Leaving Cert design & communication graphics: Students had to think critically on a ‘fair’ paper

The higher-level Leaving Cert design and communications graphics exam was fair, accessible, and examined a wide range of skills, according to an expert in the subject.

Robert Kiernan, a DCG teacher at the Institute of Education in Dublin, said students would have needed to think critically and apply foundational principles.

“This was a fair and accessible paper,” Mr Kiernan said.

“The Covid adjustment of answering one fewer question for section C would have alleviated some of the stress of the exam hall and given students the chance to really apply their problem-solving capacity.

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“The trends of recent years continued as we see a growing emphasis on the principles of conic sections and the interpenetration of solids, the latter making its first appearance as a long question since 2012.”

Part A

Mr Kiernan said that part A, while containing little choice, would have been a welcome beginning to the paper, as it tested a wide range of skills.

“The importance of orthographic projection: planes and traces was apparent here and, as a foundational skill taught early in the course, would have been well within the abilities of prepared students,” he said.

Part B

Part B’s question B1 showed that interpenetration of solids is coming back into fashion, while B2, on the intersection of planes with the dihedral angle, was very fair and manageable, Mr Kiernan said.

“Students who felt they had good reason to predict axonometric projection will be relieved to see it in B3. All of these questions required students to be thoughtful and adaptive but there was nothing that would shock and upset a prepared student.”

Part C

Part C allowed students to choose what best suited their preferred approach, and Mr Kiernan said that a question on geologic geometry was true to form, but there was a challenge further on

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“C3 did have a curveball by asking about focal spheres in part four,” Mr Kiernan said. “Focal spheres are a key concept that everyone will have covered, but it is rare to see them singled out for examination like this. The question itself wasn’t hard, just atypical and so might deter those making quick judgment calls on question selection.

“Overall, this was a paper that students will be happy with. The variety of topics and skills tested allowed students to select answers that play to their particular skill set,” Mr Kiernan said.