Leaving Cert Higher Level English notes

Highlights English Study Plan
How much to write and timing
Poetry FAQ
How to not eff up your exam
Last minute tips for your English exam
The secret to writing great essays
Why so few students get H1s in English


Paper 2 Comparative


General Vision and Viewpoint
GVV – Unforgiven, Macbeth, Wuthering Heights for Leaving Cert English
GVV – Brooklyn, The Great Gatsby, The Playboy of the Western World for Leaving Cert English
GVV – Big Maggie, Silas Marner, Brooklyn for Leaving Cert English
GVV – Wuthering Heights, A Doll’s House for Leaving Cert English
GVV – Juno, A Doll’s House and The Great Gatsby for Leaving Cert English Comparative
GVV – 1984, The Handmaid’s Tale and Unforgiven for Leaving Cert English Comparative
GVV – All My Sons, The Great Gatsby and Brooklyn for Leaving Cert English Comparative
GVV – All My Sons, The Great Gatsby, Brooklyn for Leaving Cert English Comparative
Brooklyn, The Great Gatsby GVV for Leaving Cert English
GVV – Macbeth, I’m Not Scared and Death and Nightingales for Leaving Cert English
GVV – The Great Gatsby, Wuthering Heights and The Plough and the Stars for Leaving Cert English
GVV – Death and Nightingales, A Doll’s House, Juno for Leaving Cert English
General vision and viewpoint – Foster, I’m Not Scared and The Plough and The Stars
General Vision and Viewpoint – The Great Gatsby, Juno, The Plough and The Stars for Leaving Cert English
General Vision and Viewpoint: Big Maggie, Foster, I’m Not Scared for Leaving Cert English
Leaving Cert English Comparative – General Vision and Viewpoint – Foster and Juno
Leaving Cert English Comparative – General Vision and Viewpoint – The Fault in Our Stars, Children of Men and 1984
Leaving Cert English Comparative – General Vision and Viewpoint – Wuthering Heights, Hamlet and Rear Window
Leaving Cert English Comparative – General Vision and Viewpoint – Sample Essay: Foster, Juno and All My Sons
Comparative | General Vision and Viewpoint | Citizen Kane, The Dead and Wuthering Heights


Literary Genre


Literary Genre – Death and Nightingales, Playboy of the Western World, Brooklyn for Leaving Cert English
Literary Genre – The Artist, A Doll’s House and Death and Nightingales for Leaving Cert English
Literary Genre – The Great Gatsby, The Plough and the Stars, Children of Men for Leaving Cert English
Literary Genre – I’m Not Scared, Foster, Big Maggie for Leaving Cert English

Leaving Cert English Comparative – Literary Genre – Circle of Friends, The Plough and The Stars and The King’s Speech
Comparative – Literary Genre – Sample Essay: 1984, Rear Window, The Song of Achilles
Comparative | Literary Genre | The King’s Speech
Comparative | King Lear | Cultural Context, Literary Genre, General Vision and Viewpoint


Theme or Issue


Theme or Issue – Wuthering Heights, A Doll’s House, Juno for Leaving Cert English Comparative
Theme or Issue – The Playboy of the Western World, Silas Marner, Brooklyn for Leaving Cert English Comparative
Theme or Issue – The Playboy of the Western World, Brooklyn, Foster for Leaving Cert English Comparative
Theme or Issue – Wuthering Heights, Big Maggie, Juno for Leaving Cert English
Leaving Cert English Comparative – Theme or Issue – Wuthering Heights, The King’s Speech, The Plough and The Stars
Comparative: Theme or Issue


Cultural Context


Cultural Context – I’m Not Scared, The Great Gatsby, The Plough and the Stars for Leaving Cert English
Cultural Context – I’m Not Scared, The Great Gatsby, All My Sons for Leaving Cert English
Cultural Context – Big Maggie, Foster, Juno for Leaving Cert English
Cultural Context: A Doll’s House, I’m Not Scared and The Plough and the Stars for Leaving Cert English
Cultural context: I’m Not Scared for Leaving Cert English
Cultural Context – The Great Gatsby, Children of Men and The Plough and The Stars for Leaving Cert English
Cultural Context – Juno, Foster, The Plough and The Stars for Leaving Cert English
Cultural Context – Wuthering Heights, The Great Gatsby and The Plough and the Stars for Leaving Cert English
Cultural Context – Big Maggie, The Great Gatsby and Juno for Leaving Cert English
Cultural Context – Wuthering Heights, The Great Gatsby, The Plough and The Stars for Leaving Cert English
Leaving Cert English Comparative – Cultural Context – All My Sons, Foster, Juno
Leaving Cert English Comparative – Cultural Context – I’m not Scared, Wuthering Heights
Comparative | Cultural Context | Wuthering Heights, The King’s Speech and The Plough and The Stars
Comparative | Cutural Context | The Great Gatsby, All My Sons, The King’s Speech
Comparative | Cutural Context | The Great Gatsby, The Plough and the Stars, The King’s Speech
Leaving Cert Comparative: Cultural Context


