Boland brings smiles all around

EAVAN BOLAND’S appearance in the poetry section of the higher level English Paper 2 brought smiles in most Leaving Certificate exam centres yesterday.

However, Michael Doherty of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) said the question about the language in her work was quite taxing, but most students who were well prepared should have managed it. He said there was plenty to write about in the question on Robert Frost and some nice questions on WB Yeats and Emily Dickinson.

The overall response to the paper was positive, Mr Doherty said, although the question about the justice and revenge themes in Hamlet was challenging. This was balanced by a straightforward question about Catherine Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights and nice questions in the comparative study section.