personal essay on freedom leaving cert

• Leaving Cert. English (Higher) 2010: Paper 1 Composing
• Back to the question >

Preparation

• Help us make e-xamit better - e-mail support if you spot any errors!
• The content of this site is the intellectual property of e-xamit.ie
• Legal & privacy information

1 Composition (Personal Writing)

Videos from the community ( 0 ).

Why not start the community off by adding a post or uploading a resource?

Notes from the community ( 0 )

Websites from the community ( 0 ).

⚠️Want a FREE 2024 Study Planner?

• Jan 11, 2023

Writing a Personal Essay for the Leaving Cert: Tips and Strategies

Updated: Feb 17

Introduction to the Personal Essay

As a Leaving Cert student, you may be required to write a personal essay as part of your exams or coursework. A personal essay is a piece of writing that explores a personal experience, opinion, or belief. It allows you to express your thoughts and feelings about a particular topic and can be a powerful way to convey your personality and values to readers.

Choosing a Topic for Your Personal Essay

One of the key steps in writing a personal essay is choosing a topic that is meaningful and engaging for you. The best personal essay topics are often personal experiences or events that have had a significant impact on your life or beliefs.

They may also be issues or ideas that you are passionate about and want to explore in more depth.

When choosing a topic, it's important to consider your audience and the purpose of your essay. If you're writing a personal essay for a college application, for example, you may want to choose a topic that showcases your unique qualities and experiences and aligns with the values and mission of the college.

It's also a good idea to choose a topic that you feel comfortable and confident writing about. Avoid choosing a topic that is too broad or abstract, or that you don't have enough personal experience with to write about with depth and insight.

Tips for Structuring Your Personal Essay

Once you've chosen a topic, the next step is to organize your thoughts and ideas into a clear and cohesive structure. A typical personal essay will have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

The introduction should introduce your topic and provide some context for your essay. You might also want to include a thesis statement, which is a sentence that states your main argument or point of view.

The body paragraphs should support your thesis and provide specific examples and details to illustrate your points. Each paragraph should focus on a specific aspect of your topic and have a clear topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph.

The conclusion should summarize your main points and restate your thesis, and may also include a call to action or a reflection on the significance of your topic.

Tips for Writing a Strong Personal Essay

To write a strong personal essay, there are a few key tips to keep in mind:

Use concrete details and specific examples to illustrate your points: Rather than just stating your beliefs or opinions, use specific examples and details to bring your essay to life and make it more persuasive.

Use a clear and engaging writing style: Avoid using jargon or overly complex language, and aim for a clear and engaging writing style that is easy for readers to follow.

Use transitions to connect your ideas: Use transitional words and phrases to help your essay flow smoothly and logically from one idea to the next.

Edit and proofread your essay carefully: Make sure to revise and proofread your essay carefully to catch any mistakes or awkward phrasing. It can be helpful to read your essay aloud or have someone else read it to catch any errors.

Seek feedback and guidance: Don't be afraid to ask for feedback from a teacher or peer on your essay. They can provide valuable insights and suggestions for improvement.

In conclusion, the personal essay is a valuable opportunity for Leaving Cert students to express their thoughts and feelings about a personal experience.

Are you a Leaving Certificate student looking to improve your grades and reach your full potential?

Look no further! Our grinds service offers personalized tutoring from experienced and qualified teachers. Our tailored approach ensures that you receive the support and guidance you need to excel in your exams and achieve your goals.

With our help, you will be well-prepared and confident on the day of your exams. Don't miss out on this valuable opportunity – contact us today to learn more and start achieving your dreams!

Are you a leaving certificate student struggling with English?

Our English grinds service offers expert, personalized tutoring to help you achieve your goals. Our team of experienced and knowledgeable instructors will provide individualized support and guidance to ensure that you have the tools and knowledge you need to succeed in your exams.

Plus, with access to our comprehensive online study notes and regular progress assessments, you'll have the support you need to feel confident and prepared. Don't hesitate, sign up for our English grinds today and take the first step towards success.

