Leaving Certificate English 2022, Paper 2
See my observations on Paper 1 here. And here again is my piece about why the proposed move of Paper 1 back into Fifth Year is so retrograde, and evidence of sloppy thinking. If you want more on sloppy thinking, go to the bottom of the post to read about the false notion of ‘rote learning’ in Leaving Certificate English.
The literature paper as usual comes after language, though if the misguided plans to move Paper 1 are maintained despite the evidence, before long there will only be literature to study in Sixth Year, and thus only this exam in June (the one which takes most preparation and causes most anxiety/stress).
The Single Text most pupils do is always the Shakespearean one, though answering on Shakespeare is not compulsory at Higher Level this year due to the Covid-mitigations. Since our pupils studied Othello, that is the only single text I will comment on.
The SEC threw a curve-ball this year with the first question, which asks candidates to look at the relationship between Iago and Emilia, which is both fascinating and disturbing. Few will have considered this specific relationship in enough detail for a long essay. In many ways it is a great question for the most able candidates, but I imagine far fewer will have chosen it compared to the alternative. This asked for reasons why our knowledge of Othello’s status as an outsider enables us to better understand aspects of the play - a more predictable question (indeed, I suggested in the Irish Times recently that preparing ‘race’ would be a good idea), but still intellectually demanding.
The Comparative Study mitigation this year was to allow candidates to answer on any of the three modes. The Literary Genre questions were both very straightforward (identifying techniques which advance the plot, and a technique that maintains interest in a central character (such as the Private/Public division in Philadelphia, Here I Come!). Cultural Context was trickier: there, they were asked on power in society (some candidates’ text choices will not have suited that), and tolerance of the expression of individuality or divergence from social cultural norms. The General Vision and Viewpoint questions looked at the levels of resilience in individuals or communities, and the treatment of disadvantaged or disempowered characters: again, plenty of thinking would be needed there.
On to the third option, poetry, which provided the only uncertainty of content. First, the Unseen Poem was by the fine American writer Thomas Lux: ‘The Voice You Hear When You Read Silently’ (back to the Voices theme of Paper 1): an excellent choice.
The five Prescribed Poets were: Brendan Kennelly (RIP), Adrienne Rich, William Wordsworth, Emily Dickinson and W.B. Yeats: all questions here had the kind of wordiness which has become regular, particularly the ones on Rich and Yeats: lots to process and be careful about.
This was a fair paper, with some interesting questions, and entirely appropriate for Higher Level. Once again it disproved the lazy unexamined but widespread assumption that in this subject the Leaving Certificate promotes rote learning: you can read my refutation of that idea.