Getting an A1 in Irish

Scuid Mhór

Akarinn wrote: »

From www.NUI.ie:

Its common knowledge alright, but only a D in Ordinary or higher is required. So really, if you don't want to put a strain on the other subjects which most likely matter then don't try and get an A1 in crappy Irish.



Ok, maybe the 100 points part, but ever so slightly... Boasting rights? haha.. good one, say that to anyone and youl be shunned..

You've never gone to the Gaelteacht, right?

shootie

I do ordinary level and I've gave up on it. I'd get a C with great effort due to my difficulty speaking the language. Much rather focus on big grades in my 6 other subjects and Japanese .

This is an interesting thread in my opinion.
It is difficult, I will say that but like other posters, my Irish has improved immensely from just writing it daily. I even found sample answers I wrote out for the Junior Cert and was able to correct grammatical errors.
As for doing well, I am going to compile a list of vocab that can be used across a wide range of the pros and filiocht. I think that is key; learning versatile phrases rather than lots of specific ones.
Also, there is a guy in my class who went to an Irish school and transferred yet he doesn't always get better grades than I do. My teacher says people in these schools tend to get too comfortable and make silly grammatical mistakes etc.

BrownBear11

Question for all you people that did well last year;

Do ye reckon it's better to answer more questions briefly or a answer fewer questions in more detail? Like, would it be better to, say, answer 10 questions with 3 sentences or 15 questions with 2 sentences, for example? I've done two mock orals this year and both examiners seemed eager to cut me off once I got as far as my third or fourth sentence. Did you all find this in your orals or how did your ones go? Loads of questions with short answers or fewer questions and longer answers?


Would you all say it's a good sign if they're asking more abstract topics? In other words, if, half way through my comhrá the examiner still hasn't moved beyond Mo Cheantar and Clann should I try to direct it towards something more difficult?


I'm reluctant to put much weight in the marks the mock examiners gave me because one of them was done in-house with a teacher I get on with so I reckon that was biased and I think the other was marked too easy, so whatever advice ye have would be much appreciated!

Canard

BrownBear11 wrote: »

Question for all you people that did well last year;

Do ye reckon it's better to answer more questions briefly or a answer fewer questions in more detail? Like, would it be better to, say, answer 10 questions with 3 sentences or 15 questions with 2 sentences, for example? I've done two mock orals this year and both examiners seemed eager to cut me off once I got as far as my third or fourth sentence. Did you all find this in your orals or how did your ones go? Loads of questions with short answers or fewer questions and longer answers?


Would you all say it's a good sign if they're asking more abstract topics? In other words, if, half way through my comhrá the examiner still hasn't moved beyond Mo Cheantar and Clann should I try to direct it towards something more difficult?


I'm reluctant to put much weight in the marks the mock examiners gave me because one of them was done in-house with a teacher I get on with so I reckon that was biased and I think the other was marked too easy, so whatever advice ye have would be much appreciated!

I'd say it's better to go into as much detail as you can, and when you feel you've a) given enough or b) run out of things to say, kinda conclude it by changing your tone or leave it hanging on something else you'd like to be asked about. They follow your lead. I was cut off in one question but I forget what it was. I was surprised because I didn't feel I was rambling, but I don't think I was penalised for it or anything.

Definitely a good sign, though mine didn't go too crazy - when I told her I wanted to study languages in college but mentioned that I wouldn't be keeping on Irish, something happened and I ended up having to explain how I still find it interesting and think that foreign people would find it interesting too. No healthcare scandal or any of that awful stuff some people seem to get. Keep it natural, but if you feel capable of making it harder, it's probably no harm to direct it that way.

I felt the same, in my second mock oral I got 220/240 and my own teacher had basically done it for me by rambling about how she went to this college and her husband went to that college, so I was nervous. But honestly it's a good indicator, the oral's not as hard as you might think.

