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Pre-Leaving Certificate Examination, 2019
Triailscrúdú na hArdteistiméireachta, 2019
English – Higher Level – Paper 1
Total Marks: 200
Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
• This paper is divided into two sections,
Section I COMPREHENDING and Section II COMPOSING.
• The paper contains three texts on the general theme of CONNECTIONS.
• Candidates should familiarise themselves with each of the texts before beginning
their answers.
• Both sections of this paper (COMPREHENDING and COMPOSING) must be at-
tempted.
• Each section carries 100 marks.
SECTION I – COMPREHENDING
• Two Questions, A and B, follow each text.
• Candidates must answer a Question A on one text and a Question B on a different
text. Candidates must answer only one Question A and only one Question B.
• N.B. Candidates may NOT answer a Question A and a Question B on the same text.
SECTION II – COMPOSING
• Candidates must write on one of the compositions 1 – 7.
SECTION I COMPREHENDING (100 marks)
TEXT 1 – For Animals, Plastic Is Turning the Ocean Into
a Minefield
In this article from the National Geographic, Natasha Daly explores the environmental impact
of a lifestyle of convenience and its reliance on plastic. From getting stuck in nets to eating
plastic that they think is food, creatures worldwide are dying from material we made.
Image 1
The photographer
freed this stork
from a plastic
bag at a landfill
in Spain. One
bag can kill
more than once:
Carcasses decay,
but plastic lasts
and can choke or
trap again.
Image 2
Every piece of plastic here was found in the stomach
of a single albatross chick.
Image 3 Image 4
An old plastic fishing net snares a loggerhead turtle in On Okinawa, Japan, a hermit crab resorts to a plastic
the Mediterranean off Spain. The turtle could stretch bottle cap to protect its soft abdomen. Beachgoers
its neck above water to breathe but would have died collect the shells the crabs normally use, and they
had the photographer not freed it. “Ghost fishing” by leave trash behind.
derelict gear is a big threat to sea turtles.
On a boat off Costa Rica, a biologist uses Raw scenes like this, which lay bare the toll
pliers from a Swiss army knife to try to extract of plastic on wildlife, have become familiar:
a plastic straw from a sea turtle’s nostril. The The dead albatross, its stomach bursting
turtle writhes in agony, bleeding profusely. with refuse. The turtle stuck in a six-pack
For eight painful minutes the YouTube video ring, its shell warped from years of straining
ticks on; it has logged more than 20 million against the tough plastic. The seal snared in a
views, even though it’s so hard to watch. At discarded fishing net.
the end the increasingly desperate biologists
finally manage to dislodge a four-inch-long But most of the time, the harm is stealthier.
straw from the creature’s nose. Flesh-footed shearwaters, large, sooty brown
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seabirds that nest on islands off the coasts of to animals. Plastic hangs around a long time,
Australia and New Zealand, eat more plastic and a lot of it floats. “Single-use plastics are the
as a proportion of their body mass than any worst. Period. Bar none,” Savoca says, referring
other marine animal, researchers say: In one to straws, water bottles, and plastic bags. The
large population, 90 per cent of the fledglings saddest part is that there is an alternative for
had already ingested some. A plastic shard it all – reusable straws, travel mugs etc. In
piercing an intestine can kill a bird quickly. But Ireland, for such a relatively small country the
typically the consumption of plastic just leads figures are staggering. According to Recycling
to chronic, unrelenting hunger. Ireland, 22,000 coffee cups are disposed of
in Ireland every hour i.e. 528,000 every day,
“The really sad thing about this is that they’re or a staggering 200 million a year. Single use
eating plastic thinking it’s food,” says Matthew coffee cups are currently not recyclable. Why
Savoca, a marine biologist with the National all this wasteful plastic? For what? A lifestyle
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. of convenience? When will we learn that
Seabirds, expending energy their malnourished our dependence on plastic is connected to
bodies don’t have, roam farther in search of detrimental environmental impact?
real food, only to drag back plastic waste to
feed their young.
