When you are trying to achieve a H1 in any subject there is little room for error. Irish is certainly no exception to this. In order to achieve the grade that you deserve in the subject you will need to focus on each component of the exam.
Regardless of what your ambitions are in the leaving cert and the Irish language subject more specifically the listening exam presents a great opportunity to pick up on some easy marks. Provided that you are prepared of course!
You can still study for this part of the exam even though it cannot be learned like some of the lengthy questions or even portions of the oral exam. It is possible to study well so that you are prepared to respond to nearly every question on the exam paper.
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.
You will feel more at ease and confident in the exam room the more prepared you are going into your Irish listening test.
Instead of seeing the question words which feature on your paper for the first time and panicking you will be able to go straight to finding the corresponding answer from the tape.
Studying for the Irish Oral exam is one of the best ways you can spend time before the exam. Let’s run over some key techniques for improving your listening skills in Irish.
Where else can you improve your grades?
Practice cassettes from previous exams are the next strategy you can use to improve your listening comprehension on the Irish leaving cert.
The primary source you base your research on should be past papers. There are many parallels to be drawn among the papers, despite the fact that each year's exam is distinct and includes new questions and tapes.
In the simpler questions at the start of the test, students are often asked to identify the names of the characters who appear on the tape, the days of the week discussed, the date or location of an event, or the cost of a particular item.
You will be better able to listen for the answer on the day if you practice the terminology for each of these subjects.
You can become more familiar with the various dialects spoken on the island of Ireland by practising with additional listening exam tapes. You will do better and earn a higher mark in the subject if you get used to hearing the Irish language and various accents.
To perform well on this section of your forthcoming listening examination, try to respond to some practice questions from previous exam papers. Use these sample questions as a guide for the types of questions that will appear on your own listening test.
By making sure to attempt all sections of the Irish aural exam, you will be sure to move up many grades in the exam.
There are no marks given to students who leave a section blank, therefore it is crucial that you make reasonable assumptions when you are unsure. All of your subjects support this.
If you perform well in your listening exam, you will be one step closer to achieving the grade that you deserve in the overall leaving cert 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.
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.
The opportunities for Irish language students are plentiful, take a look at some potential career paths.
Other methods that you can try
How else can you separate yourself from other leaving cert candidates when it comes to improving your grades in the Irish listening exam?
One habit that you might want to consider introducing to your study schedule is to listen to the language as often as you can. Listening to the various Irish media channels in your free time is one of the most efficient, enjoyable, and perhaps least used ways to practice for your leaving cert listening exam.
Students that consume Irish-language news, movies, and television shows, or listen to music or podcasts will significantly increase their vocabulary compared to their peers.
For students, this is a terrific method to practice hearing the language in their own time without feeling like they are studying or putting in an excessive effort.
Almost every time a discussion between two persons is played during the hearing portion of the exam, it is different. You will need to provide the best answers on these tapes to questions on your test that will be written in English. The exam will play each conversational passage three times.
If you want to perform well on this part of your tests, you must rehearse how to respond to a listening exam question. Your grade in the listening segment will depend on how well you comprehend the various accents and can hear the answers from the persons on the recording.
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.
Proacting and subsequently developing your listening and speaking skills will help you to maximise the mark that you get in both higher and ordinary-level Irish. There is an abundance of learning resources that are available to Irish students at will help and support them with their assessment. Looking at past papers of the test is a good place to start.
Make sure to go through the test and translate the paper from English to Irish and back again so that you are sure of exactly what is being asked of you on the day. If you are looking to expand your vocabulary of the Irish language for the listening test then you can try the same technique with other resources such as Irish news papers.
If you are wondering how to improve your grades in Irish then you should explore all of the different avenues to accomplishing just that!
Learning the language in a Gaeltacht
When studying the language in Ireland it is important not to confine yourself to the classroom and Zoom calls. In an era where studying has become either entirely online or on a hybrid basis, it is important to spice up your learning.
When planning your preparations in the long term, switching up your learning can benefit the viability of your study schedule. While taking Irish courses in person or online can be very helpful for learning the language, Ireland has so much more to offer that can motivate pupils.
Gaeltacht, or Irish-speaking, regions, are found all throughout the island of Ireland. Here, Irish is the native tongue of the people. A trip to one of these beautiful locales and immersion in the language is a fantastic way to reignite your motivation to learn Irish.
For kids of any level, this can be a thrilling chance to hone the language skills they have learned in prior years of school.
Immersion in a language is the quickest method to improve your ability to communicate in it and what better way to do so than to leave the classroom, engage in conversation with the welcoming inhabitants, and take in the tranquillity of the island's rural areas.
This is perhaps the most effective means of getting used to understanding the language outside of the scope of it being just a subject at school.
Any leaving cert Irish teacher will tell you how noticeable it is if a student has been to the Gaeltacht. This is because they can see the jump in the student's confidence in speaking the language and their understanding and comprehension of a conversation.
This is a great opportunity for fifth-year students to get ahead of the curve and boost their grades in the listening section of the exam before they begin their final year of study.
Expanding your Irish vocabulary is a great way to show off your ability to an examiner.
Find a tutor to practice the listening tape alongside
If you’re looking to brush up on your Irish listening and comprehension then look no further than Superprof!
The platform has a community of tutors around the island and beyond teaching students the Irish language at all levels. With countless qualified Irish tutors available online with just a few simple clicks of a mouse, you’ll waste no time finding the right fit for you!
For students of are unsure about how to study for the leaving cert Irish listening exam or have difficulty understanding the questions or dialects which feature in the tapes each year.
The platform provides students with a level of flexibility and choice that is beyond what is provided by other online tutoring services. You can use practising with teachers from various parts of Ireland as a cheat code. This should help you become more accustomed to the various accents and improve your listening test score.
The Irish listening exam's first few questions might be extremely intimidating. Finding the right place to listen for the necessary information, such as the conversation's mention of the time or date, can be particularly challenging.
Practising these questions and the accompanying vocabulary that is needed to find the right answer with a tutor will help you to accomplish your goals in the language.
Working through test solutions and coaching students through best practice exam methods are just a few advantages that come to light with the support of an Irish tutor. Having a tutor can even help to calm your anxiety during the build-up to an exam.
As your level develops, you will have the opportunity to practice speaking the language and gradually improve your communication abilities.
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