EXAM FEVER
STUDENTS PLEASED WITH POET EAVAN BOLAND’S PAPER 2 APPEARANCE
OVER 700 Sligo students got their Leaving Certificate exams underway across the county last week.
Up first was English Paper 1 and Home Economics, with the much anticipated English Paper 2 to look forward to on Thursday afternoon.
For the Leaving Cert students who banked on Irish poet Eavan Boland the Leaving Cert Higher Level English, didn’t disappoint.
There were plenty of relieved faces at the Mercy College after English Paper 2 last Thursday.
“Boland came up so I was delighted,” said Tara Healy who spoke to The Sligo Champion as she emerged from the exam hall.
Rachel Henneberry was delighted her focus on Eavan Boland paid off: “It was fine. I always knew it was going to be Boland. Everyone was saying it. She didn’t come up since 2011 so I thought she was due to come up,” said Rachel.
Symbolism and metaphors used by Boland came up in the question, which pleased Jennifer McGarry ( 18): “Extremely happy she came up. This is the paper I was dreading so I’m happy that it’s done.”
“Everything I wanted to come up came up so I was delighted,” said Eania McGarry. “Paper 1 was a lot harder than today’s, the essays and comprehensions. Today’s was much more straightforward. My poet Eavan Boland came up as well I’m happy English is over now,” she said.
Rachel McLoughlin ( 18) had placed her hopes on English poet Sylvia Plath: “It was horrible. I was hoping for Plath. But Boland, John Donne and Keats came up, everyone I didn’t want. I did my best though,” she said.
Kayleigh Conboy did Ordinary Level and got Sylvia Plath ironically. “It was what Honours wanted and I didn’t want Plath. I was hoping for Eavan Boland or John Donne, which was what they got so we could have swapped papers,” she said.
“It was ok though, it wasn’t too bad. I’m happy enough with it,” she added.
Aimee O’Carroll ( 19) was pleasantly surprised by the Ordinary Level paper. “I didn’t think Hopkins was going to come up. I was ready for him but I could have been more ready. If you like someone you’re going to study them more. It’s done now so I’m happy,” she said.
‘ Big Maggie’ by John B Keane came up as expected so most were prepared for that question.
The Leaving Certificate students in Summerhill College were also relieved that Eavan Boland appeared on Paper 2.
“What I prepared for came up so I’m pretty happy with that. Bishop and Boland came up in the poetry and I had a good idea that Boland would come up because she hadn’t been on the paper since 2011,” said Sean Callaghan.
Both Dion Higgins and Dylan Lynch- McMorrow were pleasantly surprised by English Paper 2.
“It went much better than I thought,” Dion told The Sligo Champion.
“Eavan Boland came up which we had all prepared for. The comparative was a bit dodgy but the rest was sound,” he said.
“Paper 1 was just ok,” said Dylan. “I’m happy with what came up in Paper 2, the poetry section was grand,” he added.
English Paper 2 threw up few shocks for students, like it so often can.
“The paper was grand. Both John Keats and Eavan Boland came up so that was a relief,” said David Rattigan. “It was fine and pretty much what was expected.”
David Byrne said: “Paper 1 was grand, it’s a natural aptitude really when you start with that paper you can’t really prepare for it.”
Paper One was well received by students and teachers alike.
Studyclix Expert Teacher Lorraine Tuffy, an English teacher at Jesus and Mary Secondary School, Enniscrone, Co Sligo, said: “Essentially students were asked to write a radio talk yet the wording of the question was unnecessarily verbose and might not have been immediately clear upon cursory reading.”
“Essay questions were varied and, for the most part, engaging. The personal essayist will be delighted with their task to reflect on ‘ moments of insight and revelation [ they] have experienced’.
“While the speech on the subject of democracy wasn’t thoroughly appealing to the majority, an alternative article considering the role and contribution of scientists or writers and artists would no doubt have a broad appeal.”
Celine Gallagher, Higher Level Leaving Cert English Student at Jesus and Mary Secondary School, Enniscrone, Co Sligo said:
“I found the texts, in particular Text 2 applicable to today’s world and technology, and the effect on communications. I found it easy to talk about given that we’re living through it and we’re always talking about. Text 3 on childhood memories, made it easy to take a personal approach and include funny anecdotes from life”.