What makes plastic useful for people—its
durability and light weight—increases the threat
This text has been adapted, for the purpose of assessment, without the author’s prior consent.
N.B. Candidates may NOT answer Question A and Question B on the same text.
QUESTION A – 50 Marks
(i) Outline in your own words three insights Natasha Daly shares about the impact of plastics
on wildlife in the written text above. (15)
(ii) From the images in TEXT 1 above, choose the one that you think is most effective in
portraying the message of the article. Explain your choice with reference to the written text
and to the content and visual appeal of the images. (15)
(iii) The writer suggests that people don’t fully understand the environmental impact of their
relationship with plastic. Do you agree with this view? Support your answer with reference
to the above text (written and visual) and your own experience with plastic. (20)
Question B – 50 Marks
Photographs are recognised as having the power to influence people and cause a change of
attitude. Write the text of an interview (questions and answers) with a photojournalist (real or
imaginary), for inclusion in a magazine, whose photo has just captured people’s imagination and
caused such a change of mindset. The interviewee’s answers should include a description of their
photo, the reason and context behind taking the photo as well as detailing why the photograph
has been so powerful.
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TEXT 2 – Family Connections
This is an edited extract from a memoir, by comedian Aidan Comerford, about navigating
the challenges of family life, especially when there is a mismatched connection between
expectations and reality of family life.
It’s September 2015 and above me, I can Source: www.amazon.co.uk
hear the muffled sound of the pop music
Ailbhe puts on to help her sleep. Early in the
new year, she will be ten years old, and like
most of her peers, her musical taste has been
swallowed by the charts. Although I would
dearly love to break her CD player, when I
think back on my own teenage musical taste
and attempts to publically perform them, I
remember I have no moral authority, on any
subject, ever. How did I end up in a situation
where I am the responsible adult, worried
about mortgage repayments, my children’s
diagnosis, my wife’s lack of coping skills
and whether there is anything other than
cornflakes for dinner?
I sat at the table and pushed aside a pile of
letters-that-should-have-been-dealt-with-a-
while-ago, and opened the laptop to look at
some videos. I heard the bedsprings moan
upstairs announcing the good news: Martha
had risen! She’s probably hungry, I thought.
And then, Oh no, she’s hungry, I thought. She
advanced downstairs and appeared at the
door. Imagine a ravenous, lumbering bear, By July 2015, our bedroom is so bedoodled
woken too early from hibernation by hunger that it looks like Banksy has had a stroke in
pangs. there, except the artist in question is actually
our seven-year-old daughter, Sophie.
With a sleepy drawl she asked, “Has Sophie She prefers to work with non-traditional
gone to sleep?” “Yes,” I replied. “Not too materials, and she has a penchant for the
long ago.” Then I said the most common permanent. Her 2014 ‘Handprints with
sentence that couples say to each other Baby Oil on the Wall’ is a fine example.
these days: “C’mere, you have to look at this Michelangelo has nothing on her extensive
video on YouTube.” “Just a sec.” She opened 2012 ceiling masterpiece, “The resilience of
the cupboard and stood there holding both Ribena’. And there is great promise in her early
doors, I knew what question was coming, and red nail varnish floor work, ‘This Cream Carpet
I readied my defence. “Did you eat the last of Was a Massive Mistake, You Eejits.’
the Crunchy Nut Cornflakes?” she asked. I tried Sophie’s nine year old sister is a breeze,
not to give myself away but immediately my whereas Sophie is more like a hurricane. She
eyes fell upon the incriminating, milk skimmed has obliterated any notions of interior design
bowl and spoon to my left side. Our marriage we once had. These days our home décor
is based on honesty and I knew I should come could be best described as ‘Ongoing Burglary’.
clean. “Ailbhe did it,” I said. In August 2015, I brought my debut musical
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comedy show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, were over in Edinburgh with me. This was
which my wife Martha was obviously delighted the first and last time my shutting-my-eyes-
about. ‘I’m obviously delighted about this,’ and-hoping-it-works-itself-out plan had ever
she said, which gave me a good opportunity worked.
to teach the girls about sarcasm. Granny and
Grandad – Martha’s mam and dad, Sheila and I looked at Granny and Grandad, and I said,
Brendan – practically moved in while I was as appreciatively as I could, ’don’t think this
away, and when Martha and Ailbhe flew over doesn’t mean I’m not putting you in a home
for a visit in the middle of the festival for a few when the time comes.’
days, they looked after Sophie at home.
