Socrates and philosophers find favour with students

THE first Leaving Certificate exam in religious education took place yesterday afternoon for 165 students.

Now in its third year at Junior Certificate, the subject was sat by more than 21,000 students at that level last week.

Just 165 students at five schools sat yesterday’s paper but they were reported to be satisfied with the outcome.

Students at Loreto Secondary School in Wexford town were pleased with the higher-level paper, according to their teacher Tom Gunning.

He said it was challenging but fair but not as tough as the sample paper. Socrates and the philosophers were asked about, as expected, with a question on their possible views of the modern world if they appeared on a TV chat show.

Mr Gunning said students were given a choice of different world religions on which they could answer questions about a number of topics, such as one on the role of women.

Tracy Fleming, a teacher at Kinsale Community School, Co Cork, said students there were pleased with the questions and there was nothing too difficult in the exam at ordinary or higher level.

Around 4,800 Leaving Certificate music students had their listening and composition papers yesterday, but most had already completed half the exam in April.

ASTI spokesperson John Francis Murphy said there were no surprises in the morning’s listening papers, which were challenging in the right areas.

He said the ordinary-level composing paper contained nothing out of the ordinary and students got plenty of help within the questions. He said any higher-level students who chose question 1 and 5 on the composing paper might have had time problems.

TUI spokesperson Anne Maxwell said an ordinary level listening dictation-type question, which required students to fill in missing notes, was challenging, but the afternoon composing exam had nothing unexpected. However, higher-level students left the listening exam on a high from the infectious mood of the final excerpt which was from Handel’s Hallelujah chorus. They had a good variety of choice in Irish music questions, which included dances, sean-nós singing, regional styles and 20th-century developments in Irish traditional music.

Ms Maxwell said those students who prepared for a minor key melody question should have done well but an unexpected ingredient in the question on backing chords made it quite challenging.

The Junior Certificate wrapped up yesterday and those who took classical studies found yesterday’s exams very time-consuming, according to ASTI spokesman Michael Barry. He said the subject involves more writing than most at Junior Certificate, which is exhausting for some students at this stage of the exams.

However, both papers were well received, although section B of the ordinary-level paper was quite restrictive.