Science papers challenging but fine for students who knew syllabus

SCIENTIFIC knowledge was the important requirement for students of both Junior and Leaving Certificate yesterday morning.

Junior Certificate science exams were very straight-forward, according to Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) subject representative Michael Moriarty. He said the higher level paper may have been challenging for some students but it contained nothing unexpected and no major surprises.

He said the ordinary level paper contained most of the material students should have learned, with a lot of memory work required and diagrams with spaces to be filled in.

Gerry King of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) said the higher level exam covered a range of topics from across the course and was very balanced. He welcomed the fact that there were no particularly difficult chemistry questions.

He said the ordinary level paper also covered a nice range of science topics and the language used in questions was appropriate for students at this grade.

TUI biology spokesperson Tim O’Meara said both Leaving Certificate papers were particularly challenging, but that the ordinary level exam contained many questions more appropriate for higher level.

This was echoed by ASTI subject representative Lily Cronin, who agreed that many ordinary level questions were as demanding as those at higher level. She said this was disappointing when teachers are trying to get students to take on science subjects to Leaving Certificate.

She said the absence of diagrams on many higher level questions made things difficult as it could be more than a year since students had done many of the experiments. However, she felt the paper should have been fine for students who knew the syllabus well.

Mr O’Meara also referred to the absence of clear diagrams, referring as an example to the sketch of a plant shoot which he said looked as if little effort was made on it.

The afternoon Leaving Certificate art papers were worth almost 40% of total marks in the subject, and were described by ASTI subject spokesperson Jane Campbell as the nicest for a number of years. She was happy about the consistent structure of all questions, asking students to name and describe works and give further examples of similar art or work by the same artist.

She said some questions asking for descriptions of form, subject matter and composition might have been more clear about what was being sought, and she also felt that an ordinary level question about a Brian King sculpture was a bit too specific.

TUI art spokesperson Helen Comiskey liked the balance of painting, sculpture and architecture questions on both Leaving Certificate papers, and said ordinary level students should have been happy to be asked about Newgrange and the Tara Brooch in the early Irish art section.

She said the higher level exam covered all periods adequately, and many students who visited an exhibition in Dublin last year would have been well prepared for question about high crosses.

The appearance of the same questions in one section of yesterday’s higher and ordinary level Junior Certificate religious education papers was criticised by ASTI subject spokesperson David Martin. Although ordinary level candidates were awarded higher marks for these questions, he felt they were still very demanding for those students.

Meanwhile, it has emerged the cost of rescheduling last week’s second Leaving Certificate English papers because of its accidental distribution at a Louth school could reach €1.7 million.

Almost half of the bill will be for getting students to the exam on the school transport system, with Bus Éireann estimating the cost at about 750,000.

The remaining €1 million will have to be paid to exam superintendents who oversaw the rescheduled exams and exam attendants, at a cost of about €300,000.