Positive views on physics and accountancy exams

The third week of Leaving Certificate exams kicked off with papers for students of physics and accounting.

The morning’s higher level physics exam was described very positively by Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland subject spokesman Ger Curtin.

He said the first section, in which students had to answer three out of four experiment questions, was quite nice and students were particularly pleased with a question about Joule’s law.

Mr Curtin said the second section followed the recent pattern of featuring more modern applications of physics, with real-life items and situations. One question, for example, was about techniques for measuring blood pressure, including a blood pressure monitor.

Teachers’ Union of Ireland physics spokesman Michael Gillespie also welcomed the use of real-life applications, particularly for the encouragement they should give future candidates to stick at higher level. He said the question made up of short parts was nice, and the inclusion of the Doppler effect and Wheatstone bridges in the same question was an unusual mix but one that a good higher level student would have managed fine.

Mr Gillespie said the ordinary level paper was also fine, particularly liking the way questions were structured and broken down.

Mr Curtin thought the ordinary level exam was also a fair assessment, saying it was a standard paper and the students he spoke to were quite happy with it.

Just over 6,000 students spent the afternoon on the Leaving Certificate accounting exams.

ASTI spokesman Peter Quinn said the higher level exam was challenging, and demanding of students’ time and ability. He said the adjustments required on the first question would have tested their ability, but it was a fair paper overall.

One question that might have caused uncertainty looked for a sketch of a graph showing a break-even point. He said it was unclear how rough the sketch should be.

TUI spokesman John O’Sullivan said the higher level exam was fair and consistent with standards of recent years’ papers, rewarding good preparation and revision. He thought the creditors’ control account question was a very good option for those with a good knowledge of ledgers and could have been completed reasonably quickly.

He said the ordinary level exam offered a good selection of questions to facilitate students to achieve their potential. He felt those who were well-practiced should score will on the marginal costing and cash budgeting questions, in particular.