Write a Story..

Exam Structure, Timing, and the 100-Mark Breakdown

Paper 1 begins with the 20-minute aural examination (Cluastuiscint, 60 marks), followed by two hours dedicated entirely to Ceapadóireacht (100 marks). For 2027 there is no change to Paper 1: the same nine titles, the same 100 marks, the same two hours. You choose and answer one title from nine options across three categories:

• A — Aiste nó Alt Nuachtáin/Irise (5 titles: essays or journalistic articles)
• B — Scéal (2 titles: short stories)
• C — Díospóireacht nó Óráid (2 titles: a debate speech or an address)

The 100 composition marks are distributed as follows:

What the paper itself tells you

Printed directly above the composition instructions are two explicit warnings:

• "Ní mór do na hiarrthóirí cúram a dhéanamh de chruinneas na teanga. Caillfear marcanna má bhítear faillitheach ann." (Candidates must take care with language accuracy; marks will be lost if it is neglected.)
• "Ní mór ceangal cinnte leanúnach a bheith ann idir an teideal a roghnaítear agus an t-ábhar a scríobhtar." (There must be a definite, continuous link between the title chosen and the material written.)

Aim for about 550 words. The paper notes: "Ní gá níos mó ná 500–600 focal nó mar sin a scríobh" — you do not need to write more than that. It is an upper guideline, not a penalty threshold, but every extra hundred words is another hundred opportunities to make grammatical slips. An examiner marking a pre-learned story with the title bolted on in the last line simply cannot award most of the 20 content-and-style marks; the link has to be visible in the opening, tested at the climax, and confirmed at the end.

Timing plan for the two hours

• 10 minutes: Choose your title and draft a five-line plot plan, writing out your final sentence.
• 85 minutes: Write the story, targeting roughly 550 words.
• 20–25 minutes: Proofread in three focused passes: (1) check every verb ending, (2) verify séimhiú and urú after prepositions and connectors like nuair a, an-, and sa, (3) check fadas and genitives in every descriptive phrase.

Turning the Title into a Plot

The prompts in Section B typically feature an abstract quality (such as Dóchas or Uaigneas) or a well-known Irish proverb (seanfhocal). Do not write an essay discussing what the proverb means. Ask instead: what specific human situation or choice proves this proverb true? The characters must experience the truth through crisis and action.

Preparing flexibly

Prepare one versatile narrative skeleton: a sudden crisis requiring cooperation, a high-stakes dilemma, or an outsider misjudged by a community. Learn the core vocabulary and emotional expressions for that story. In the exam hall, reshape the opening setting, the specific obstacle at the climax, and the final reflection to fit whichever title you select. Reusing the descriptive core is smart exam technique, but the opening and closing frame must be built specifically for the prompt on the paper.

Struchtúr an Scéil: A Five-Part Plan

A tight narrative set across a short timeframe (a single evening, an afternoon, or a weekend) with two or three characters allows you to produce much higher quality Irish than a rambling plot spanning years.

1. An Réamhrá (Introduction: ~80 words)

Ground the protagonist in an evocative setting (suíomh). Establish mood through the senses and plant the seed of conflict immediately.

2. An Fhorbairt (Rising Action: ~200 words)

Escalate tension through action and dialogue. Introduce an obstacle or complication that forces your character to act.

3. An Buaicphointe (Climax: 100–120 words)

The moment of peak danger or emotional crisis. Shorten your sentences here to quicken the pace.

4. An Réiteach (Falling Action: 70–80 words)

The aftermath where the tension breaks, characters reckon with what happened, and physical relief arrives.

5. An Chríoch (Conclusion: 50–60 words)

A definitive closing reflection that explicitly ties the moral outcome back to the chosen title.

Nathanna ceangail (linking phrases)

Move the plot forward naturally with varied transitional phrases:

• Ar dtús (At first)
• Níorbh fhada gur… (It wasn't long until…)
• Go tobann / gan choinne (Suddenly / unexpectedly)
• I bhfaiteadh na súl (In an instant)
• Faoin am seo (By this time)
• Ar an drochuair (Unfortunately)
• Mar bharr ar an donas (To make matters worse)
• Dá bharr sin (As a result of that)
• Ar deireadh thiar (In the end)
• Ón lá sin i leith (From that day on)

Guth agus aimsir (voice and tense)

Decide in your plan whether to use the first person (céad phearsa: mé) or third person (tríú pearsa: sé/sí) and stay consistent throughout. First-person narrative is usually safer because you control the verb endings and can report thoughts directly. Tell the entire story in the simple past (Aimsir Chaite). Reserve the past habitual (Aimsir Ghnáthchaite) for background habits (Théadh sé chuig an trá gach tráthnóna samhraidh — He used to go to the beach every summer evening) and the conditional mood (Modh Coinníollach) for regret (Dá mbeadh a fhios agam cad a tharlódh, d'fhanfainn sa bhaile — If I had known what would happen, I would have stayed at home). Unplanned slips into the present tense (tá, feicim) are treated as grammatical errors.

Caint Dhíreach: Dialogue, Tags, and the Vocative

Including two or three brief exchanges of direct speech (caint dhíreach) enlivens the narrative and demonstrates the appropriate style required for the 5 style marks. Punctuate dialogue carefully:

• Start a new line for each new speaker.
• Place spoken words inside quotation marks, keeping commas, question marks, and exclamation marks inside the quotation marks:
• "Tá an bus imithe," arsa Seán go ciúin. ("The bus is gone," said Seán quietly.)
• "Cá raibh tú?" a d'fhiafraigh mo mháthair go feargach. ("Where were you?" my mother asked angrily.)
• Use diverse dialogue tags: arsa Seán / ar seisean / ar sise (used strictly after or within quoted words), a dúirt sí (she said), a d'fhreagair sé (he answered), a d'fhiafraigh sí (she asked), a scairt mé (I shouted), a mhungail sé (he mumbled).

