Junior Cycle Speech Writing

A clear, student-friendly guide designed to help Junior Cycle students write confident, engaging, and effective speeches for exams and classroom tasks.

This resource breaks speech writing down into manageable, exam-focused steps, with a strong emphasis on audience awareness, spoken language, and persuasive techniques. It is ideal for mixed-ability classes and particularly supportive of students who struggle to move beyond “essay-style” writing.

What’s included:
Clear explanations of what makes a powerful speech, written in accessible language
A focused section on speech-specific language techniques, including:

• Direct address
• Rhetorical questions
• Repetition
• Anecdotes
• Imagery
• Tone and vocabulary
  A real-world example of persuasive techniques taken from a public address, analysed in a clear table format
  Step-by-step guidance on planning and structuring a speech, using an exam-style question
  Scaffolded tasks that help students:
  Identify techniques in sample openings
  Improve weak openings
  Write their own strong openings
  Three full sample speeches on relevant Junior Cycle topics:
• Global warming
• Social media and wellbeing
• Bullying and responsibility
  Each sample includes comprehension-style questions focusing on technique and effectiveness
  A final exam-style speech writing task, with clear audience, purpose, and success criteria
  Planning space and a final checklist to support independent writing and self-assessment