Students in love with optional Shakespeare question on day two of the Leaving Cert

English teacher Kevin O'Donovan with students Erin Quealey and Christina O'Connor prior to Leaving Certificate English paper two at St Mary's Secondary School in Charleville, Co Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

An optional question on Shakespeare, a first for higher-level English students, coupled with more choice helped to ease the pressure during day two of this year's Leaving Cert exams. 

Thursday saw students sitting written papers in engineering, an elective subject, in the morning, with English paper two taking place in the afternoon.

The engineering paper challenged students to think logically and creatively with an engineer’s mindset. That's according to Donal Cremin, of Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra, Rathmore, Co Kerry.

School principal Maighréad Finn with students  Niamh O'Toole and Erin Kennedy prior to the Leaving Cert English paper two exam at St Mary's Secondary School, Charleville, Co Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

A subject spokesperson for the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI), he believes the papers this year suited students well. 

Adjustments for 2021 meant that the design project makes up 50% of overall marks. The written exam also offered a greater choice, and students had to answer one question less than in previous years. 

"The higher level written examination contained many questions where the candidates had to think before applying their knowledge to arrive at an appropriate answer," Mr Cremin said. 

"Candidates at ordinary level had to design and manufacture a model eRacer," he said adding that the paper layout and use of graphics were widely commended by teachers and students. 

The colour graphics bring the topic being assessed to life for the candidates. 

The paper offered no major surprises according to Micheál Martin, subject representative with the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI).

Ethan Lynam and Evan Lagan pictured on Wednesday after sitting Leaving Cert English higher level paper 1 at Colaiste Charáin in Leixlip, Co Kildare. Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins

Students were offered a good choice of topical questions, including ones on wind energy and hybrid vehicles. “There’s a lot of work going on in that area at the moment in engineering.” 

Emily Heaslip and Nicola Moriarty, students at Mercy Mounthawk in Tralee, were among the 60,000 students sitting the Leaving Cert exams. Picture: Domnick Walsh

He was happy to see Combilift, a manufacturing company based in Co Monaghan appear in one of the questions: 

It’s always good to see our excellent engineers represented on the papers. 

Adaptations to English paper 2, traditionally an exam that left many with a sore hand after writing frantically, meant students had more choices and more space. Normally compulsory on the higher level paper, a question on Shakespeare this year was optional. 

Eleanor Kerwin looking over her notes prior to sitting her leaving certificate English paper two at St Mary's Secondary School in Charleville, Co Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

“The questions that appeared were challenging,” said teacher Ursula O’Connor, TUI subject representative for English. 

The appearance of poet Seamus Heaney on the higher level paper wouldn’t have disappointed students, but a question on the tone and mood in the poetry of Paul Durcan without a chance to discuss the narrative element of work may have. 

The ordinary level paper also would have been accessible and included “delightful” unseen poems which used humour to good effect, she added:  

The English papers reward the students who thought about their texts and reflected on them throughout their studies. 

The papers will reward that, rather than prepared answers.”

This is a sentiment echoed by Seamus Keane, ASTI subject representative who said: “It didn’t reward rote learning.” 

Instead, it required independent exploration of the texts as well as their wider implications, he added. The poetry selection was “excellent” although the question on Durcan may have been a “little limiting" for some students. The ordinary level paper offered students a wide range of questions, with some challenges. 

"But overall, it was doable."