Leaving Certificate English 2023: Paper 2

Yesterday’s Higher Level Paper 1 (Language) was analysed here. And before we go any further, a reminder that the tired clichés about ‘rote learning’ are just that for Leaving Certificate English: tired and wrong.

For us, as for so many schools, Macbeth was the choice for single text. For such a tight short play, with a limited number of key characters, it is hard to think of something both original and challenging (within reason). One of the questions this time connected Lady Macbeth and the witches, and you would hope that Higher Level candidates approached this in some depth. Over the years I have found that on the initial run-through, many pupils get drawn into one-dimensional thinking about this pair, and Lady Macbeth becomes almost witch-like by osmosis and association (I have written about ‘the real Lady Macbeth’). In any case, at the core of this question is going to be the level of Macbeth’s own agency and responsibility. The other question dealt with the protagonist’s ‘unstable and tragic identity’ and the ‘ambiguities’ in his character: even at Higher Level, some candidates may not have been entirely certain about that word.

The Comparative section again offered all three modes (a pandemic-mitigation still operating - is there any point in going back to a choice of two in future?). General Vision and Viewpoint started with asking about compassion and kindness in texts (we have been studying Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go so Kathy the narrator in that novel fits perfectly). The other question referred to personal/societal crises, and every text has at least one of those at its heart (happiness writes white). In the Literary Genre section there was a question about the techniques which heighten/lessen empathy for a central character (say, Private Gar in Philadelphia, Here I Come! and one on a ‘riveting climax’ (the Friel definitely wouldn’t be so good there). Finally the theme/issue section was fairly challenging, on ‘contradictory aspects of human nature’ and ‘ethical/moral’ questions (particularly challenging, that).

As has been the trend in recent years, the poetry questions were very wordy, with multiple elements: this time, Derek Mahon, Patrick Kavanagh, Paula Meehan, John Donne and Adrienne Rich. Candidates had to address ‘often-oppressive forces’ in Meehan, making her début on the paper; they needed to understand the nature of ‘paradoxical’ for John Donne (though it would have been a poor teacher who did not cover that idea), the Mahon question asked them to consider underlying suggestions of ‘darkness and anxiety’, with Rich they had to look at ‘her exposure of the flawed nature of our existence’, and for Kavanagh the ‘mundane’ realism of his work (another word which might have tripped some up). Certainly no dumbing-down in those questions, and a lot to navigate. There’s a lot of cognitive load.

The Unseen Poem was Victoria Kennefick’s ‘Guest Room’, which I was delighted to see: a contemporary Irish poet writing interesting work deserves all the attention she can receive. I have written briefly about the book from which this poem comes, Eat or We Both Starve, and recommend it. It was a lovely choice.

Again, virtually none of our pupils sits the Ordinary Level. Like Paper 1, the literature one was straightforward. Lady Macbeth appeared again. The comparative questions guided candidates well, with plenty of scaffolding. The Unseen Poem was by the excellent Jackie Kay, ‘Late Love’ (another good choice).