Experts differ on English paper’s difficulty
The higher level paper was described by Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland subject spokesperson Sheila Parsons as challenging, and one in which most students will have difficulty getting top marks.
Part A questions on comprehension pieces were tricky, asking about writing styles and requiring references to how colour, light, details or objects were used in photographs on the paper.
Ms Parsons said the essay titles could have restricted students, as they were over-specific in what was required. For example, a short story required that the central character must be a rebellious teenager, or another story needed the setting to be significant.
Teachers’ Union of Ireland spokesperson Alan Thompson said the higher level paper was fair and very youth-oriented with themes about teenagers throughout.
The first reading passage examined the concept of youth identity and culture, while all three passages had language that was perfectly pitched, he said.
Mr Thompson was also pleased that the letter, diary and website article formats in the functional writing questions were familiar to students. He said that essay and composition titles had a wide range of genres and had a clearer link that in previous years to the earlier reading passages.
He also welcomed the familiar theme of lifestyles running through the Leaving Certificate ordinary level English paper, and the fact that the reading passages included language that was accessible.
Mr Thompson said the functional writing questions had nothing too tricky, one choice being a letter of complaint, another was to write a short piece about an influential invention.
He said the essays were straightforward and it was very clear what kind of composition was required for each title.
Ms Parsons felt the paper was not as accessible as in previous years and was not very oriented to young people. For example, the first reading passage about a man kept awake by a nearby car park, did not engage students.
She felt that one of the questions based on images for a calendar photo competition, asking students to write a talk encouraging classmates to take up photography as a hobby, was very specific.
Sheila Parsons said the first reading text on yesterday morning’s Junior Certificate English higher level Paper I was very difficult.
It was an extract from naturalist Charles Darwin’s journal but she felt it had too many complicated phrases.
She said the essay choices were okay but not very exciting, with titles like An Undiscovered Paradise being a bit conceptual for Junior Certificate students.
However, a question asking for a student council report on interculturalism touched on a topic which most candidates would have experience of from school.
The afternoon paper was challenging in Ms Parsons’ view, particularly with a difficult unseen extract from Shakespeare’s King Lear and some related questions she felt were obscure.
However, the option of questions from a contemporary Indian play gave students a better choice, giving them the chance to adapt it to an Irish setting.
She said the questions on studied plays were difficult, as was the unseen poem There Came a Day by Ted Hughes, but this was balanced by a nice piece of unseen fiction by Virginia Woolf with good questions. On the Junior Certificate ordinary level paper, TUI spokesperson John Boyle said one of his students at St Kevin’s Community College in Dunlavin, Co Wicklow, described it perfectly as a “handy paper”.
The wide choice of writing tasks gave students a chance to express themselves, and straightforward comprehensive questions allowed students to engage with the passages.
Mr Boyle said the literature passages were well varied, with a mix of historical fact and fiction, and themes of adventure and escapism. He was also pleased with the humour in some of the pieces, including a drama extract featuring a conversation between the Greek god Zeus and Queen Hera.
The media studies section featured news extracts about road deaths and young people, which Mr Boyle felt gave many students a chance to write about their interest in cars and driving.
Ms Parsons said the Junior Certificate foundation level English exam was a very student friendly paper, as all the stories and poems gave students a springboard from which to get involved.
She said the first reading passage about Roy Keane’s career was very interesting for most young people and would have given them a good start.
More than 12,700 Leaving Certificate students took home economics papers in the afternoon and the higher level exam was very fair, according to ASTI spokesperson Maura McCaul.
It included a nice question on family numbers based on the 2006 Census and housing trends came up for the fourth year out of the last five. The predicted topic of lipids was examined in the food section, but all questions in housing required a detailed knowledge of the electricity parts of the course.
TUI spokesperson Bernie Judge said the paper was very long but a mix of topics reflected the entire course, including food and nutrition, and housing policy.
She said the ordinary level paper was well received by students with a good range of themes and those who were well prepared should have done quite well.
Helplines and advice for students and parents during the Junior and Leaving Certificate:
Teenline Ireland
If you feel alone, worried or distressed, or just need someone to talk to, you can call their confidential helpline on 1800 833 634. The helpline is open Wednesdays from 3pm-6pm, Thursday to Saturday from 9pm- midnight and Sundays from 8pm-11pm.
The Samaritans provides confidential non-judgmental emotional support, 24 hours a day for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which could lead to suicide. Call 1850 60 90 90.
Leaving Certificate parents and students’ helpline will operate from the day results are announced in summer 2008. Call 1800 265 165.
For information for students and parents on all you need to know about the Junior and Leaving Certificate, go to: www.examinations.ie
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