An Tuiseal Gairmeach (the vocative case)

Every time a character addresses someone directly by name, the vocative case must be used. It causes a séimhiú on the name preceded by the vocative particle a, and slenderises masculine names by inserting an i before the final consonant:

• Masculine names: a Sheáin, a Mhíchíl, a Dhónaill, a Phádraig.
• Feminine names (séimhiú only, no slenderisation): a Mháire, a Bhríd, a Shiobhán.
• Common vocative titles: a chara, a chairde, a Mhamaí, a Dhaidí, a dhuine uasail.

"Fan liom, a Sheáin!" a scairt mé ina dhiaidh, ach níor bhreathnaigh sé siar. ("Wait for me, Seán!" I shouted after him, but he didn't look back.)

Na Briathra Neamhrialta: The Eleven Verbs Your Story Runs On

Regular verbs form the past tense with a séimhiú on consonants (bhris mé), d' before vowels (d'oscail mé) and before lenited f (d'fhan mé), and form the negative with níor (níor bhris mé). The eleven irregular verbs form the core of past narrative and must be known thoroughly in their affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms:

Essential Grammar Traps in Narrative Irish

Cruinneas accounts for the largest share of marks. Check these five common grammar traps:

1. The D-T-S rule after 'an-': The intensive prefix an- lenites following consonants (an-bhrónach, an-mhaith, an-fhuar), except words beginning with d, t, or s (an-deas, an-tuirseach, an-sásta).
2. Lenition after 'nuair a': Nuair a causes a séimhiú: nuair a chuala mé an scread (when I heard the scream), nuair a shroich muid an teach (when we reached the house).
3. Preposition + Article: Simple prepositions combined with the singular article an (ar an, faoin, leis an, ag an, ón) cause eclipsis (urú) on following nouns: ar an mbóthar dorcha (on the dark road), leis an gcailín, faoin gcrann. Exceptions: words beginning with d or t do not eclipse (ag an doras, ar an teach), and feminine nouns beginning with s take a t-prefix (ar an tsráid). Note that Ulster Irish uses séimhiú here (ar an bhóthar); examiners accept this, provided you stay consistent throughout.
4. Prepositions 'sa' and 'san': Sa lenites consonants (sa charr, sa pháirc, sa bhaile), but never lenites d, t, or s (sa teach, sa doras, sa siopa, sa samhradh). Before vowels, use san (san ospidéal), and use san fhómhar before lenited f.
5. Tuiseal Ginideach (The Genitive Case): A noun qualifying another noun or following a compound preposition must take the genitive:

• ag doras an tseomra (at the door of the room)
• i lár na hoíche (in the middle of the night)
• tar éis na timpiste (after the accident)
• ag glanadh an bhoird (cleaning the table)

Atmospheric Phrasing and Avoiding Béarlachas

High-scoring scripts express emotion through authentic Irish structures rather than translating directly from English (Béarlachas). Express states of mind using the pattern bí + emotion noun + ar + person:

• Bhí eagla an domhain orm. (I was terrified; literally, the fear of the world was on me.)
• Tháinig fearg mhillteanach ar Sheán. (Seán was seized with terrible anger.)
• Bhí faoiseamh ollmhór uirthi. (She felt immense relief.)
• Bhí lúcháir an domhain orainn. (We were overjoyed.)

Avoid literal translations: do not write bhí am maith agam (write bhain mé an-taitneamh as), and do not write thóg mé suas leadóg (write thosaigh mé ag imirt leadóige).

Sensory and narrative idioms

• Gan aithne gan urlabhra (Unconscious / insensible)
• I bpreabadh na súl (In the blink of an eye)
• In umar na haimléise (In the depths of despair)
• Bhí mo chroí i mo bhéal (My heart was in my mouth)
• Ag stealladh báistí (Lashing rain)
• Bhí an oíche chomh dubh le pic (The night was pitch-black)
• Baineadh geit uafásach as (He got a terrible shock)
• Thit a chroí isteach ina bhróga (His heart sank into his shoes)
• Faoi dheireadh thiar thall (At long last)

Key terms

Ceapadóireacht

The creative composition section of Paper 1, carrying 100 marks out of the paper's 160 marks.

Ceangal cinnte leanúnach

The official rubric instruction requiring an unbroken, definite connection between the chosen title and the written narrative.

Ábhar agus Stíl

The marking criteria component worth 20 marks: 15 marks for plot and content, and 5 marks specifically for using an authentic narrative style.

Cumas na Gaeilge

The marking criteria component worth 80 marks that assesses grammatical accuracy, richness of vocabulary, and idiomatic phrasing.

Buaicphointe

The dramatic climax or turning point of highest tension and action in a story.

Suíomh

The setting, atmosphere, time, and physical environment where the story takes place.

Réiteach

The falling action or resolution of the central conflict following the climax.

Seanfhocal

A traditional Irish proverb frequently set as a story prompt in Section B.

Tuiseal Ginideach

The genitive case, used when a noun qualifies another noun, follows a compound preposition, or functions as the object of a verbal noun.

Béarlachas

Unnatural Irish caused by word-for-word translation of English syntax, prepositions, or idioms.

Caint dhíreach

Direct speech enclosed in quotation marks with appropriate punctuation and reporting tags.

Tuiseal gairmeach

The vocative case, used when directly calling someone by name (e.g. 'a Sheáin', 'a Mháire').