Irish is a subject which has quite a workload to accompany it at leaving cert higher and ordinary level. This isn’t to say that you can’t secure a high mark in the subject.

If you know how to allocate your time preparing and have an understanding of the marking scheme you can be very effective with your efforts in the exam hall and in your oral exam.

It’s easy to make the error of focusing just on leaving cert preparation without being familiar with the circumstances or exam's structure.

If students are aware of the marking breakdown for each exam, they will be better able to plan their time and perform at their best throughout the test.

A student that wants to optimize their leaving cert mark on the Irish test should read over past leaving cert solutions in exam conditions to ease any anxiety on the big day.

It is essential that you review this material in privacy as you move through the course. Long-term, this will benefit you and lessen the amount of work you need to complete on your own in the program's later stages.

Along with reviewing the material for the course, one of your main goals should be keeping track of your time. You can avoid putting yourself under undue pressure to finish by giving yourself 10 minutes to examine your paper after the exam is finished.

You don’t want to find yourself finished thinking that you have plenty of time to spare when you have left a question unanswered. Similarly, you don’t want to be writing right up until the bell with just half of the exam finished.

Managing your time and practising under exam conditions in advance is one of the most effective uses of your preparation during the run-up to the Irish exam.

Additionally, this will provide students with the chance to respond to any questions they might have overlooked.

Ireland
Improving your grades in Irish will unlock a host of opportunities across the island and beyond. source: Unsplash
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The opportunities for Irish language students

In addition to teaching you how to translate, do critical and in-depth research, and write essays, studying Irish also teaches you a lot about the culture of the language's speakers.

The advantage you need to succeed in the cutthroat international job market may come from speaking and writing Irish. Many businesses place a high value on language abilities, especially if they want to penetrate all corners of the Irish markets.

Even if having a strong command of Irish might not be enough to land you a job, you can become a highly sought-after applicant with further training.

Irish-speaking graduates may choose to work in interesting industries other than translation and the media, including the arts and cultural industry, public sector organizations, and the fields of healthcare, ICT, and marketing.

Not to mention that you could also go into a career in teaching the language as a subject at a variety of different levels. You could either do this in an educational institution or you could provide your lessons privately as an Irish language tutor. 

The opportunities for Irish language students are plentiful, take a look at some potential career paths.

Expanding your Irish vocabulary

Expanding your vocabulary is perhaps one of the most effective ways of conveying your ability to an examiner both in the written and oral segments of the assessment.

The greatest method to immerse yourself in Irish culture on a daily basis may be to consume Irish media in your mother tongue. Keep in mind that when striving to strengthen your command of a language, small adjustments over time will ultimately matter.

Immerse yourself in the language by reading books and newspapers written in Irish, watching TG4, and listening to Raidió na Gaeltachta.

By doing this, you should frequently come across new terms, which should make it simpler for you to remember them because they are likely to appear frequently.

Additionally, they ought to be helpful in the situation in which they are being used. Making word lists might also help you in your learning process.

Expanding your Irish vocabulary is a great way to show off your ability to an examiner.

Irish prayer
You can get inspired with the language Gaeilge, above is the Our Father or Ár nAthair as it is called in Irish - Ar nAthair by Neheti on DeviantArt
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Practising for the Irish listening exam

The more prepared you are for your Irish listening test, the more at ease and confident you will feel in an exam setting. This can have a knock effect on the remainder of your exam so it is important that you ace your listening if you intend on getting a high grade.

Learning the vocabulary of "question words" is the first strategy you can use in your preparations. Even if you are unsure of what is being asked of you, you can make an educated estimate by knowing whether the inquiry is asking what, why, who, or where.

While attending live or online Irish classes can be highly beneficial for learning the language, there is so much more Ireland has to offer that can inspire students.

There are Gaeltachts, or areas of Ireland's island where the language is Irish. The locals speak Irish as their mother tongue.

This is a great place to spend some time if you are looking to improve your understanding of the different dialects that you are likely to hear in your listening exam.

Students can study the Irish language outside of school by talking amongst friends or taking a trip to one of the Irish-speaking regions on the island.

Practising for the Irish listening exam is essential if you want to achieve the highest grade possible.

Studying for the Irish Oral exam

If you are looking to maximise your grade in the leaving cert Irish exam then you will want to focus heavily on the Oral component of the assessment.

This part of the assessment takes place in advance of the other component so you will be able to give it your undivided attention during the run-up to the exam, provided that the date doesn’t clash with any of the other languages you take.

The oral exam provides an attractive incentive of 40% of the overall marks for leaving cert Irish so it is certainly worth your while.

The ideal strategy for doing this is to become an expert in important terminology and ideas but to avoid memorizing complex sentences. You may therefore make up terms as you go along and still appear fluent and have a broad vocabulary.

The purpose of the examiner is not to lower your grade. Give them the opportunity to rate you as highly as possible if they so choose! Take a few deep breaths and show that you are familiar with the relevant terminology. You've had plenty of time to prepare for this, and your hard work will be acknowledged.

Both ordinary and higher-level Irish students should start to think about what university they would like to continue their education at. If you think you will achieve enough points from your grades then no school or university should be out of your reach.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to some of the past students of your school to get some information on studying an Irish course after you leave school and start your university education.

Practising your conversational skills is extremely important when preparing for the higher-level Irish paper. You should spend your time at school going over your personal story, information on your home town and what you study at school here in Ireland.

Studying for the Irish Oral exam is one of the best ways you can spend time before the exam.

Ireland
Step outside of the classroom and experience some of the country's viewpoints. source: unsplash

Improve your Irish results with Superprof

Why not get assistance studying Irish and speed up the learning process by eliminating all of the unnecessary trial and error? Superprof has a large number of instructors offering both solo and group sessions for a range of different abilities.

If you incorporate some of this advice into your study plan, you will be tremendously helped in achieving the highest score on your leaving cert exams!

With the help of a tutor from the Superprof learning platform, maximize your Irish test performance today!

How comfortable you are with the exam structure and optimal study methods that will help you improve the number of marks you can earn on test day will play a significant role in your ability to ace your Irish exam.

You may improve your Irish language skills by choosing to learn and review with a Superprof tutor, and they can also provide you advice on how to handle the exam paper when it comes time.

Now, possibly more than ever before, anyone can learn Irish. With the expansion of online tools for studying Irish, students can become more fluent in the language from any location in the world with just a reliable internet connection.

The classes can either be taught in-person or virtually using the platform's webcam. This is typically advantageous for people who balance a second job or tutoring with their academic responsibilities.

If you are currently in this situation and wish to transition into one of the aforementioned career paths this option will be invaluable. Having the flexibility to schedule your Irish lessons as you please will help you to be more consistent with your learning in the long run!

Perhaps you ought to look at some of the Irish lessons available in Galway, Meath, or even Limerick. You will undoubtedly discover an instructor giving their services in every place in Ireland if you decide to travel to one of the Gaeltacht regions of the nation. They will also provide competitive rates for your lessons.

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Samuel

I enjoy reading fiction, playing chess, live music and traveling.