Applied maths closes the book on the Leaving Cert

AN applied maths paper was the final exam for most of the 1,400 Leaving Certificate students tested in the subject yesterday.

According to Christy Maginn of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), the higher- level exam taken by the vast majority of candidates was another “nice” paper which may encourage more students to take the subject in future.

He said the exam was nicely laid-out, with diagrams accompanying many questions which would have helped students tackle them confidently and the phrasing of questions also made very clear what was required of students. Mr Maginn said the question on simple harmonic motion and circular motion returned to the kind of style candidates might have expected, after more challenging questions of previous years.

He felt the applied maths exams of recent years had allowed students to display what they know rather than trying to catch them out, a pattern which should hopefully promote interest in the subject.

For 1,000 students of religious education and almost 900 technology students, the Leaving Certificate also came to a close yesterday.

Just more than 300 students took Italian papers in the afternoon and ASTI’s Robbie Cronin said higher- level candidates were asked to use their knowledge in a practical way on a fair paper, while the ordinary-level exam featured very nice articles about teenagers’ favourite hobbies of shopping, discos and pubs.

The results of this year’s exams will be issued to the 59,000-plus Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied candidates on Wednesday, August 18. The majority of next autumn’s third-level places will be offered by colleges through the Central Applications Office (CAO) the following week.

Junior Certificate students, some of whom only finished their exams on Thursday, will get their grades in mid-September.