Leaving Certificate Japanese

Klara - Higher Level

Japanese, my last exams and possibly one of the better ones!The minute the exam started I went straight to the last section to see what essay titles came up. I was most worried about the essays as you never know what could come up. However, over the two years of the course the amount of vocabulary you build up really helps to deal with any essay title that comes up - even if you've never written about it before.  The short essay was a choice between writing a diary entry on a hiking trip or on a film festival. For both you had to talk about how the event went and what you did straight afterwards.  The long essay was the first email you would send to a Japanese pen pal in which you would describe your family, Irish weather, food, your area, your daily routine in school and what they they should bring with them if they came to Ireland.The reading comprehension were easy overall, however, it took me a long time to work out some of the katakana readings. I had to read them over and over in my head to try and understand the meaning.The grammar questions were actually pretty good too; changing into the positive and particles came up. The kanji that came up were also pretty easy and there was no obscure kanji compound.The listening was also quite easy but I found parts of the last section challenging to understand.Overall, this was a great exam and I can safely say that my Leaving cert has ended on a high note! 

Please note: blog posts reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union. Blogs are updated daily by 6.30 pm on scheduled examination dates.Zeminar is an event for Generation Z, particularly those aged between 15 and 19, and their parents, teachers, mentors and coaches. It will take place from 11th - 13th of October 2016. For more information see www.zeminar.ie

Leaving Certificate Japanese

Leah - Ordinary Level

Ah yes. The sweet thoughts of my final exam. Actually, no. The Japanese Exam itself was not sweet, in my opinion. However, the thought of it finally being my last and final Leaving Cert exam was sweet like honey. I was very unlucky in the fact that I would have not one, but two exams on the 19th but I chose to grin and bear it.It was an extremely long day today for me which seemed to also be running out of time - especially when it came to my Japanese exam. I know for a fact that if I had chose to take the Higher Level Paper, I would be kicking myself in the shins right now. So I am glad I dropped down only a few weeks ago.The Japanese Paper consisted of a lot of Katakana, which was to be expected. The first two comprehensions weren't too difficult, I didn't think. Most of the answers you could almost guess. The Grammar section on Question 2 was also somewhat easy and the culture question was the usual level of ease.When it came to the remainder of the paper however, I was challenged. I gave the third Comprehension my best shot but I could not answer the last parts without putting Hiragana where Katakana was supposed to be - or vice versa.By the time it came to the Aural Exam, we had reached the home stretch. This part of the exam was easy, but I was tapping my foot, begging for it to be over. When it hit 5, I ran out the door fairly promptly. I was free!All in all, the Leaving Certificate is a pain for 2 long years but when you're finished, it's almost as if it didn't happen. I hope everyone gets the results that they're hoping for and remember: if it's important to you, you'll find a way. These head-wrecking exams do not and will not define you. Everything seems impossible until it's done and until then, we may as well enjoy process as much as we can.Please note: Blog posts reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union.