We maintain our bedroom now by locking
When I arrived back at the end of the month, the door during the day to keep Sophie
they told me to shut my eyes before I went out, although I think she understands the
into the bedroom. When I opened them, I saw consequences of restarting her artistic career:
that it had been beautifully redecorated. They if you ever see an ad looking for a good home
had done everything (with a little help from for a girl with autism from Ashbourne, you’ll
Martha’s uncle Dec) when Martha and Ailbhe know what has happened.
This text has been adapted, for the purpose of assessment, without the author’s prior consent.
N.B. Candidates may NOT answer Question A and Question B on the same text.
QUESTION A – 50 Marks
(i) Outline in your own words three aspects of the author’s personality from reading the text.
(15)
(ii) In TEXT 2 above, Aidan Comerford describes scenes from family life that resonate with the
reader. From the texts you have studied for your Leaving Certificate course,* identify a scene
from family life that resonated with you. Give two reasons why this scene particularly
resonated with you.
* Texts specified for study for Leaving Certificate English in 2019, including poetry, single
texts and texts (including films) prescribed for comparative study. (15)
(iii) “Aidan Comerford makes effective use of humour to create a charming and reflective
memoir.”
Based on your reading of TEXT 2, do you agree with this statement? Support your answer
with reference to Aidan Comerford’s use of humour in the above text to create a charming
and reflective memoir. (20)
Question B – 50 Marks
Imagine it is International Grandparents Day. You have been asked to give a talk to your school
body in recognition of the important contribution of the elderly to society. Write the text of a talk
you would give to your fellow students. In your talk you should address the contribution of the
elderly to our society, illustrate your points with examples of the role played by the elderly in your
life, what we can learn from the elderly and how we, as a society, should show our appreciation for
the elderly today.
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TEXT 3 – Connections of the World
The former Sky News Diplomatic Editor Tim Marshall’s geopolitical book, Prisoners of
Geography, makes a case for how the physical framework of the world has connections with
and has shaped our history.
The land on which we live has always shaped
us. It has shaped the wars, the power, politics
and social development of the peoples that
now inhabit nearly every part of the earth.
Technology seems to overcome distances
between us in both mental and physical space,
but it is easy to forget that the land where
we live, work, and raise our children is hugely
important, and that the choices of those who
lead the seven billion inhabitants of this planet
will to some degree always be shaped by the
rivers, mountains, deserts, lakes and seas that
constrain us all – as they always have. Broadly
speaking, geopolitics looks at the ways in
which international affairs can be understood
through geographical factors; not just the
physical landscape – mountains and rivers
– but also climate, demographics, cultural
regions and access to natural resources.
Factors such as these can have an important
impact on many different aspects of our
civilisation, from political and military strategy
to human social development, including
language, trade and religion.
Take, for example, China and India: two I first became interested in this subject when
massive countries with huge populations covering the wars in the Balkans in the 1990s.
that share a very long border but are not The River Ibar in Kosovo is a prime example.
politically or culturally aligned. It wouldn’t be Ottoman rule over Serbia was cemented by
surprising if these two giants had fought each the Battle of Kosovo Polje in 1389, fought
other in several wars, but in fact, apart from near where the Ibar flows through the city
one month long battle in 1962, they never of Mitrovica. Fast-forward to the twentieth
have. Why? Because between them is the century and there was still a clear ethnic/
highest mountain range in the world, and it is religious division roughly marked by the river.
practically impossible to advance large military Then in 1999, battered by NATO from the air
columns through or over the Himalayas. and the Kosovo Liberation Army on the ground,
Individual leaders, ideas and technology all the Yugoslav (Serbian) military retreated across
play a role in shaping events, but they are the Ibar, quickly followed by most of the Serb
temporary. Each new generation will still population. The river became the de facto
face the physical obstructions created by the border as the independent state of Kosovo.
