​Take your Irish to the next level with TEG in Bishopstown

Securing that all-important H4 in Higher Level Irish in the Leaving Cert can be a challenge. Bishopstown Community School in Cork city offers a night class in the European Certificate in Irish (Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge [TEG]) as a chance to get those all-important points.
 
“The course is ideal for people who want to get into primary school teaching or who want to teach Irish in secondary school and who did not get the points they needed in the Leaving Cert.” So said Robert Goggin, who delivers the TEG course. Robert himself teachers Irish, English, and History in the day school.

Bishopstown Community School offers a night class in the European Certificate in Irish for those looking to earn a recognised Irish-language qualification.

Irish oral examination

“We cover listening comprehension, reading comprehension, and I prepare learners for the oral Irish examination. The oral exams are usually in April and August, but the next one is in January now because the previous one was cancelled due to the pandemic.”
 
This is high-level Irish, then, and much more that the cúpla focail ! “Most of the learners in the class are in their final year of college and want to teach Irish – so they would be in their early to mid-20s. We also have learners who have gone back to education and want to get to that higher level of Irish.”

Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge

The TEG provides a series of general Irish language proficiency examinations and qualifications for adult learners of Irish. TEG exams give candidates an opportunity to show their ability in speaking, listening, reading and writing Irish at different levels, as absolute beginner to intermediate and advanced levels.
 
The TEG is administered by the Centre for Irish Language at Maynooth University and allows learners to undertake examinations at five different levels of proficiency.

“Depending on the requirements of the college learners are applying to, our students would need to be doing the B1 and B2 -Intermediate - levels,” said Robert.  Levels A1 and A2 might suit beginners, with C1 a more Advanced Level.

The TEG is administered by the Centre for Irish Language at Maynooth University and allows learners to undertake examinations at five levels of proficiency.

Professional Masters in Education

Institutions of education around Ireland that offer the Professional Masters in Education (PME - Primary Teaching) often require applicants to take the TEG Intermediate Level 1 (B1) Irish-language oral examination. 
 
This follows a Department of Education and Skills decision in 2018 to have one oral Irish examination for students seeking to gain entry to post-graduate programmes for primary teaching in DCU, Maynooth University, Marino Institute of Education, and Mary Immaculate College in Limerick. These are the four state-funded providers of primary teacher training.

Information points

Find out more about night classes in Bishopstown Community School, Cork, on the Adult Education website page or on Facebook. ​