Single Texts Macbeth



Macbeth: Full Guide for Leaving Cert English 2019
Leaving Cert Macbeth: Essential Quotations
Macbeth Plot Summary
Macbeth Sample Essay: Kingship
Macbeth Sample Essay: Appearance versus Reality
Macbeth: driven by ruthless ambition and tortured by regret
Macbeth Sample Essay Plan: Power
Macbeth Sample Essay: Evil and Violence
Macbeth Sample Essay: Atmosphere of Evil

The Great Gatsby


The Great Gatsby: Daisy character essay for Leaving Cert English
The Great Gatsby: readers are influenced by the narrator, Nick Carraway for Leaving Cert English
The Great Gatsby: Idealism and Corruption
The Great Gatsby Guide: Idealism and Corruption
The Great Gatsby: Intimate and Complex Friendship

By the Bog of Cats


By the Bog of Cats by Marina Carr for Leaving Cert English (Single Text and Comparative)

King Lear


King Lear Essay: Deception and Betrayals of Trust
King Lear: List of Essential Quotations for Leaving Cert
Paper II Single Text Question Tips
King Lear Sample Essay: King Lear Evolution
King Lear Guide: Villainous and Virtuous Characters; Lear Story Mirrors Gloucester; Horrifying and Uplifting Experience
Comparative | King Lear | Cultural Context, Literary Genre, General Vision and Viewpoint
King Lear Sample Essay: Honour, Loyalty, Brutality and Viciousness
King Lear plot summary
King Lear: Character Essay
King Lear Sample Answer: Imagery, Characters and Themes

Hamlet


Leaving Cert English Comparative – General Vision and Viewpoint – Wuthering Heights, Hamlet and Rear Window
Hamlet: Corruption, Deception, Dramatic Techniques
Hamlet: List of Essential Quotations for Leaving Cert
Leaving Cert English Comparative Tips
Paper II Single Text Question Tips
Hamlet Sample Answer: Claudius
Hamlet: Full Guide for Leaving Cert English 2020
Hamlet Plot Summary How to make your Hamlet essay stand out? Hamlet Sample Answer: Madness

Poetry
2019


Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop: Moments of Discovery & Controlled Writing Style (2.0)
Leaving Cert English Poetry essays: theme by theme or poem by poem?
Elizabeth Bishop Guide: Use Of Language To Uncover Intensity Of Feelings
Elizabeth Bishop: Moments of Discovery & Controlled Writing Style Elizabeth Bishop for Leaving Cert

Heaney


Seamus Heaney for Leaving Cert English

Hopkins


Gerard Manley Hopkins Full Notes and Sample Answer: Innovative Style and Fundamental Truths

Kennelly


Brendan Kennelly for Leaving Cert English: Begin

Lawrence

D.H. Lawrence for Leaving Cert English
D.H. Lawrence: Suggested Quotations for Leaving Cert
D. H. Lawrence for Leaving Cert: Piano

Ní Chuilleanáin


Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin Leaving Cert Sample Essay
Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin Full Guide for Leaving Cert English
Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin Leaving Cert Notes: Death and Engines

Plath


“Introducing the poetry of Sylvia Plath”
Leaving Cert English Poetry essays: theme by theme or poem by poem?
Sylvia Plath Guide: Personal Experience Of Suffering And The Redemptive Power Of Love
Sylvia Plath: Suggested Quotations
Sylvia Plath Sample Essay: Doubts and Fears Revealed with Startling Honesty
Sylvia Plath Sample Essay: Suffering and a Vivid Imagination
Sylvia Plath Sample Essay: A Disturbing Experience

Yeats


W.B. Yeats Sample Guide: Personal Reflection and Public Commentary
W.B. Yeats: Challenging Poet to Read
W.B. Yeats: Suggested Quotations
W.B. Yeats Sample Essay: A Great Irish Poet

Other


Dickinson


Leaving Cert English Emily Dickinson Sample Answer: Enduring Appeal and Universal Relevance

