No. of Sets in 2023 / 2024 - 2.  No. of Periods per Week: 5

Department Staff: Ms. A. Kilfeather & Mr. M. O’Shaughnessy

Brief Summary of Course Content

The Leaving Certificate Programme starts in Form V. All areas of the syllabus are covered (i.e. Speaking, Reading, Writing, Oral etc) These areas are enhanced by means of authentic Spanish listening and reading materials (news articles from the Internet etc). ICT is fully integrated into the course. The majority of the lessons are conducted in Spanish and whilst the programme is pretty intense, there is always an opportunity to dip into Spanish history, culture, arts and literature. Pupils are expected to have completed at least a year’s study of Spanish by the beginning of Form V.

Below is a breakdown of the Leaving Certificate components:

● Oral Examination 15 mins - 25%

● Listening Comprehension 40 mins - 20%

● Reading Comprehension & 2h 30mins 35%

• Writing Paper 25%

Comparison of Results with National Figures

The results for Spanish in the Leaving Certificate are consistently higher than national averages. In 2023

● H1-H2 62% (27% nationally)

Possible Career Areas for which this Subject is Useful/ Essential

While a competence in Spanish can allow for many specific language careers (such as journalism, politics, translation, teaching, hospitality etc), an ability to speak Spanish is of huge benefit to any industry that is involved in importing or exporting. A large world population is Spanish speaking, so any business needing a foothold in that market must be able to speak the local language. Other career areas where Spanish would be useful include:

Telecommunications, International Business, International Law, Politics, Banking, Retail Industries, Education / Lecturing, Tourism