BrownBear11

Patchy~ wrote: »

I'd say it's better to go into as much detail as you can, and when you feel you've a) given enough or b) run out of things to say, kinda conclude it by changing your tone or leave it hanging on something else you'd like to be asked about. They follow your lead. I was cut off in one question but I forget what it was. I was surprised because I didn't feel I was rambling, but I don't think I was penalised for it or anything.

Definitely a good sign, though mine didn't go too crazy - when I told her I wanted to study languages in college but mentioned that I wouldn't be keeping on Irish, something happened and I ended up having to explain how I still find it interesting and think that foreign people would find it interesting too. No healthcare scandal or any of that awful stuff some people seem to get. Keep it natural, but if you feel capable of making it harder, it's probably no harm to direct it that way.

I felt the same, in my second mock oral I got 220/240 and my own teacher had basically done it for me by rambling about how she went to this college and her husband went to that college, so I was nervous. But honestly it's a good indicator, the oral's not as hard as you might think.

Sound, thanks for that! I'll keep the examiner quiet so

Yeah but last year I got 220 in my mock oral and something like 160 in the real one ( ) so now I'm all skeptical :cool:

BrownBear11

BrownBear11 wrote: »

Sound, thanks for that! I'll keep the examiner quiet so

Yeah but last year I got 220 in my mock oral and something like 160 in the real one ( ) so now I'm all skeptical :cool:

I don't know if this is correct but oh well.
I did well in my mock oral (external examiner) and 5 minutes before I was still thinking in French!
Now my Irish is not great, but I enjoy having conversations. I think people don't consider it to be a conversation! Put in some personality to what you're saying; make it sound interesting.
If the examiner looks interested and is enjoying the conversation, I'm sure you will pick up the marks. It's the only way I think I did it :P

RedSeven7

Just finished an aiste entitled "Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam." I was dreading writing it but it turns out I'm rather passionate about ár dteanga dhúchais :pac:

I was just wondering does anyone know of any GOOD irish grammar books? Something with just everything in it, yano? I'm sick of the grammar section in Fiúntas!

Mise le meas

HPMS

RedSeven7 wrote: »

Just finished an aiste entitled "Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam." I was dreading writing it but it turns out I'm rather passionate about ár dteanga dhúchais :pac:

I was just wondering does anyone know of any GOOD irish grammar books? Something with just everything in it, yano? I'm sick of the grammar section in Fiúntas!

Mise le meas

I've never used it but all the teachers in the gaeltacht I went to got all their grammar stuff out of Gramadach Gan Stró" and it seems to be excellent!

randylonghorn

Akarinn wrote: »

Is Irish even accepted as a language in Uni?

O_O

Dear lord, they moved Meath over to the UK and no-one told me!

Not alone is it "accepted" as a language in all Irish universities, it's required for matriculation in most of them (an A1 is not required, admittedly) as has been pointed out. Even Trinity, while it does not make Irish mandatory for matriculation, accepts it to fulfill second language requirements in the same way as they accept French, Spanish, German, Russian, etc.

What's more, and if you're not sitting already, now may be a good time to do so, because you may find this shocking ... all the universities, again including Trinity, not only accept Irish as a language but they *teach* it as one!! :eek: All offer full degree courses in Irish, and students may continue to postgraduate study up to PhD level.

In fact ... and I know you probably think I've been on the gargle, or I'm just making this up to annoy you, but neither is true ... both Oxford and Cambridge Universities offer courses in Irish, though to the best of my knowledge they don't offer full degree courses in Irish.

Who would have imagined it?!! :pac:

spurious

RedSeven7 wrote: »

Just finished an aiste entitled "Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam." I was dreading writing it but it turns out I'm rather passionate about ár dteanga dhúchais :pac:

I was just wondering does anyone know of any GOOD irish grammar books? Something with just everything in it, yano? I'm sick of the grammar section in Fiúntas!

Mise le meas

If you have any relatives in their 50s, see do they have a book we had at school called 'Réchúrsa Gramadaí' by Brian Mac Giolla Phádraig - it has everything in it. It's worth a fortune now, but there must be 30 thousand copies or more out there in attics and old cupboards.