Donne


Leaving Cert English John Donne Sample Answer: Physical and Spiritual Aspects of Life
John Donne Full Guide: Startling Imagery In His Exploration of Relationships
John Donne Leaving Cert Notes: The Dreame

Durcan


Paul Durcan Full Guide: Rich Insights Into Human Experience
Paul Durcan: The Girl With The Keys To Pearse’s Cottage
Paul Durcan: Nessa
Paul Durcan: Biographical Detail
Paul Durcan: Six Nuns Die in Convent Inferno
Paul Durcan for Leaving Cert
Paul Durcan: Suggested Quotations
How To Improve Your Grade If Your Teacher Isn’t Giving You Feedback

Frost


Robert Frost Guide: Insights and Accessible Language
Robert Frost: Suggested Quotations

Robert Frost Sample Essay: A Young Audience

Keats


John Keats Full Guide: Abstract Ideas and Direct Style
John Keats: Ode to a Nightingale

Larkin


Philip Larkin Full Guide for Leaving Cert English
Philip Larkin: it’s all between the lines
Philip Larkin: Realities of Ordinary Life and Lyrical Beauty

Montague


John Montague for Leaving Cert English
John Montague Guide: Evocative Language to Express Empathy

Eliot

T.S. Eliot Guide: Troubled Characters In A Disturbing Wor
d

How To Improve Your Grade If Your Teacher Isn’t Giving You Feedback
T.S. Eliot Sample Essay: A Personal Response

Paper 1


Speech


Speech: “Language is a great weapon” for Leaving Cert English
Speech on the most significant threats facing the world today for Leaving Cert English
Speech: “Celebrity culture has gone too far” for Leaving Cert English
Leaving Cert Speech: Social Media is Dangerous
Leaving Cert English Graduation Speech Sample Answer
Paper 1 Speech Sample Answer
Speeches and Talks | The Language of Persuasion

Article


Article about myths, fairytales and legends for Leaving Cert English
Question B: “We are what we wear” for Leaving Cert English
Leaving Cert English Opinion Piece
Leaving Cert English Question B Article
Leaving Cert Composition Article for Serious Publication

Short Story


Short story: ghostly presence plays a significant part for Leaving Cert English
Short story: main character transformed by daunting challenge for Leaving Cert English
Short story: I couldn’t wait to get out of that town for Leaving Cert English
Write a short story about a reunion for Leaving Cert English
Short story about a tattoo for Leaving Cert English
A short story / descriptive essay about loss for Leaving Cert English
Short story about a young character eager to leave home for Leaving Cert English
Short story: I couldn’t wait to get out of that town for Leaving Cert English
Short story in which mistaken identity is central to the plot for Leaving Cert English
Short Story: “The most dangerous stations are the emptiest” for Leaving Cert English
Short Story: A Secret Revealed for Leaving Cert English
Leaving Cert English Short Story: The Pain of Saying Goodbye
Short Story Formula
Short Story Sample Answer: Fit the story to the title on exam day
Short Story: a Car Journey
How To Improve Your Grade If Your Teacher Isn’t Giving You Feedback

Personal Essay


Personal essay: pleasures particular to you for Leaving Cert English
Personal essay: a time in your life in which you felt you were treated unfairly for Leaving Cert English
Personal essay: moments of insight and revelation for Leaving Cert English (Divorce)
Personal Essay: Uncertain about what you want for Leaving Cert English
Personal essay about significant endings for Leaving Cert English
Personal Essay: Moments of Insight and Revelation for Leaving Cert English
Write a personal essay about one or more moments of uncertainty you have experienced
Personal Essay: Experience of Dramatic Arts for Leaving Cert English
Leaving Cert English Personal Essay: Irishness
Leaving Cert English Personal Essay: Pretence and Unvarnished Truth

Descriptive Essay


Descriptive essay: dawn and dusk
Descriptive essay: how the landscape reflects the transition of the seasons for Leaving Cert English
Descriptive Essay: Journey through a barren landscape for Leaving Cert English
Descriptive Essay: After the Storm for Leaving Cert English
A short story / descriptive essay about loss for Leaving Cert English
Descriptive essay: Urban Journey for Leaving Cert English
Leaving Cert English Descriptive Essay: Night Scene
Leaving Cert English: Write a descriptive essay based on a variety of glimpsed moments
Descriptive Essays for Leaving Cert

Discursive Essay


Discursive Essay: role of leaders and leadership for Leaving Cert English
Discursive essay on positive and negative aspects of different types of advertising for Leaving Cert English