Subjects · Leaving Cert English
Leaving Cert English: Poetry
How often Poetry comes up on the English papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.
HL Asked on 10 of the last 10 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2026. banker
OL Asked on 10 of the last 10 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2026. banker
Quick ones on Poetry.
- Patrick Kavanagh
- Seamus Heaney
- John Montague
- Paul Durcan
- Derek Mahon
- Seamus Heaney
- Seamus Heaney
- Brendan Kennelly
- Ted Hughes
Show the answers
(a) Seamus Heaney
(b) Seamus Heaney
(c) Seamus Heaney
Higher Level
Asked on 10 of the last 10 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2026. banker
Every paper, year by year
| Year | Where it came up |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2025 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2024 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2023 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2022 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2021 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2019 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2018 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2017 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2016 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.
More Poetry questions
Poetry, 2 marks
Sylvia Plath was born in which country?
- The United Kingdom
- Canada
- The United States
Show the answer
The United States
Born in Boston in 1932, she went to Cambridge on a Fulbright scholarship and met the poet Ted Hughes there. She spent the rest of her life mainly in England.
Poetry, 2 marks
Who wrote 'Filling Station'?
- Adrienne Rich
- Elizabeth Bishop
- Sylvia Plath
Show the answer
Elizabeth Bishop
Bishop describes a grimy, family-run petrol station in close detail, then finds signs of love and care in it. A good example of her precise observation.
Poetry, 2 marks
Who wrote 'First Death in Nova Scotia'?
- Elizabeth Bishop
- Emily Dickinson
- Sylvia Plath
Show the answer
Elizabeth Bishop
Recalls the young Bishop seeing her dead cousin Arthur laid out in the parlour. It's told from a child's confused perspective on death.
Ordinary Level
Asked on 10 of the last 10 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2026. banker
Every paper, year by year
| Year | Where it came up |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2025 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2024 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2023 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2022 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2021 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2019 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2018 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2017 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
| 2016 | Unseen Poetry, Prescribed Poetry |
Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.
More Poetry questions
Poetry, 2 marks
In a poem, the voice that speaks to us is called the…
- Publisher
- Reader
- Speaker
Show the answer
Speaker
The speaker is the voice in the poem and is not always the poet. Saying the speaker rather than the poet is safer in an answer.
Poetry, 2 marks
The feeling or atmosphere a poem creates in the reader is its…
- Stanza
- Mood
- Rhyme scheme
Show the answer
Mood
Mood is how the poem makes you feel: calm, sad, joyful, uneasy. Look at the word choices and images that create it.
Poetry, 2 marks
If a poetry question asks you to support your answer, you should…
- Quote a short phrase or line from the poem
- Give your own opinion without any quotation
- Retell the poet's life story in brief
Show the answer
Quote a short phrase or line from the poem
A short quotation shows you have read the poem. Copy it exactly, put it in quotation marks, and explain what it shows.