- Leaving Cert: Engineering (9.30-12.30pm) and English paper 2 (2-5.20pm)
- Helen McEntee on her Leaving Cert: ‘Let’s put it this way – I wasn’t aiming for 500 or 600 points’
- Junior Cycle: Irish (9.30-11.30am) and geography (1.30-3.30pm)
- Classroom to College newsletter: Sign up to our essential guide on navigating the exams for parents, guardians and students
That’s it for our live coverage and reaction to today’s State exams – please return tomorrow where the Leaving Cert has Geography first in store, followed by Maths paper one later on. Junior Cycle has History first followed by Maths in the afternoon. Good night...
‘I wasn’t happy with the questions themselves: they were very specific’
Like many students, our Leaving Cert exam diarist, Princess Collins from Athlone Community College, was happy with the poets on English paper two – but not with the questions themselves.
“I had hoped that Patrick Kavanagh would appear on the paper, so I was glad when he did. But I wasn’t happy with the questions themselves: they were very specific,” she writes.
“The question on the poetry of Derek Mahon asked about how ‘an audience’s appreciation of both Mahon’s language and thematic concerns would be enhanced if his poetry was read out loud’. I was very glad that I wasn’t relying on Mahon, as I would not have been ready for this.”
You can read her full diary here.
State exams body defends ‘curveball’ short story question in Junior Cycle English exam
You might have heard of the confusion in exam halls yesterday when many Junior Cycle students sitting the English exam were “blindsided” by a question on a short story they have studied.
Many, it turns out, had never studied a short story during their three years at second level.
Question seven in asked candidates to respond to a question about “any short story they had studied”. It was worth 15 marks from a total of 180 marks for the exam.
The State Examinations Commission has given us a statement this evening, defending the inclusion of the question as being “fully within the scope” of the curriculum.
“The SEC is assured that yesterday’s examination including question seven was fully within the scope of the specification and in keeping with the aims, objectives and learning outcomes for Junior Cycle English,” it says.
It notes that the Junior Cycle English specification – or curriculum – includes short stories among the texts which “must be studied by students in both first and second/third year”.
In addition, it points to a Department of Education circular which listed the prescribed materials for the second and third year of Junior Cycle English. It stated that “second and third year students MUST study texts as described” and includes “a number of short stories” in the list of texts.
However, the SEC said “all observations” received in relation to the paper will be reviewed when the marking scheme is drawn up.
This can lead to some questions being marked easier or harder. Many students will be hoping it is the latter when it comes to the short story question.
English paper two: Relief as much-predicted Eavan Boland features, but students faced a ‘long slog’ with challenging questions
The thousands of candles lit in households across Ireland seemed to pay off as the much-anticipated Eavan Boland made her appearance on Leaving Cert English paper two this afternoon, writes Peter McGuire.
There was further relief that Tracy K. Smith, the new poet on the syllabus, upheld tradition by appearing on the paper, according to Gillian Chute, head of English at TheTuitionCentre.ie.
However, Clodagh Havel, English teacher at The Institute of Education, described it as “testing paper” which pushed students to react and grapple with the exam more so than yesterday’s English paper one.
Students were asked about Boland’s “skilful use of evocative imagery in her poetry allows her to explore the complex nature of powerlessness.”
“This was consistent with the traditional themes and stylistic features of past questions,” said Ms Chute.
“The question was commendably wide-ranging,” said Ms Chute.
“Students were asked about how she effective uses tone to heighten a variety of thought-provoking questions about the nature of our lives. The broad scope of the question was likely well received by candidates, as it provided the opportunity to engage with the wide-ranging thematic concerns in Smith’s poetry.
“Students hoping to answer on Derek Mahon may have been disappointed by the unconventional nature of the question which asked: ‘To what extent do you think that an audience’s appreciation of both Mahon’s language and thematic concerns would be enhanced if his poetry was read out loud?” This may have presented considerable difficulty for some candidates.
In the single text, each of the two questions demanded a considered approach, requiring candidates to engage critically with the key terms involved.
Candidates were asked to discuss ‘the duality of some of the characters in King Lear, allowing them to be interpreted as both victims and persecutors”.
“Some candidates may have found the indirect phrasing of the character question off-putting at first but most likely found their rhythm once they grasped the nuances of what was being asked.
The second question asked about Shakespeare’s exploration of the conflict between a world of justice and order and a world of chaos and cruelty.
“It was beautifully accessible allowing students to embrace the opportunity to craft their own approach,” said Ms Chute.
“Practise with past questions was also rewarded in this instance.
“The comparative questions were clearly designed to reward critical thinking, leaving little room for rote learning. Thoughtful reflection prior to answering was essential.
“The cultural context question, traditionally the most popular option, asked students to ‘compare the extent to which divisions are encouraged in subtle rather than obvious ways, in order to maintain control and power successfully.’ Both a profound understanding of the comparative texts and the capacity for critical engagement with the question were essential for success here,” Ms Chute said.
Clodagh Havel, meanwhile, said that between densely phrased questions and some peculiar vocabulary, some students will be worried that they weren’t on the right path.
