Pathway 3 — Using daily
Subject prompt packs
Ready-to-use prompts tailored to specific subjects on the Irish curriculum — Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate. Copy, fill in the brackets, and go.
Data protection: Replace all bracketed placeholders with generic descriptions only. Never include real student names, class lists, or identifiable personal information in any prompt.
Each subject below has three to five prompts designed specifically for that subject's typical tasks and the Irish curriculum context. These complement the Prompt Lab's generic prompts.
📚 English
Prompts for Junior Cycle English and Leaving Certificate English — covering personal writing, poetry, drama, and oral language.
Key prompts in this pack:
- Personal essay opening paragraph — three stylistic approaches
- Comparative study question scaffold — Leaving Certificate theme comparison
- Unseen poetry annotation guide for Junior Cycle
- Oral language assessment preparation — discussion starters
- Functional writing — letter or report structure with Irish exam conventions
SAMPLE PROMPT — Personal essay three openings
I am preparing Leaving Certificate English students for the personal essay question on Paper 1. Write three very different opening paragraphs for a personal essay on the theme of [THEME — e.g. "belonging" / "change" / "a moment that changed everything"].
Each opening should demonstrate a different technique:
1. In medias res — starting in the middle of an action or moment
2. A striking statement or rhetorical question that creates immediate engagement
3. A descriptive scene-setting opening that establishes atmosphere before the writer appears
After each opening, write one sentence explaining what technique it uses and why it works. Do not include student names.
🧮 Mathematics
Prompts for Junior Cycle Maths and Leaving Certificate Higher and Ordinary Level — focusing on worked examples, common errors, and exam technique.
- Worked example with step-by-step annotations for [TOPIC]
- Common errors and misconceptions — diagnostic questions
- Leaving Certificate exam-style question with marking scheme
- Real-world application task linking [TOPIC] to everyday context
- Retrieval quiz — 10 questions on [TOPIC] with answers
SAMPLE PROMPT — Common errors diagnostic
I teach [JUNIOR CYCLE / LEAVING CERT] Maths. For the topic of [TOPIC — e.g. algebra / trigonometry / statistics], please:
1. List the five most common errors students make when working with this topic.
2. For each error, write one diagnostic question that would reveal whether a student is making that mistake.
3. For each error, explain what misconception is driving it and suggest one specific way to address it in class.
Keep language appropriate for secondary school students. Do not include student names.
☘ Irish (Gaeilge)
Prompts for Gaeilge at Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate — scríbhneoireacht, léamh, agus trialacha cainte.
- Aiste nó scéal — trí oscailt éagsúla
- Ceisteanna tuisceana — ceacht léitheoireachta
- Nótaí gramadaí — an modh coinníollach / an briathar neamhrialta
- Caint is comhrá — ceisteanna le haghaidh triail bhéil
- Ábhair dhátheangacha — téacs le hais
SAMPLE PROMPT — Liosta tosaíochta don scrúdú cainte
Táim ag ullmhú daltaí [RANG — e.g. 3ú bliain / 6ú bliain] le haghaidh an scrúdú cainte Gaeilge. Déan liosta de na 10 gceist is coitianta a chuirtear ar dhaltaí i dtriail bhéil an Teastais Shóisearaigh / na hArdteistiméireachta.
Do gach ceist, cuir sampla freagra maith ar fáil — freagra a léiríonn eolas ar an teanga agus a chuireann leis an gcomhrá. Níor mhaith liom ainmneacha daltaí a úsáid — úsáid teanga ghinearálta.
Freagair i nGaeilge le do thoil.
🔬 Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
Prompts for Junior Cycle Science and Leaving Certificate Biology, Chemistry, and Physics — including practical write-ups, definitions, and retrieval.
- Mandatory experiment write-up — method, results, conclusion
- Definition cards — 15 key terms for [TOPIC] with exam-ready wording
- Exam-style structured question with marking scheme
- Misconceptions list — what students typically get wrong on [TOPIC]
- Real-world context — how [TOPIC] applies outside the classroom
SAMPLE PROMPT — Mandatory experiment write-up template
Create a model write-up template for the following Leaving Certificate [BIOLOGY / CHEMISTRY / PHYSICS] mandatory practical: [NAME OF EXPERIMENT].
The template should include:
— Title
— Aim
— Materials (listed appropriately)
— Method (numbered steps, past tense, passive voice as per exam convention)
— Results (table or diagram as appropriate, with blank spaces for students to fill in)
— Conclusion (two sentences: what was found and how it supports the theory)
— Evaluation (one strength and one limitation of the method)
This is a student-facing template, not a completed write-up. Leave blanks where students should add their own data. No student names.
👑 History
Junior Cycle History and Leaving Certificate History — source analysis, essay structure, and the research-based project.
- Source analysis scaffold — five questions for any primary source
- Essay paragraph structure — PEEL or PEA adapted for history
- Junior Cycle Research Project — planning timeline and structure
- Causation / consequence chain for [EVENT]
- Revision timeline — key dates and events for [TOPIC]
SAMPLE PROMPT — Source analysis scaffold
Create a source analysis scaffold for [JUNIOR CYCLE / LEAVING CERT] History students working with a [TYPE — e.g. photograph / newspaper article / political speech / government document] as a primary source.
The scaffold should include five guided questions that take students from surface observation to critical analysis:
1. A description question (what do you see/read?)
2. A context question (when was this created and what was happening at the time?)
3. A perspective question (who created this and why? What is their point of view?)
4. A reliability question (how reliable is this as evidence? What might be missing or distorted?)
5. A significance question (what does this source tell us about [PERIOD / EVENT]?)
Provide brief guidance notes for the teacher under each question. No student names.
More subjects coming. Geography, CSPE, Home Economics, SPHE, Religion, PE, and Business are in development. The Prompt Lab works for any subject right now — use the builder to specify your subject and topic.