Week two sums up Maths and Geography

THE second week of State exams began with second papers in maths followed by geography yesterday afternoon.

Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) spokesperson Brid Griffin said the ordinary level Leaving Certificate maths paper was a fair test of students’ mathematical ability and shouldn’t have posed any major problems as questions followed predicted lines. She felt that most students would have been pleased with the questions on area and volume, and statistics, and that co-ordinate geometry questions were logically structured. However, she said, the wording of the linear programming question may have been quite confusing for some students.

Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) spokesperson Maria Kelly said it was a fair paper but she criticised the very first question which might have troubled students and unsettled them. They were asked to measure lines shown in an irregular shape and draw a rough sketch of it, something which was not asked before. Students might have spent more time than necessary trying to get right, she said. Ms Kelly also questioned the use of a two-dimensional drawing accompanying the final part of the first question about a three-dimensional object.

Ms Griffin said questions in the higher level paper also followed predictable lines and most students should have been happy. She said any students who did vectors question should have been set at ease because it was a standard question with nothing difficult in it. Both trigonometry questions were typical exam questions, with the final parts testing students’ problem solving techniques.

Eileen Scanlon of the ASTI, said the paper was much easier than last year’s equivalent when controversy arose over part of a question which was not on the syllabus.

TUI spokesperson Alan Monnelly said the ordinary level Junior Certificate maths Paper II contained nothing too frightening and covered the syllabus very well, with large and clear diagrams.

Ms Kelly said that, although the paper was fair, it was very long. Some questions had eight or nine parts to them, which she felt was too much to ask in an ordinary level paper.

Mr Monnelly said students who worked should have found the higher level paper to be a basic test of their knowledge. It required the use of a lot of graphs and other visuals and he said any student who was strong in those areas should do well.

Ms Scanlon said students preferred the paper to last year’s paper, which is unusual because they normally prefer algebra to geometry.

The Leaving Certificate geography papers were generally well received, with ASTI subject spokesperson Jack Keane pointing out that the first section of the higher level paper had nice use of diagrams, maps and charts, while there was a good choice of questions in the second section. However, he believed the inclusion of plate tectonics in each of the three physical environment questions might have narrowed choices for students. Mr Keane said there was a range of topical issues in questions on economic activities.

TUI’s Tom Hunt found the paper very fair and said the only major difficulty might have been with the weather charts in the first part of the paper. He said the elective questions were topical but students might have been challenged by an urban land use question asking them to apply a model in the paper to a city they have studied. He said the ordinary level paper was also very fair although a chart which students had to complete linking landforms to locations might have been confusing.

Mr Keane said the Junior Certificate higher level paper featured a good variety of questions in both sections. He said it was a fair paper with good use of diagrams, a nice question on rivers and topical issues such as urban renewal and climate change.

The lack of colour on the ordinary level paper was the main subject of criticism from Mr Keane and TUI counterpart Jacqueline Sheil.

Ms Sheil said it was unfair that resources should be used to allow higher level students the benefit of colour diagrams, maps and charts but only black and white images were given for ordinary level students. Otherwise, she said, it was a very fair paper. She described the higher level paper as reasonable and straightforward, with a variety of visuals and good use of colour.