JC Irish Higher: Tongue-tied grammar question confused many

Grammar can be the bane of a language student's life and so it was for Junior Cert Irish higher level candidates yesterday.

In an otherwise pretty good day with a paper in the morning and afternoon, a grammar question rankled.

No problem with the first grammar question, according to Blaithin Ni Liathain of the TUI and Kylemore College, Ballyfermot, Dublin.

"But in the second one there were a lot of different things going on in each exercise. It should be a bit clearer," she said.

Robbie Cronin of the ASTI and Marian College, Ballsbridge, Dublin, was particularly critical of the final part of the second grammar question.

"The instruction will have confused everybody. Talk about making life complicated for students", he said.

But the teachers found plenty to praise and Mr Cronin described paper 1 as good, and paper 2 as great.

Ms Ni Laithin liked the "fantastic" choice in the composition section, while the reading comprehensions were "grand, with beautiful illustrations".

Irish Independent