Student-friendly topical paper is the business

The day started and ended with business studies for Junior Certificate students, and there was just a single exam for those who chose the ordinary level test.

Wed, 11 Jun, 2014 - 01:00

Niall Murray - Education Correspondent

Joe Moran of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland said he found nothing to complain about in the first of two papers for higher level students in the morning.

He considered most questions to be of the usual standard, with the introduction of some modern elements in the final question about buying and borrowing to finance a laptop computer, where students also had to explain a number of technology terms.

Mr Moran said the club account was straightforward, but thought another question — asking students to distinguish between wages and salaries — was a bit quaint.

Teachers’ Union of Ireland subject spokesman, David Duffy, said the morning exam was fairly reasonable. He welcomed the fact that it was quite topical, particularly in the economics questions.

Among those questions was one about a soccer fan using exchange rates before heading to the World Cup in Brazil.

He said the afternoon’s Paper 2 was very manageable and student-friendly, and any candidate who prepared well should have been pleased with it.

Mr Moran said a question about a start-up business seeking investment on the Dragons’ Den TV programme was the most innovative on the second paper, and was very reasonable. While students might have been surprised to see a full question about an analysed cash book, there was nothing unreasonable in it.

He considered it a fair overall paper, and welcomed the fact there were only eight transactions in the opening book-keeping question, following previous timing difficulties on similar questions. On the single ordinary level paper, for which fewer than 7,000 students were entered, Mr Duffy said the two-and- a-half hour paper was fair and reasonable.

Mr Moran said questions on insurance, wages and delivery required a fair bit of calculation work, but many students preferred that to answers that needed a lot of writing.

Twitter reaction

Seamus Heaney’s appearance in another unexpected place — Leaving Cert Irish — and the challenges of biology were among the main tweeting points for exam students yesterday:

* @vingsert

Fool me once shame on you

Fool me twice shame on me

Fool me thrice shame-us heaney

* @Aisbox

Leaving cert weather my ass. There’s a thunder storm outside.

* @coadyjakecoady

When the junior cert is over im staying in bed for a week

* @GlitterRockNRol

Feel so good after that Irish exam #begrand

* @laurenvahey

I can already tell biology is going to abuse me horribly