My son is due to sit his Leaving Cert Irish orals over Easter and is feeling anxious. He attended an Irish summer college in transition year but has lost the fluency he had. Could you provide us with any pointers to assist him in his preparations?
Immersing yourself in the language is the best way to prepare for the orals, as well as familiarising yourself with the structure of the assessment.
For example, try tuning into as much Irish language media on radio and television as possible over the coming weeks. Tuarascáil – in Monday’s Irish Times - has a “foclóir” section and is a good way to expand your vocabulary.
In relation to the exam, the oral – or béaltriail – is worth 40 per cent of the overall Irish exam (240 out of 600 marks).
The orals will be held during the first week of the Easter holidays and your son will be given a specific time slot. The process will last approximately 15 minutes. There are four sections to the oral exam:
Fáiltiú (one minute): five basic questions, as a warm-up exercise. Ainm, aois, dáta breathe, áit chónaithe (give full address, not just area), uimhir scrúduithe. (Five marks)
Filíocht (two minutes): read one of the five prescribed poems, nominated by the examiner. Students may bring their own filíocht notes to read with phonetics filled in. Marks are awarded for fluidity/fluency of reading, while showing an understanding of what you are reading. You should record them and listen to them daily. There are more marks for reading it as part of the oral than for answering questions on them in the written exam itself. (35 marks)
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Comhrá (seven-eight minutes): there will be general conversation about the student, family, school, subjects, hobbies, etc. Topics will broaden out to cover current issues/topics of interest. However, the student can “lead” the conversation towards specific topics. No marks are lost for not having knowledge of a particular topic; simply tell the examiner: “Tá brón orm, ach táim gafa leis na scrúduithe faoi láthair agus níl morán eolais agam faoi sin, ACH ... ”
The most effective technique here is to divert towards something you wish to talk about. Remember this is a conversation, not a general knowledge quiz. (120 marks)
Sraith pictiúr (three-four minutes): students must prepare 10 of the 20 prescribed sraith. Students can tell the story in the past or present tense. The student should have three questions ready to ask the examiner about the sraith. Be clever by having three questions that can be used for all the sraith. Then the examiner will ask the student three straightforward questions about the sraith. The student asks their questions first.
There are 70 marks for telling the story and 10 for asking/answering the questions. Try recording the sraith this week and listen to them daily. This will pay huge dividends. (80 marks)
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