of questions on the higher or ordinary level papers.

Ms Barry said if anything, some of those on the ordinary paper were more challenging for students.

Specifically, she said the section on comprehension for higher-level students could have been more difficult.

“We should expect more of a challenge at senior cycle, higher level. They should be reading at an adult reading level,” she said.

Ms Barry also said the students had the option of not answering a question on a Shakespearean play.

She said the drama question on the paper was “quite specific”, asking for a moment when a character expressed a strong view.

She said, at ordinary level, some of the questions were more appropriate. She said that a piece on Sinead Burke was “thought-provoking without being off-putting”.

“One thing I would criticise in this paper is the use of multiple-choice questions with only three options,” Ms Barry said.

She said the lack of options meant students could simply guess the right answers, adding that there “should be at least five to minimise false positives”.

The letter to the principal question was a good test for students, as was the studied poem and questions about the radio.

Ms Barry said 2019 was an improvement on 2018 which was the first exam under the new curriculum.

“The questions are longer and the students are writing at greater length. In the first year of the new curriculum, the exam paper was like a form they had to fill out,” she said.

“As a lead-in to their exams, there certainly weren’t any nasty surprises. From my own point of view as a teacher, that would be very positive.

“However, I would be concerned at the lack of rigour in the paper.”

Ruth Hamilton, an English teacher at Jesus and Mary Secondary School in Enniscrone, Co Sligo, said that the paper was mixed for students.

She said that a poetry question that asked students to “stop and think” gave a wide range of options for answers.

“This would have allowed students to write about almost all of their studied poetry,” she said.

“Many students would have found question seven very difficult as it asked them to give a citation on a studied novel, something they would have been unlikely to have done before.”

She also expressed surprise that film was omitted once again, adding that students will have been disappointed by its absence for the third year running.

There are two papers for Junior Cert English Higher level, and one for Ordinary level.

Paper 1
English Higher level is worth 180 marks and comprises four sections.

Section 1 – reading, in this section you are required to read a text and answer the questions, you should make sure to always answer the question asked, in order to secure good marks you should support answer with references to the text, displaying that you have understood the text.

Section 2 – Personal writing, You are required to write a piece based on a number of titles offered, this will give the you an opportunity to display your writing skills.

Junior Cert 3 Hibs English Sub

Section 3 – Functional writing, the task set in this section normally requires you to write a report, letter, etc. You should make sure you are clear about what you are writing, give a well structured answer, and be careful with grammar and punctuation.

Section 4 – Media Studies, you are required to write about aspects of communication in the media. In your analysis of the communication, you should be able to discuss your target audience and use imagery to convey your message, you should also make sure to have an opinion on your favourite advertisement, magazine and newspaper so you can write about it.

Paper 2

Junior Cert 3 Hibs English Setter

Drama, Fiction and Poetry come up every year on English Paper 2.

Junior Cert 3 Hibs English Subtitles

Section 1 – Question 1, the unseen Drama question, you will have a choice between A) Shakespearean Drama and B) Other Drama. In the unseen drama, students are required to read the extract and answer the questions asked, which may be about relationships between characters, or about characters themselves. You should always support answers with references or quotes from the extract. The studied drama is about a play studied in school, you may be asked about setting of the play, themes, stagecraft, it is important to make your point and develop the point and support your points.

Junior Cert 3 Hibs English Proficiency

Section 2 – of Paper 2 is poetry and there are two questions, one on an unseen poem and one that you have studied in school. Again, you may be asked about the theme or tone, imagery or atmosphere in the poem, answers should always be backed up with references / quotations from the poem.

Junior Cert 3 Hibs English Dub

Section 3 – of Paper 2 is Fiction, you will be asked about an extract from an unseen novel and a novel studied, you may be asked about the theme, characters, style, or plot. All points made should be supported with quotations or references.

For Exam Breakdown and Past Papers, visit mocks.ie’s Junior Cert English page.