Students ‘not interested in Arnie and Fungi’

THE examiners who set the papers for the State exams obviously do so much earlier in the year than when the thousands of students receive them.

For any car-owning students taking ordinary level Leaving Certificate maths, this would have been quite clear from reading question 1(c). It asked candidates to calculate amounts of petrol being delivered by a pump with a faulty meter.

Although the problem was that it dispensed more than the meter showed, more people might have been surprised that the garage was only charging 85 cent per litre.

Just as most motorists wished they knew where to find this imaginary service station, doubtless many higher level Junior Cert might have yearned for a few unfound answers yesterday morning.

Both the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) and Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) maths spokespersons, John McKeon and Eileen Scanlon, felt the standard was quite higher than last year.

This, they said, was unfair because under the revised syllabus students have to answer every question.

The ASTI’s Maria Kelly said the ordinary level paper posed no major problems for her students at Bishopstown Community School, while Mr McKeon was impressed by its layout and that of the foundation level exam.

At Leaving Cert, TUI senior-cycle maths spokesperson Andrew Carolan felt the higher level paper was slightly harder than last year.

The afternoon Irish papers brought a mixed reaction from the subject convenors. ASTI Irish rep Robbie Cronin was particularly aggrieved about two ordinary level Junior Cert comprehension passages about Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dingle dolphin, Fungi.

“Arnie is a has-been already and Fungi has been around for nearly 20 years, they’re of no interest to young people,” he said.

He was equally unimpressed with passages on the higher level Leaving Cert Paper I, one about the history of the conflict in Liberia and another about a heritage site in Mullingar.

However, he conceded essay choices such as the influence of sports or movie stars gave students more scope.

His TUI counterpart Dónal Ó Loinsigh agreed about the generous essay choices, though he felt a title dealing with the life of a single person was adult.

The tape used in the Junior Cert listening exam drew criticism from TUI junior cycle spokesperson Bláithín Ní Liatháin. She felt the Ulster Irish section was very difficult to make out and this, added to tight space on the higher level answer sheet, might have caused students stress before the written exam.