There are two papers in the Leaving Cert Honours English exam. Each paper is assigned equal marks (200). Many students concentrate their efforts on Paper Two to the exclusion of any preparation for Paper One. However Paper One carries an equal number of marks and deserves an equal amount of preparation.

Paper One is a theme-based paper, which examines your language skills in two ways: comprehending and composing. It contains 3/4 texts linked by a common theme. The cover page of the exam tells you the general theme on which all aspects of the paper are based, including the choice of compositions. Note this theme before you read the paper. You are required to analyse texts you have never seen before and to complete some creative writing tasks. Before you sit the examination you need to be completely familiar with the layout and expectations of the paper.

Section One: Comprehending The Texts

There are usually three texts on Paper One (There were four in 2001). All texts relate to a general theme as outlined earlier.

Texts can be written or visual. Written texts include reports, autobiographies, passages from novels or stories, newspaper or magazine articles, diary entries, letters etc. Visual texts consist of a picture or pictures, which may or may not be accompanied by writing.

You are required to answer a Question A from one text and a Question B from a different text. Note, if you answer Question A and Question B from the same text, you will only receive marks for one; the one for which you have received the highest marks. So you would have automatically excluded yourself from a possible 50 marks.

Tip: When you have decided which Question B you are going to answer, put a large X through the corresponding Question A.

Question A is usually subdivided into three questions on the selected text.

These questions may be:

• simple comprehension,
• require you to explain and discuss content,
• require an appreciation of the author's prose style,
• require you to express your own opinion on the topic.

When you have decided which text you are going to attempt for Question A, read the questions first and underline key words to ensure you understand precisely what you are being asked to do. This gives you a better focus when you are reading the text. Plan your answers in point form. Make sure they have a clear and logical structure and be sure to support each point with quotations from the text. One of the most common mistakes in this section is that students do not answer the question asked. For example in 2006 Text 2 was a piece on Ghost Writing. One of the questions asked was: 'In your view what is lost and gained by the 'author' in a ghost writing arrangement? Many students were very careful to ensure that they made points in relation both to what was lost and gained but the points related to the ghostwriter not the 'author'. So I repeat, read the questions carefully and make sure you are clear about what you are being asked for. Reread the question and then check your answer to ensure that you have answered the question asked.

Question B requires you to write a short piece, in a particular format or style, for a specified or implied audience on some aspect of a given topic.

This is a more sophisticated version of the functional writing task in the Junior Certificate. You are required to demonstrate your ability to write in one of the following styles or language genres:

• Language of information
• Language of argument
• Language of persuasion
• Language of narration
• Aesthetic Use of Language