Chapters
Reading comprehension is a crucial component. To improve your general understanding of what you are reading, make an effort to comprehend and extrapolate meaning as you read. You may increase your reading comprehension skills, make reading simpler and more pleasurable, and learn and use effective reading practices.
The capacity to grasp or understand what you are reading is known as reading comprehension. This occurs before, during, and after reading anything and is a deliberate, active element of reading.
Understanding what you are reading can help you draw meaning from it and better understand the message the author is attempting to get through.
Remember, when you open up you're leaving cert English paper 1 you will need to take sufficient time to read through the exam paper. The second step is to study the prescribed texts and try to find examples of appealing literature, images, themes or poetic techniques that you can discuss from your leaving cert English course.
Each year students will see a comprehension piece feature on their exam papers at both higher and ordinary levels of the leaving cert exam. This is a text extract from a contemporary piece such as a newspaper article, fictitious story or an event or an older Shakespearian text.
Given that Shakespearian texts are so dated, students can expect the language which features within these extracts to be too!
If you plan on answering the Shakespearian text comprehension question on your leaving cert exam, then you will need to familiarise yourself with this style of writing, as well as some of the vocabulary and some of the turns of phrases.
In order to be confident in your ability to retain the information that you read you will need to read frequently, and you will also need to practice reading comprehension questions.
The next step would be to time yourself answering these questions so that you mitigate the risk of running out of time in an exam situation.
Let’s take a look at how these skills will help you to improve your performance in the English exam, regardless of what level you take it at!
If you are looking for some inspiration on where to get started with your reading, give this article a try!

Looking at paper one of the English exam
Paper one of the English Leaving Cert exam can perhaps be more effectively described as the ‘unseen’ section of the course. Here students will find a comprehension question which examines a prescribed reading that will feature on the paper.
Given how constrained students will be for a time in a leaving cert exam, and particularly in the English exam where they are required to write such a high volume of content for their answers reading smart and fast can be quite the lifesaver!
By learning how to find information in the text, and read a passage quickly you can save yourself a substantial amount of time in the exam hall on the big day!
By getting through the reading faster than others sitting on the same paper, you will save yourself more time that you can spend answering the questions.
With your developed knack for comprehension that you develop from reading, not only will you retain more information than other students, but you will be able to put your time to a more productive capacity.
It’s no secret that there are no marks going for reading, the quicker you can develop a strong understanding of the respective text and get to answering the question the better!
With the leaving cert English paper 2 exam paper you will need to read the questions carefully of course, though you will spend most of your time writing. Students will need to write about the poetry, literature and text that they study for the comparative section.
When you write up your study plan for leaving cert English, make sure to include reading poems, reading literature and learning to write both of these too! If you study each of these it will help exam results.
We can see just how much strong reading skills can help you in the English exam. By practising your reading frequently you will be putting yourself at a significant advantage over other students when the exam rolls around!
If you are looking to jump up a few grades in the leaving cert English exam then take a look at how reading can help!
Understanding the components of strong reading comprehension
The most commonly adopted reading comprehension strategy is to read the questions twice and then read the text. It will help you to make the most of your time so you are sure of what you answer.
Reading comprehension consists of two parts: text comprehension and vocabulary knowledge. While text comprehension uses this language to become aware of the content underlying the text, vocabulary knowledge is the capacity to comprehend the language being employed.
Reading comprehension is significant for a variety of reasons and has several advantages. Effective reading skills may enhance both your personal and professional lives as well as your love of reading as a whole. Your understanding of some subjects may be increased, and you can pick up new knowledge and abilities more quickly if you know how to interpret a text.
Some of the other benefits that come with developing your reading comprehension skills through reading include being able to understand, analyse and respond to documents and written communication in the workplace.
This will also stand to you during university, regardless of what you decide to study there. It will help you to communicate with your peers when you are partaking in college assignments and improve your ability to write clearly and effectively. This is an important one as it will help you to achieve a higher grade in your end-of-year exams!
The ability to comprehend and engage in current events that are in written form such as newspapers, journals and blogs. You’ll be glad to hear that all of these have featured as part of the leaving cert paper at some stage, so your newfound skills will be put to productive use and you will earn some marks in the process!
Increased ability to focus on reading for an extended period will also help you in more ways than you might have considered. This is an important one, as it will lead to better enjoyment of and motivation to read. This will improve your attitude towards reading and ultimately dictate the rate that you at which you progress!
As you can see reading works wonders for your ability to comprehend information that you read and will help you to jump up a few grade brackets in your leaving cert English exam!
Your writing, reading and comprehension skills will be put to the test at school if you study English. Remember that the more books that you read, you will attain a better use of language.
Having a more expansive vocabulary will improve your writing and your grades in higher-level English. It will also help you show off when answering the reading comprehension.
Since there are so many marks going towards poetry, reading this article might just help you to squeeze some more marks out of this section.

Improve your reading comprehension with Superprof
You might even find that scheduling to meet your tutor every two weeks or even at the end of every month is enough to keep your practice in check. Learning to read faster and more effectively should be accessible to everyone, and the platform’s flexible learning options allow for just that!
Students often struggle to improve their writing skills at school. English students often learn about grammar mechanics. This time could be put to use by learning new words to improve your vocabulary. You could also read more books if you want to learn to write a high-level story. Don’t hesitate to reach out for help within your school if you want to improve!
Ireland hosts an extensive library of qualified English teachers for students of all ages to choose from. These tutors come from various backgrounds bringing different flares and approaches to their classes.
The English and reading tutors that currently list their services on the Superprof platform are highly qualified and have a deep understanding of how the country’s school assessments operate. For this reason, you can find no better place to either pick up a book for the very first time or focus on attaining an impressive grade in the subject.
The beauty of this is that it ensures that their methods are always evolving and improving, offering you the best education and results when learning the English language and developing your skill as a reader.
One of the first things that stands out when it comes to looking for English classes, is that it offers something for everyone. The classes that are on offer throughout the country cater for both students and adults that are either studying or working full-time.
It’s never too late to start your journey reading, regardless of what age you are, in Ireland you will have little difficulty finding a qualified English teacher.
English and reading comprehension courses are not only geared towards improving your language. The courses that are on offer across the country present some valuable learnings to graduated candidates, they put an emphasis on the development and articulation of your ideas to that you can make more compelling arguments in your answers.
So kickstart your preparations for achieving high-quality comprehension skills and ace your English exams with a tutor from Superprof today!
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