Don’t forget the aural

The aural (clua stuiscint) is worth 60 marks and shouldn’t be overlooked in the run up to the Irish exams. The questions tend to be quite manageable and it can be a really nice place to pick up marks if you struggle in other areas.

Practice really does make perfect in this section, so make sure you use the Studyclix Aural Revision Tool, or listen to a little bit of RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta to practise listening to native speakers. You should also get into the habit of underlining keywords as you read questions. Doing this helps to focus you in on what exactly you’re being asked for and might stop you getting sidetracked during the pressure of an exam.

Play to your strengths

It’s really important that you’ve figured out what areas you like to write about. Having learned all of this great content for your oral exam, it’d be a shame to waste it for your written exam. In the Aiste section where you write an essay, it can be really handy to try to bring in some phrases and vocabulary you already know. This can save loads of time when you’re prepping for the written exam. The effort you put in for your oral can really help strengthen your Aiste. It might be a case of looking back and seeing what areas you were strongest in for your oral, and trying to bring them into whatever Aiste you choose to do. With lots of choice in the Aiste, finding a topic that suits you shouldn’t be too difficult.

Use the time

Many students decide to leave Irish paper one early, having written their essay with plenty of time to spare. However, as with many parts of the Irish paper, it’s very easy to make small grammar or spelling mistakes that can prove costly when it comes to marks. If you are finished early, take that time to go through your Aiste, checking your fadas and séimhiús and ensuring that your essay is the best that it’s going to be. You only get one shot at this Aiste, make sure you get it right and the examiner can give you the best grade possible.

The above advice is courtesy of study website Studyclix. Irish Country Living has teamed up with studyclix.ie to offer last-minute help to Leaving Cert students the night before their exams.