The Italian Leaving Cert oral (2022)

The orals have passed and students can breathe a sigh of relief. But how is it structured and what were they asked this time round?

The Italian oral is broken down into 3 parts: general conversation, picture sequences, and role-plays. The general conversation is the least predictable and it requires students to respond to questions on the spot – questions tailored to encourage them to show off their vocabulary and ability to shift between tenses.

The students with whom I’m working this year had practised the picture sequences and role-plays dozens of times in the weeks and months leading up to the exam, and preparation is key for this section of the exam.

As for the general conversation, Irish students were asked about their families, neighbourhoods, past holidays and where they went, college plans, food preferences, favourite and least favourite subjects.

Italian students were asked about life in Italy, what it was like to live there, cultural differences between Italy and Ireland, how they used to move around, and how and why they ended up in Ireland.

I encourage students to maximize their oral production and to be able to think and express themselves independently, avoiding old-fashioned rote learning and aim to achieve meaningful learning.

Now all attention is turned to the reading, writing, and listening sections. For 1-to-1 preparatory classes click here.