Recent Posts

Leaving Cert Irish Oral - Sláinte na nÓg Seachtain na Sláinte

Leaving Cert Irish Oral - An Ghaeilge: seoid luachmhar agus cuid dár gcultúr

Leaving Cert Irish Oral - Mé Féin agus Mo Theaghlach (Guide)

404 Not found

• Junior Cert
• Elizabeth Bishop
• Emily Dickinson
• Seamus Heaney
• Thomas Kinsella
• Derek Mahon
• All 2014 guides on CD
• Sylvia Plath
• Eavan Boland (LC 2012)
• Patrick Kavanagh (LC 2012)
• Adrienne Rich (LC 2013)
• Gerard Manley Hopkins (LC 2013)
• Cancelled Order
• Thank You for your order

Tag Archives: sample personal essays

Tone (personal essay).

I love this cartoon from Natalie Dee on fanpop.com

Before Christmas I got my TYs (over 50 of them) and my Leaving Certs to write personal essays. Their essays for the most part were funny, sad, moving, at times mad and in many cases very very brave. Among other things I read about a childhood obsession with goldfish; a superhero granny; being an only child; falling into a river in front of the boy you absolutely love love love; suicide; a haunted church; spontaneous uncontrollable crying spells; and being wrapped in tin foil and carried off a volleyball court on a stretcher…

I also discovered that “ a commode i s the love child of a wheelchair and a portaloo! ”

I did notice however that very occasionally a personal essay didn’t  ‘ring true ‘. It’s hard for me to explain how I knew that the writer was inventing or embellishing a sad story (leaning towards or sometimes completely inventing a fiction) rather than drawing on real life experiences (fact) but when I asked a couple of students about it sure enough they said what they’d written about hadn’t actually happened but they felt compelled to give the personal essay a tragic ending in order to engage the reader emotionally.

Oddly, it had the opposite effect – I enjoyed these essays up to the point where they transformed into melodrama and then I just somehow knew that the writer was trying to force a reaction out of me.

Have a look at this beautiful personal essay – but be warned:

(1) It will make you cry

(2) You could never write this. You are not a thirty-something-yr-old widower with a toddler and a dead wife. You are a 17 or 18yr old Irish leaving cert student and this is the perspective you MUST write from when you write a personal essay in the exams because fundamentally a personal essay IS NOT A SHORT STORY and IS NOT FICTION. Of course you can write about something funny that happened to someone else and pretend it happened to you; of course you can exaggerate for dramatic or humorous effect. But try to write what you know or your essay is in danger of coming across as insincere and false.

Here it is: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jan/19/telling-toddler-mummys-dead?CMP=twt_gu

Now have a look at this personal essay, whose tone is much more philosophical and opinionated rather than emotional – the tone is completely different but there is no question that it also falls into the category of personal essay.

Here it is (with the longest url in the history of life the universe and everything):

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/an-a-student-regrets-his-grades/article7359620/?cmpid=rss1&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20TheGlobeAndMail-National%20%28The%20Globe%20and%20Mail%20-%20National%20News%29&buffer_share=8b014

I guess I just want you to realise that you can write a serious opinion piece; an emotional admission; or a funny satire and ALL will still qualify as ‘personal essays’ as long as you write in the first person (“I”) and as long as you are yourself (Irish teenager) not a fictional narrator (a witchdoctor, a talking rubbish bin or a homeless wino).

For clarification of the difference between the personal essay and memoir check this out: http://meghanward.com/blog/2012/08/21/personal-essay-vs-memoir/

That’s all for now folks. Good luck with the mocks revision!

Posted in Composing , Discussions

Tagged ireland , leaving cert english , personal essay , sample personal essays , tone

Recent Posts

• A long slow goodbye…
• Lear’s journey
• Some themes in Lear…
• King Lear – Plot Chronology
• King Lear quotes (in translation!)
• Justice in King Lear – how to construct an answer…
• The Old Warrior and Me
• Single text options…
• Tackling the Comparative
• Reading Shakespeare (Othello)
• Game Based Learning
• Originality – Freshness – Energy – Style
• Discussions
• Comprehensions
• Comparative
• Studied poetry
• Unseen poetry
• Media Studies
• Uncategorized

Affiliations

Nominations.

Leaving Cert English Personal Essay: one or more moments of uncertainty you have experienced.

Write a personal essay about one or more moments of uncertainty you have experienced..