“While many will have been relieved with the range of questions available. Each question was precise in its scope – they had a wide selection, but a narrow focus,” she said.
Reading the first King Lear question, she said many will have paused and caught their breath on the mention of “duality” (two-ness) within the text’s characters.
“For those who gave themselves a moment to fully read the question they will have found lots of choice in who to discuss: Lear, Gloucester, Edmund are all very comfortable candidates for discussions and only two were required.”
The second question was “gorgeous” in its exploration of justice, order, chaos and cruelty but, again, the way the question was phrased was “dense”.
“In the cauldron of the exam hall, composure and a level head are easier said than done. Everyone would have material to bring to fulfil these prompts, they just might not glide through it,” she said.
In the comparative, she said the “one-size-fits-all” approach of this section will mean that students will need to bend and twist their material to fit the particulars of the questions.
“Again, the duality theme appeared in the inclusive and exclusive behaviours for the 70-mark theme question,” she said.
“Generally, students who chose to prepare the full three texts will be happiest as the 30/40 split questions will have given them some nice options, particularly in Cultural Context.
“Students aiming for the top marks will need to pick up on the nuances of texts in order to truly incorporate the elements of the “subtle”, “contradictory” or “paradoxical” elements mentioned.”
The unseen poetry, she said, was “nice, neat and uncomplicated” and students will have been able to accrue some marks here without much strain or fuss.
She said many will leave the exam hall feeling that “it was a long slog”, particularly in comparison to the much more amenable paper one.
“Yet underneath the sometimes excessively worded questions, there was something for everyone,” Ms Havel said. “Students who allowed themselves the composure to peel away the layers of the onion will find themselves tired but satisfied.”
Leaving Cert engineering: Students examined on hydrogen as the fuel of the future
My colleague Peter McGuire has spoken to Leaving Cert engineering teachers about today’s exam. The reaction is broadly positive:
The higher-level engineering paper featured topical and relevant issues, while challenging students to move beyond rote learning, according to teachers.
Eamon Dennehy, a teacher at Heywood Community School in Portlaoise, said there were challenges for students, but nothing was unfair and that there was plenty of choice.
“The short questions drew on student experience, and required them to think for themselves on various topics.
“The paper provided lots of context and good, colourful graphics and they had to draw on their own experience of engineering to answer,” he said.
Candidates have already completed a project and a practical exam, which account for half of their total marks, and Mr Dennehy said that there were good links between the paper and their previous work.
Eoghan Joyce, an engineering teacher at Athlone Community College, said that there were no great surprises on the paper.
“Overall, it was very fair and accessible,” said Mr Joyce, a member of the Engineering and Technology Teachers Association.
In the longer questions, students were asked about hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels.
“The students were expecting this question, as it was the special topic they have been studying,” said Mr Joyce.
Question six asked students about welding, with an optional part C focusing on artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
“This shows that the subject remains current,” Mr Joyce said.
On the ordinary level paper, Mr Joyce said that it was similar in structure and layout to previous years, with no major surprises or curveballs.
Mr Dennehy said that there was lots of choice and, again, good links back to their project.
“In question seven, there was a reference to the ordinary level project, which involved students making an off-road car model,” he said.
Try this one at home:
Higher level engineering, question 2(e)
Discuss, with examples, the challenges of any two of the following aspects associated with the expansion of hydrogen technologies: (i) The production of green hydrogen. (ii) Energy storage. (iii) Safety concerns
Junior Cycle geography: a ‘fair’ paper with big emphasis on climate change
Student are leaving exam halls after a Junior Cycle geography paper which teachers say has been well received by students.
Stephen Doyle of Moyle Park College in Dublin and a Studyclix subject expert says there were “no major surprises” in the paper.
“Each question contained a mixture of short-answer questions to start then paragraph-style answers in which students must give more detailed insight, displaying their knowledge of a specific topic,” he says.
Students, however, needed to draw on plenty of map and graph work for skills-based questions such as OS maps, aerial photographs, graphs and tables featured heavily in this year’s exam.
“There was a total of eight questions in this year’s Geography paper that contained map work or graph interpretation. So, if you were not prepared for map work or graph work, this exam would have been challenging,” he says.
“The climate change section was very relevant and allowed students to show their understanding of current environmental issues. The case study questions offered good choices, allowing students to write about the global impacts of earthquakes or volcanos and another on a significant weather event.”
Doyle says these questions rewarded students who had learned their examples well and could explain causes and effects clearly.
“The physical geography questions focused on earthquakes and glaciation, the water cycle and human interaction with rivers,” he says.
“Surprisingly there were no questions on any rock formation which may have caught students off guard. There were a lot of questions that combined different elements of the course such as the earthquakes and volcanos and their impact on mass movement.”
Overall, he says this was a “fair and current paper that would have been well received by students.”
Helen McEntee on her Leaving Cert: ‘Let’s put it this way – I wasn’t aiming for 500 or 600 points’
We’ve been asking public figures for their Leaving Cert memories this week.
Minister for Education Helen McEntee is the latest to share her exam highs and lows. You can read her responses here.
