Reaction to 2026 Leaving Certificate Mandarin Chinese (Higher Level) by Amelia An, Chinese teacher at The Institute of Education.
The exam begins with four comprehension texts and students probably shouldn’t be too surprised with the vocabulary being tested. Many of the scenarios were new, such as donations to an animal charity, an invitation to a graduation part, concert regulations and the cultural roles of tea and coffee. Yet while the contexts might not be inherently familiar, most of the central topics were already covered during Leaving Cert preparation or in class. Things like school subjects, places, clothes, and everyday vocabulary are all very familiar areas. If students have a strong foundation of vocabulary, they can probably spot the answers quite quickly and secure very high marks. What was nice to see was the range of forms and themes as the exam becomes more comprehensive. The exam setter has always striven to select texts that compare and contrast elements of Chinese culture with those of Ireland or the wider world. Text 4 on the cultural differences associated with tea and coffee consumption is one that will spark recognition in many of the young people sitting the exam.
Things become more interesting in the writing sections. This year, the questions felt much more creative and definitely more challenging. While Q5 (a) relied on the more basic vocabulary of polite interactions, (b) and (c) required a very specific set of terms and characters that not every student would know. Out of the six topics, a few were completely new, such as writing about a housewarming party or after-school clubs. Interestingly, due to the nature of Mandarin Chinese, students translating the prompts will have need to be attentive to the different application of tenses. Many of the prompts spoke about future and so students will have needed to know how to reflect that in the appropriate grammar in order to properly excel.
One question that really stood out was Question 6: “Describe one of your favourite websites or mobile applications.” This was definitely one of the more challenging questions. It reminded me of questions like “introduce your favourite book,” from 2025 LC but this time it moved into the world of technology. This has a nice overlap with material prepared for the oral exams earlier in the year. Most will have prepared something on the use of technology with an eye towards A.I., so this prompt will have been very approachable for the if they could dig a little deeper into their ideas. I think that shows a clear trend. The exam is no longer only testing traditional topics like family, hobbies, and daily routines. They’re starting to bring Chinese into the context of modern life and current issues.
Overall, I think this shows that the Leaving Cert exam is becoming more comprehensive as it ranges across forms and topics and trends towards greater variety. It’s moving beyond basic vocabulary and encouraging students to explore a wider range of topics and express their ideas in more depth.