The 8,000 students who opt for Leaving Cert chemistry would have been very relieved that they did so this afternoon as they were greeted with a “fair” exam that offered plenty of choice, according to teachers.
“Students were very happy coming out of the exam,” said Asti subject representative Ciara O’Shea, a teacher in St Attracta’s Community School, Tubbercurry. “There were no great surprises in the paper.”
It was “consistent with previous years,” agreed Tara Lyons, chemistry teacher with the Institute of Education.
The higher level paper provided students with a gentle opener in the form of a “very, very straightforward” titration question, according to Ms O’Shea. “It settled students into the exam,” she said.
An emphasis on practical experiments, organic chemistry and atomic theory was to be expected, according to Ms Lyons.
Students would have needed to be comfortable with organic chemistry considering almost one-third of the 11 questions related to that topic. Students are required to answer eight questions so they could not have avoided it.
The paper was not without its challenges, however. “The final parts of question 2 and question 3 did require students to think carefully,” Ms Lyons said.
“Question 10 part (c) required a bit of time and thought,” Ms O’Shea added. The choice available on the paper meant students could sidestep more difficult questions if they read the paper before beginning, however.
“Overall, students that were familiar with the past exam papers, were relieved,” Ms Lyons said.
Chemistry is a subject in which students often do very well. The percentage of students gaining an A at higher level has hovered around 21 per cent for the past three years. About 80 per cent of higher level students managed an honours grade last year
Ordinary level numbers for chemistry are quite low, with just 666 students out of a total of 8,399 opting for the lower level paper. Those students were greeted with a “straightforward paper,” Ms O’Shea said. Like the higher level paper, the question on titration was “nice and inviting,” she noted.
The only tricky element was to be found in question five. Part (c) of that question wasn’t difficult, according to Ms O’Shea, but the phrasing could have been off-putting for students.
“I think the wording could have been more helpful to students,” she said. Apart from that, the ordinary level paper was “perfect".