At The Academy, we are proud to see our teachers recognised for their expertise and commitment to students. Recently, our teacher Katie was featured in The Irish Times,sharing valuable advice on how students can stay calm, confident, and composed during their Leaving Certificate language oral exams.
Drawing on her experience teaching both French and Spanish, Katie highlights the importance of understanding the structure of the oral exams and preparing accordingly. For French, students are assessed across communication, structure, vocabulary, and pronunciation, while Spanish focuses on general conversation and role-play. In both cases, she emphasises that students should be ready to speak confidently on key topics such as themselves, their family, school life, hobbies, and past and future experiences.
Katieencourages students to take a consistent and practical approach to revision. She recommends using tools such as Quizlet to build flashcards and regular listening practice, such as short daily podcasts, can also help students build confidence and fluency over time.
Her key advice is to understand the marking scheme, practise regularly, and focus on clear, direct answers. By doing so, students can approach their oral exams with greater confidence and control.
