The Irish Leaving Cert exam consists of three parts - the oral, paper one and paper two. Students are encouraged to express their opinions on various topics, while showcasing their grammar and vocabulary. 

Irish is available for students to take at three levels - foundation, ordinary and higher. This guide will focus on higher level but the tips outlined can be applied to ordinary level too.

What is the difference between higher and ordinary level?

Ordinary level requires the study of 5 poems and 5 short stories, while higher level involves a more in-depth analysis of these works along with an additional text (students have a choice between a drama, autobiography or additional poetry).

The higher-level paper is divided into two papers which are examined on separate days. Here is a breakdown of each exam paper: 

Irish is a requirement for entry into a number of third-level courses. Future careers include teaching, translation and working in Gaeltacht areas. Here are some useful links:

In this video, Gabrielle goes through everything she learned from doing 3 oral exams for the Leaving Cert. At the 09:08 timestamp, she goes through her experience with the Irish oral exam going very wrong:

For tips relating specifically to the Irish oral exams, check out these blog posts:

To help us break down the Béaltriail and provide some helpful tips, we invited Clíona Ní Dhálaigh, an Irish teacher and state examiner, onto the Studyclix Podcast. You can check it out here:

You can also listen here to Eimear and Nessa sharing their thoughts and tips on the Irish oral.

With two years to prepare, it's important you are able to read any poem and pronounce the words correctly, especially as it is the examiner who chooses the poem you will read. You can find videos showing you how to read the poems properly as well as notes on the poems by clicking below:

Every year, we create H1-standard Sraith Pictiúr notes to help you study for the Irish oral exam. We have put everything in place for you so you can view/hear/read everything within each individual Sraith Pictiúr via the 2025 & 2026 Sraith Pictiúr pages.

In this guide, Éamonn and Eimear from the Studyclix team talk you through how you can improve your grade in the oral and written Irish exams.

If you would prefer to listen to some tips rather than read them, we have you covered. In the following podcast episode, Eimear and Nessa are joined by Studyclix's resident Irish expert, Aoife, who shares her tips for excelling in the Leaving Cert subject.

Aoife breaks down the entire course bit by bit so that by the end of it, you'll feel it's completely manageable and want to give it your best shot. She also shares her best tips for improving your Irish ability with ex-gaelscoláirí Nessa and Eimear sharing their thoughts as well. Tune in here:

We asked Irish teachers to take sample essays and break them down bit by bit to explain where marks were earned and where marks were lost, thus giving you the insight you need to get those full marks every time. These essay teardown videos are available for a large number of Irish essays and will give an incredible boost to your performance. Click here for more information or check out the sample video below:

Our expert teachers and examiners have reviewed a number of sample essays to show you how to structure an answer and where to pick up marks. These annotations focus on a number of key areas which include:

You can find these essays on the 'videos and notes' page in a topic or at the bottom of an exam question. Every essay includes a number of colour-coded feedback boxes from the examiner, for example:

Or you can check some out below:

The best way you can prepare for your Irish exam is by going through past exam paper questions. Here are resources that you can use on the Studyclix site to make this easier:

Studyclix makes revising listening comprehension questions much easier! You will find an audio player above every listening question. 

Our flashcards have gone and got a whole new look! You can now use Studyclix Digital Flashcards to study for Leaving Cert Irish.

Click through all of the flashcards you need to know in each topic using the 'previous' and 'next' buttons on the flashcards.

Want to mix it up? Hit the shuffle button. Looking to test yourself again? Do it by hitting restart. You can also share, print or view the full deck. It's all at your fingertips.

Find all of the flashcards we have available below:

If you’re looking for additional support in Irish, we have you covered with Irish Boost!

Irish Boost is a study resource that includes exam focused lessons to improve your grammar, boost your oral confidence, and nail those tricky essay topics.

Boost helps students understand difficult topics, with 98% of students saying they have a better understanding of topics since using Boost.

We are always looking for new ways to improve our site so we would love to hear your feedback. Get in touch by emailing info@studyclix.ie 😊