Leaving Cert ordinary-level Irish exam is ‘not fit for purpose’, says politician

FF backbencher and ex-Irish teacher Pádraig O’Sullivan says the exam is far too difficult for most students and that many are leaving pages blank

Pádraig O’Sullivan: ‘If you were given a bundle of 500 Leaving Cert Irish exam papers at ordinary level, you knew quite confidently that half of them would be blank for Paper II with unanswered questions.’ Picture: John Allen

The Leaving Cert ordinary-level Irish exam is “not fit for purpose” and large numbers of students are turning in blank exam papers, a Fianna Fáil backbencher has claimed.

Pádraig O’Sullivan, who previously worked as an Irish teacher in a secondary school, has personal experience of correcting Irish exam papers.

“If you were given a bundle of 500 Leaving Cert Irish exam papers at ordinary level, you knew quite confidently that half of them would be ...