JUNIOR CERT MATHS PAPER 2 HIGHER AND ORDINARY LEVEL:STUDENTS TOOK a small step away from learning by rote in yesterday's papers, described by teachers and students as well presented and fair.

For the first time, students answered geometry and trigonometry questions with the aid of a new formulae and tables book. “The new book contains formulae which previously had to be learned off before the exam,” said Elaine Devlin, a maths teacher at De La Salle College, Dundalk, Co Louth.

According to Ms Devlin, there were no big shocks in this year’s higher-level paper. “It was very well laid out, which gives students more courage to tackle the exam. The questions were very doable, particularly the statistics questions. In question two, the new tables book meant that students no longer had to remember the midpoint formula. Instead, they could focus on putting the formula into practice.”

Students at ordinary level generally found paper two slightly more challenging than paper one, said Christina Kennedy, a maths teacher in Seamount College, Kinvara, Co Galway. “This is in line with previous years. Overall, the paper was very fair, providing a chance for every student to gain some success whilst still giving more able students a good shot at higher grades.”

The trigonometry question in particular was described by students as ideal.

This year’s papers were noticeable for a change in symbolism and notation, bringing the exam papers into line with international norms.