Himalayas; the challenges created by the
rainy season; and the disadvantages of limited In 2001, a few weeks after 9/11, I saw a
access to natural minerals or food sources. demonstration of how, even with today’s
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modern technology, climate still dictates The rules of Geography still apply, whether
the military possibilities of even the world’s a country is at war or at peace. In Russia,
most powerful nations. The American fighter we see the influence of the Arctic, and how
jets and bombers were already overhead, its freezing climate limits Russia’s ability to
pounding Taliban and Al Qaeda positions on be a true global power. In China we see the
the cold and dusty hills east of Mazar-e-Sharif, limitations of power without a global navy.
when the world changed colour. Europe shows us the value of flat land and
navigable rivers in connecting regions while
The most intense sandstorm I have ever Latin America’s internal geography, particularly
experienced blew in, turning everything a its mountains, is a barrier to creating a trading
mustard-yellow colour. For thirty-six hours bloc as successful as the EU.
nothing moved except sand. The Americans’
satellite technology, at the cutting edge of Nature is more powerful than man and we can
science, was helpless, blind in the face of the only go so far in determining our own fate.
climate of this wild land.
This text has been adapted, for the purpose of assessment, without the author’s prior consent.
N.B. Candidates may NOT answer Question A and Question B on the same text.
QUESTION A – 50 Marks
(i) Outline in your own words your understanding of geopolitics as presented by the author.
Support your answer with reference to the text. (15)
(ii) In text 3 above, Tim Marshall describes the benefits of looking at the geography of a region
when considering international affairs and politics – climate, physical features, language,
culture etc.
From the texts you have studied for your Leaving Certificate English course,* identify a text
where the geography of the setting played an important role in the development of the text.
Give two reasons why the geography of the setting played an important role.
* Texts specified for study for Leaving Certificate English in 2019, including poetry, single
texts and texts (including films) prescribed for comparative study. (15)
(iii) Do you agree that elements of informative and argumentative language are used effectively
by the author to support his view of the importance of geography in world politics? Give
reasons for your answer, supporting your views with reference to the elements of informative
and argumentative language evident in the text. (20)
QUESTION B – 50 Marks
Imagine you and a friend have taken a trip to an exciting destination and as part of the experience
have either watched an eclipse or a sunset. Write the text of a blog entry describing your
experience on this particular day. Your blog entry should focus on your senses – what you see,
hear, smell, touch and taste as relevant and inform the reader about your travels.
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SECTION II COMPOSING (100 marks)
Write a composition on any one of the assignments that appear in bold print below.
Each composition carries 100 marks.
The composition assignments are intended to reflect language study in the areas of information,
argument, persuasion, narration, and the aesthetic use of language.
1. Text 1 highlights how animals often suffer at the hands of humans.
Write an opinion piece for a popular magazine on the ugly side of beauty.
2. We learn in Text 2 that family life is full of ups and downs.
Write a script for a film or drama that displays the challenges of family life. Your script
should include credible characters brought to life through effective description of their
clothing, props, body language and stage direction as well as the dialogue.
3. Aidan Comerford in Text 2 demonstrates how humour can help people cope with difficult
situations.
Write a feature article for a magazine about the importance of not taking life too
seriously. The article may be serious or light-hearted.
4. Texts 1, 2 and 3 deal with the theme of connections.
Write a short story where a main character has an important connection that influences
his or her behaviour.
5. In Text 3, Tim Marshall shows us how he has benefitted and learned from travelling
experiences.
Write a personal essay in which you reflect on an experience which has led to personal
growth and understanding.
6. Text 1 demonstrates the negative effects of a lifestyle of convenience.
Write a speech for or against the motion that plastic packaging should be banned from
all supermarkets.
7. Text 3 shows the dramatic impact of the climate on military strategy.
Write a descriptive essay which captures the devastation in the aftermath of a military
campaign in a foreign land.
