Leaving Cert: Physics exam a fundamentally fair paper

Students were treated to a physics paper full of choice, while very few unexpected surprises cropped up on the physics and chemistry paper as Leaving Cert exams continued on Wednesday morning.

The 2023 higher-level physics exam was a fundamentally fair paper, according to Pat Doyle, teacher with the Institute of Education.

“There were no nasty surprises or novel inventions that could unsettle students,” he said.

“Those who had a solid grasp of previous exams will have found this exam an evenhanded opportunity to reflect their hard work.”

Students would have liked that questions tended to focus on single topics, rather than fusing different elements together, as per the most recent exams, Mr Doyle added.

“Yet, those who had honed their skills on those papers will find this streamlined focus on each topic rewarding and satisfying.”

Section A was an “encouraging start” to the paper, allowing students some feel-good-factor at the beginning of the exam, he believed.

“The students had to answer three of the five experiments, meaning there was lots of choice."

This meant if a student was unsure about a question, they could still fully complete the section.

These five experiments tested a nice mixture of essential skills, including graphing, calculations, and diagrams, Mr Doyle said.

There was nothing unpleasant or awkward to phase those who had familiarised themselves with the standard model of the physics paper."

Question 6 in Section B is the most popular with students every year, in his opinion, as it offers short, concise questions that cover the expanse of the course.

“The covid adjustments meant that there was even more choice than previous years, which allowed students to make the most of their knowledge.”

However, question 10 may have discouraged students who were “hurriedly scanning questions” for key words, as the preamble text on Van Der Graff, who is not on the course, made the question appear more daunting than it was.

"A student who read further would have seen the actual tested material was not on Van Der Graff and bore a resemblance to material they would have revised."

This year’s higher level physics paper was a “thorough test” of students’ knowledge, with plenty of opportunities for students to show their understanding of key concepts and critical thinking skills.

That’s according to John Conneely, subject spokesperson with the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI).

The questions on the paper were very much aligned with the “very clear and concise” Leaving Certificate physics syllabus, including the very clearly laid out list of experiments, Mr Conneely said.

Students “should hopefully feel that it was a very fair test of their knowledge and skills with an array of questions requiring them to engage in higher order thinking”, he added.

The question based on the conversion of stored potential energy to electrical energy at the Turlough Hill pumped storage power station providing a modern context for testing the fundamental aspects of the course, he believed.

“Likewise, the ordinary level paper would not have provided any nasty shocks for the student who was well prepared.”

Higher level physics and chemistry

Meanwhile, a reasonably prepared student should have found the higher-level physics and chemistry exam within their capabilities, according to Eve Prendergast, subject spokesperson with the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI).

“Very little unexpected appeared so students should be pleased with this paper.” 

The layout was familiar which helps students make decisions on their best questions, she added.

“It was lovely to see a link to topical subject of using solar power to split water in the electrolysis question on the higher-level paper and a question about time for charging an electric car on the ordinary level paper.” 

However, the ordinary-level questions were challenging and long.

“Question 6a was confusing as it used a spring as the force in momentum and less able maths students would struggle.”

Question 6d also had a confusing table, Ms Prendergast added.

“Knowing the scientist in question 4 was not something many will have encountered.” 

However, a student who had many questions prepared would have done well, she believed.

“I like how the students were directed to the experiment ‘pendulum’ in question two as this is often confused by students, and it is a third of this question’s marks."