English is an important subject and almost all universities, colleges and employers specify a pass in Ordinary Level English. Some will accept a pass in Irish instead. It indicates a standard of basic literacy that is required for most courses and work. It is required at Higher level for certain courses in Communications and Journalism.

Paper 1 - Language

Students are required to write in a variety of styles –

Informative
Persuasive,
Argumentative
Narrative
Aesthetic

They must choose from a selection of texts aimed at testing comprehension and personal response. Students are further required to complete a piece of functional writing and write an essay. Well written English, grammatically correct and properly punctuated is essential for Leaving Cert.

Paper 2 - Literature

Core Text Drawn from list of prescribed texts – normally Shakespearian drama for higher level.
Comparative Studies – three texts for comparative purposes drawn from Department of Education and Science prescribed lists.
Poetry: 48 poems – for higher level offering a selection of 6 poems from eight poets. There are 36 poems for ordinary level. All as prescribed by Department of Education and Science.

Students must be able to fully engage with all texts in their responses to literature.