CBA2 The Collection of the Students Texts

Junior Cycle English · CBAs & Assessment

CBA2, the Collection of the Student’s Texts, is built up slowly across Third Year from your own writing. It rewards steady effort over many weeks rather than one big performance on a single day, so the more you write and redraft along the way, the stronger your final collection becomes.

What CBA2 is, and when you do it

CBA2 stands for Classroom-Based Assessment 2, and its full title is the Collection of the Student’s Texts. You complete it in Third Year, the second of the two Classroom-Based Assessments in Junior Cycle English.

The idea is simple. Across the year you build up a collection of your own pieces of writing in a range of genres. Then, from everything you have produced, you choose your best to submit. Most students submit two pieces. So think of it as two steps: first create a range, then select your strongest.

Because you are working from writing you have already done, there is no single exam day to dread. You have time on your side, and that is exactly what makes this assessment fair.

How it is judged

Your own teacher assesses CBA2 in class. They judge your work against the Features of Quality, which are the official descriptions of what good writing looks like at this level. Your result is then reported on the Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement, the JCPA.

There are four descriptors used to describe how your work measures up:

• Exceptional
• Above expectations
• In line with expectations
• Yet to meet expectations

Notice that these are descriptors, not exam band grades. For the exact wording of what each level looks like, go straight to the Features of Quality your teacher works from. They are your real guide here, so ask to see them early.

One important point: CBA2 does not carry a mark in the final written exam itself. It is reported separately on your JCPA. There is, however, a written Assessment Task linked to it, and that task is marked by the State Examinations Commission. More on that below.

The range of genres

The genres you can draw from are wide, and that breadth is deliberate. You might write any of the following, among others:

• a personal or opinion piece
• a descriptive piece
• a story
• a piece of functional writing, such as a letter or report
• an autobiographical piece
• a media piece
• a review or a critique
• a poem
• a piece of scriptwriting

Range matters. Choosing two pieces from different genres shows that you can write in more than one way, and that flexibility is part of what good writing looks like. Two stories that feel quite similar will say less about you than a story paired with a strong opinion piece or a sharp review.

Building the collection over time

The best collections are not written in a panic the week before the deadline. They grow over the year. Keep your work safe as you go, whether in a folder, a copy, or a file on your computer. Date your drafts so you can see how a piece improved.

Write more than you think you need. The more pieces you have, the more freedom you have when it comes time to choose. A weak piece you can simply leave out; a piece you never wrote cannot be chosen at all.

Create plenty, then choose your best. You cannot select a strong piece you never wrote in the first place.A simple rule for CBA2

Choosing and polishing your pieces

When the time comes to select, pick your strongest and most varied work. Read each piece slowly. Ask yourself: is this interesting? Is it clear? Does it sound like me?

Then redraft. This is where having time really pays off. Tidy your sentences. Cut what does not earn its place. Check your spelling, your punctuation, and your paragraphing. Read your work aloud, because your ear will catch what your eye slides over.

Make your chosen pieces as polished as you can. You are not rushing, so there is no excuse for careless mistakes that a second read would catch. A clean, finished piece always reads better than a clever one left rough.

How it links to the Assessment Task

CBA2 connects directly to the Assessment Task, which is a separate piece of written work. The Assessment Task is based on your CBA2 work, and unlike the CBA itself, it is marked by the State Examinations Commission and counts towards your final result.

This connection is good news. Everything you put into building and reflecting on your collection feeds straight into the Assessment Task. If you know your own writing well, if you have thought about how you made your choices and what you learned, you walk into the Assessment Task already prepared. Do CBA2 properly and you set yourself up for the task that follows.

Doing well in CBA2

The students who do best treat CBA2 as a year-long habit, not a last-minute scramble. They write often, keep everything, and choose with care. They use the time they are given to redraft, and they pay attention to the Features of Quality rather than guessing what their teacher wants.

How to use it: Start a writing folder in the first weeks of Third Year and add to it steadily. Aim to produce pieces across several different genres, not just the one you find easiest. When selection time comes, choose two strong, contrasting pieces, redraft them properly, and proofread until they are clean. Then carry that same knowledge of your own work into the linked Assessment Task.

In short

CBA2 is the Collection of the Student’s Texts, completed in Third Year. You build a range of your own writing over time, then select your strongest, commonly two pieces, to submit. Your teacher assesses it against the Features of Quality using four descriptors, and it is reported on your JCPA. It also feeds the linked Assessment Task, which the State Examinations Commission marks. Write plenty, choose wisely, redraft with care, and the rest takes care of itself.