Leaving Cert French | Important Themes for 2026

The session begins by welcoming students and emphasizing the importance of maintaining a positive mindset during exam preparation. The instructor advises on smarter study habits, suggesting shorter, more productive study bursts followed by slightly longer breaks, acknowledging that students are more tired later in the academic year. The upcoming schedule includes French and Irish classes, with special sessions planned for the following week.

The main focus of the class is to review common themes, topics, and potential essay titles for both French and Irish. The instructor highlights frequently appearing themes and analyzes how questions might be phrased, stressing the importance of understanding specific terms like 'benediction' (blessing) or 'maladiction' (curse) to correctly interpret essay prompts.

This section delves into technology and social media, noting their frequent appearance in exams (2017, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024). Potential essay titles include 'the influence of social media on young people' and 'technology: a blessing or a curse'. The instructor stresses the need to address the question's specific angle rather than just writing generally about the topic. Phrases for swinging argument back to specific questions are provided.

Educational topics, common in various years, are discussed. Examples include questions about banning mobile phones in schools, the use of AI (like ChatGPT) by students, and whether the school system needs reform. A key question analyzed is if continuous assessment should replace traditional exams. The instructor advises students to directly answer the question with a clear 'yes because' or 'no because' position.

The instructor offers crucial advice on approaching the exam. Instead of rushing to write, students should first take a moment to breathe, review all questions, and plan their answers. It is highlighted that essays often contain subtle twists or specific angles that must be addressed, emphasizing the need to plan out arguments to avoid simply writing about a broad topic without answering the specific question asked.

Environment and climate change themes are explored, including 'climate change: the biggest threat of our era' and 'what young people can do to protect the planet'. Students are encouraged to link discussions of extreme weather events back to climate change. The instructor also touches on essay approaches where students might find it easier to write a negative-based argument than an optimistic one, suggesting playing to one's strengths in terms of language skills and argument construction.

Mental health, closely linked to social media and education, is discussed as a popular theme. Questions include general discussions on 'young people and mental health' and 'how to find a balance between studies and social life'. The importance of vocabulary like 'pressure' (la pression) and 'positive effects' (les bienfaits) is noted.

This section covers themes like the housing crisis, homelessness, cost of living, and poverty in a rich country. The instructor clarifies French grammatical nuances, such as the singular use of 'government'. It is emphasized that essays on these topics require addressing multiple facets, for instance, discussing both poverty and the wealth of a nation.

Conflict and war are examined, focusing on terms like 'riots' and 'the role of media in conflict'. A key question posed is 'can one hope for peace in the world?', again suggesting that a negative argument might be easier to articulate due to current global events. The impact of war on children is also mentioned.

Sport and health is identified as a prominent topic, frequently appearing in past exams. Topics include the importance of sport, the role of females in sport, and the Olympics. A specific question about responsibility for obesity is analyzed, encouraging students to consider different viewpoints.

The instructor advises prioritizing themes based on their frequency in past exams, with technology, education, environment, mental health, and sport being top contenders. This allows students to focus their study efforts effectively.

Themes such as politics (lack of interest among youth, trust in politicians), drugs, and alcohol are briefly covered. Fast fashion and consumerism are highlighted as significant recent themes, with questions like 'is fast fashion a scourge for the planet?' and 'is ethical fashion a true alternative?'. The instructor reiterates the strategy of selecting the essay approach that best suits one's linguistic strengths.

Responding to a student's question, the instructor clarifies that while recent essay titles have been broad, preparing for specific questions is beneficial. Even with a specific title, students can link it back to broader themes they are comfortable with, provided they address the core question directly first.

The instructor dismisses the idea that opening sentences dictate an examiner's impression, emphasizing that overall language proficiency, range of tenses, and coherent argument are what truly count. The goal is clear communication and answering the question directly, avoiding 'waffling'.

This section shifts to preparing for listening comprehensions, with speculative topics based on recent events (2023-2025). Key themes include the reopening of Notre Dame, the Paris Olympics (including Paralympics), and cultural events like the Cannes Film Festival. For each, critical vocabulary and verbs are provided, with the advice to recognize them by sound rather than memorizing their spelling.

Additional contemporary topics for listening comprehension include climate change and extreme weather, ChatGPT/AI in education, TikTok/social media, phone bans in schools, the cost of living crisis, French farmers' protests, and the bottle deposit scheme. For each, essential vocabulary and verbs are presented, with a focus on recognition during listening, not necessarily perfect recall or spelling.

The theme of fast fashion is revisited, with emphasis on vocabulary related to its environmental impact and consumer behavior, such as 'overconsumption'. The instructor stresses that the goal is to identify new vocabulary and focus on understanding it for listening and reading, rather than intensive memorization.

The session concludes with a detailed Q&A tackling various student concerns. Topics include the recommended length and structure of essays (introduction, 3-4 points, conclusion, aiming for one full A4 page), the type of grammatical errors that impact grades (structural issues over minor spelling), and strategies for H1 aspiring students (doing an extra essay if time permits). The instructor advises for students with spelling/grammar waivers to focus on sentence connectors (C and Qui). Finally, for comprehension and listening, the advice is to use them as 'brain breaks' to practice skills constructively, rather than just rote learning, emphasizing efficient use of limited study time.