Poetry

Poetry is worth 50 marks on Paper 2, and it is the section where students either pick up easy marks or lose them through vague, unfocused writing. The Leaving Cert poetry question asks you to write about a prescribed poet from the course, responding to a specific prompt. You do not get to choose the prompt, so you need to know your poets well enough to adapt.

The key to scoring well in poetry is specificity. Examiners can tell immediately whether a student has genuinely engaged with the poems or is recycling memorised paragraphs. Your answer should quote directly, analyse the language and techniques the poet uses, and connect those observations to the question being asked. A good poetry essay feels like a conversation with the text, not a list of points.

On this site, you will find detailed notes on every prescribed poet for the current Leaving Cert cycle. Each poet section includes analysis of individual poems, key themes and motifs, and exam-focused tips on how to structure your response. Whether you are studying Sylvia Plath, Patrick Kavanagh, Seamus Heaney, Emily Dickinson, or Eavan Boland, the approach is the same: know the poems, understand the techniques, and practise writing about them under timed conditions.

Pick your poet below and start with the poems your teacher has covered in class. If you are revising, focus on the poems you find most interesting. You will always write better about material you genuinely connect with.