Junior Cert: Sighs of relief over Rising questions
The Easter Rising was the subject of questions for higher- and ordinary-level candidates, said Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) representative Michael Hogan. For those doing the subject to honours level, an account of the events was an optional question, while ordinary-level students had the option to write about a chosen 1916 figure in the ‘people in history’ section.
Mr Hogan said the short questions at higher level were more than fair, and there were no surprises in the questions about people in history. He thought the short extracts on social change in Britain were very interesting, and all students should have been familiar enough with the Reformation for questions on it.
While questions on social change in 20th-century Ireland were phrased differently to those of other years, Mr Hogan said they were manageable and there were options within that section.
Oliver McCaul of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) said students would have done a lot on 1916 and should have been well able for the question on the Rising.
They could also show knowledge of related aspects of that period in answer to short questions about the Citizen Army and Sinn Féin’s 1918 election success.
Mr Hogan found the ordinary-level exam very student friendly, particularly the documents questions.
Mr McCaul thought some would have been surprised not to see questions on a picture or document about 1916 in the ordinary-level exam, but he said it showed the paper was not predictable.
Meanwhile, more than half the 60,000 students doing the Junior Certificate sat French papers.
The higher-level paper was similar in layout to the past, but ASTI subject spokeswoman Eimear Holly noted there was no formal letter. Familiar topics came up, such as time, directions, and the weather.
Comprehension pieces about TV show The Voice and a French cyclist linked to student interests in music and sport, but she felt another about April fool’s pranks may have been lost on them.
Ms Holly thought the postcard and informal letter questions were very nice, giving plenty of scope for expression. Students could reference French culture, and all tenses were tested.
She said the aural listening test was challenging in parts, but the format was similar to those used in other years, and it should have been accessible to students.
For ordinary-level students, she thought the exam was fair. The postcard and note offered lots of choice but the specific vocabulary in the informal letter may have challenged weaker students.