When asked what would she change about the Leaving, she said:
“I would take away some of the pressure at exam time. The fact that I did art and music – which had practicals and coursework – was a great help for me. Having that across the board would take some of the pressure off students.”
Happily, as Minister for Education, she can push ahead with plans to introduce a minimum of 40 per cent on project work, practicals and research across all subjects.
Try this one at home: Junior Cycle Irish (higher level)
How is your command of our national tongue?
This question – ceist 19 – on page 14 of today’s Junior Cycle Irish (higher level) asks candidates to circle the correct word in sentences relating to Irish college.
Do you know the right answers?
Junior Cycle Irish: Relief for students as much-anticipated climate change topic features in ‘fair’ and ‘relatable’ exam
My colleague Peter McGuire has been speaking with Irish teachers. Here’s his report:
Junior Cycle Irish students were happy with a “fair” and “relatable” higher-level paper, teachers have said.
Danielle O’Connell, an Irish teacher with TheTuitionCentre.ie, said that the much anticipated topic of climate change appeared in the reading comprehension section of T2, the paper which is given to students in English-medium schools.
“The biggest change was the úrscéal (novel) and dráma (drama) questions, which appeared as two separate questions this year, having previously been paired together as a choice question for the past three years,” she said.
“This may have thrown some students.”
Stephen Doyle, Studyclix.ie subject expert and a teacher at Moyle Park College in Clondalkin, Dublin 22, said that the topics were relatable for students.
“The reading comprehension, for example, was about climate change and young environmental activists, something that matters to students today.
“Question H on the reading comprehension may have challenged less prepared students but, overall, the listening and reading sections were very manageable.
“The grammar section was also straightforward and not too complicated compared to previous years,” Mr Doyle said.
Ms O’Connell said that students also would have been happy with question six, which included common topics such as sport, a day out in the city, or being at a birthday party. “Students would have been easily able to tackle this question based on their previous learned knowledge of verbs and vocabulary over the past two years,” she said.
One significant change this year saw the drama question paired with a short film question.
“This meant students needed to have both drama and novel prepared, as the novel became a stand-alone question,” said Mr Doyle.
“All the literature sections questioned students on how the events, emotions or images made them feel. Students’ opinions and insights were very important throughout this exam.”
Overall, Mr Doyle said that it was a fair paper which rewarded students who prepared well and should have been manageable for confident students.
“This paper was well-balanced and most students who studied hard would have been able to show their Irish skills well,” he said.
Mr Doyle said that the ordinary level paper was easy to approach and covered the basic language skills students need.
“Short reading questions were about everyday things like cooking class and a visit to a concert and a disco with friend topics that students could understand easily.
“Overall, the paper was well set out and friendly for students, giving them different ways to do well while keeping to the right level for this level,” he said.
First look: Leaving Cert engineering papers
We’ll have reaction to this morning’s Leaving Cert engineering exam shortly. In the meantime, the exam papers are below:
Leaving Cert engineering, higher level
Leaving Cert engineering, ordinary level
First look: Junior Cycle Irish exams
We’ll have reaction from the Junior Cycle Irish exams shortly. In the meantime, you can scroll through the papers themselves, below:
Junior Cycle Irish – higher level
Junior Cycle Irish – ordinary level
Junior Cycle Irish – T1 (for gaelcholáistí or Irish-medium schools) higher level
Junior Cycle ‘short storygate’ controversy rumbles on
We reported yesterday on the fact that many students felt blindsided by the appearance of a question on short stories in the English paper.
We heard stories of some students leaving the question blank or leaving exam halls upset.
Many students told their parents they had never studied any short stories during their three years of the Junior Cycle.
We checked and, yes, short stories do form part of the Junior Cycle English curriculum – but it is the first time a question on them has appeared since these exams began.
The curriculum states that first, second and third year should include a “number of short stories”.
Many teachers, however, feel they are under huge pressure to teach the full curriculum and do not have time to teacher short stories.
Others say the only way to teach them is to “surface teach” the curriculum, rather than studying some texts in greater depth.
Either way, it seems students have been the real casualties. If it is any consolation, the question was worth just 15 out of 180 marks, or 8 per cent. State examiners may adjust the marking scheme, depending on how big an issue it is in the written scripts.
Our Leaving Cert stat of the day: 578
That’s the number of students sitting the first ever Ukrainian exam this year.
It’s one of 16 “non-curricular language” exams available to candidates. These are subjects which aren’t on the curriculum but which students may study themselves.
Since you didn’t ask, the next most popular non-curricular minority language subjects are Romanian (478 candidates), Croatian (121), Latvian (114) and Hungarian (63).
‘I missed the deadline for art colleges .. That was very shoddy on my part’
Looking for college advice? Maybe Arthur Mathews, co-creator of Fr Ted, shouldn’t be your first port of call.
“I should have given a lot more thought to what I planned to do after school. I even managed to miss the deadline for applications to art colleges such as NCAD (National College of Art and Design) and Dún Laoghaire Art College. That was very shoddy on my part,” he says.
He’s also refreshingly candid about his Leaving Cert performance:
“I did better in some subjects than I deserved – I think these were science and biology ...” he says.
You can read the full Q&A here.
