Junior Cycle Irish consists of two Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs), both of which are done in 3rd year. You will complete each CBA in class over a period of 3 weeks or less. After completing the two CBAs, you will complete a written assessment which is worth 10% of the final grade for Junior Cycle Irish.
Guide
How to succeed in your Junior Cycle Irish CBA 1
By Rachel Mahon - 5 minute readRachel, an experienced Irish teacher, gives her tips in this guide on how to tackle your language portfolio in the Junior Cycle Irish CBA 1.
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Introduction
Course breakdown
Let's have a quick look at the breakdown of the course:
CBA 1: punann teanga (language portfolio)
CBA 1 will be completed during your first term of 3rd year. This CBA will require you to select three pieces of work from your portfolio that showcase your knowledge of the Irish language. This may consist of a presentation you have done, a written piece you completed, a poster you have made or something you have done based on a piece of literature that you have studied.
CBA 2: tasc cumarsáide (communicative task)
CBA 2 will be completed during your second term of 3rd year. For this CBA, you will carry out a three-minute oral piece of work. This can be based on a topic of your choice and may be in the form of roleplay, presentation, drama, conversation or interview. I recommend that you pick something that you are interested in such as a sport you play or a hobby you enjoy.
Tasc measúnaithe (assessment task)
Your Assessment Task will be completed in school over the course of two single classes or one double class (80 minutes minimum). It will be based on CBA 2 (your communicative task). The first class will be spent preparing by looking at the material provided by the NCCA (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment) and reflecting on the communicative task. In the second class, you will fill in your answer book (in Irish) which will then be sent for correction by the State Examinations Commission (SEC).
Descriptors
The following descriptors include the criteria your teacher will be using to decide which category your work fits into:
Thar barr ar fad (exceptional)
There may be some mistakes but strengths outweigh weaknesses/mistakes. Mistakes are minor and it is easy for the student to carry out recommendations on how to improve their work if required. There is a high standard overall with good grammar, excellent sentence structure and an excellent range of vocabulary.
Os cionn na n-ionchas (above expectations)
Feedback may indicate that certain areas need to be improved but overall, the work is to a very good standard. There is good flow, a good range of vocabulary and fairly accurate grammar.
Ag teacht leis na hIonchais (in line with expectations)
Work is of a good standard overall. Feedback might suggest a range of areas that could be improved upon but there is a good understanding of the task with no major mistakes. There is a reasonable level of vocabulary present with possible gaps here and there. Grammar may come across as limited in places with frequent mistakes and errors in structure.
Níor chomhlíon na hionchais go fóill (yet to meet expectations)
A good effort was made but the task wasn’t fully understood. Major errors were made throughout with large gaps in vocabulary, poor sentence structure, incorrect tenses and spelling errors.
CBA 1: punann teanga (language portfolio)
Ullmhúchán an scoláire (student preparation)
You will put together a portfolio containing samples of your work from 1st to 3rd years. You could choose from projects, creative pieces (poems, songs and stories that you have written), homework assignments, voice recordings, videos, blogs and presentations.
For CBA 1, you pick 3 pieces of work from your portfolio. One of these pieces must be a voice recording or video and another must be based on a piece of literature such as a poem or story that you have studied.
Top tip
You should select pieces from 2nd and 3rd years as these tend to be better samples of work.
With each of the three pieces selected, you must complete a reflective note discussing your learning process. Here is a template for the reflective note:
Picking your samples
To help you decide what samples of work to pick, you may consider the following:
Which pieces of work do I like?
Which ones do I feel proud of?
Which ones show the improvements I have made over the course of my language learning journey until now (grammar you have learned, vocabulary you know now, etc.)?
Is there a good variety in the pieces I’m choosing (content, layout, genre, etc.)?
You may complete this CBA work in groups but your reflective note must focus on the work you have contributed individually and the role that you held.
Top tip
Write down some reflective notes (take note of what you have learned) after every written task you complete over 2nd and 3rd year as it may be hard to remember when the time comes to complete your CBA.
Questions to help you reflect on your work
| Seo é an rud ba thábhachtaí a d’fhoghlaim mé... | This was the most important thing I learned... |
| Seo é an bealach a d’fhoghlaim mé... | This was the way I learned... |
| Seo é an rud a bhí deacair dom... | This was the thing I found difficult... |
| Seo é an rud ba mhó a thaitin liom... | This is the thing I liked most... |
| Seo é an rud is mó a chuir ag smaoineamh mé... | This is the thing that made me think the most... |
| Seo é an rud is mó a bhfuil cabhair de dhíth orm... | This is the thing I need most help with... |
| Seo é an rud a chuireann trína chéile i gcónaí mé... | This is the thing that really confuses me... |
| Seo é an rud a chuir iontas orm... | This is the thing that surprised me... |
| Seo é an rud casta... | This is the complicated thing... |
| Seo é an rud a d’fhoghlaim mé atá nua... | This is the thing I learned that’s new... |
| D’fhéadfainn foghlaim ní b’fhearr dá... | I could learn better if... |
Best of luck! You will be great.
By Rachel Mahon
Rachel Mahon is an experienced teacher of Irish.