Groans brought on by sore arms and writer's cramp were audible at many of the 4,500 examination centres around the State yesterday as Leaving Certificate students were subjected to one of the longest exam days yet.
Because of the extra 20 minutes given to this year's English paper, higher level students had to endure a gruelling six hours and 10 minutes of furious writing.
The maths and history papers today will give students so me slight relief from the exam hall, with those taking both subjects scheduled for a mere five hours and 50 minutes of writing.
Teachers expressed satisfaction with the first day and said the extra minutes allowed students with ideas to round them out fully. And there was no shortage of subjects on which to express an opinion.
The Junior Cert ordinary level English paper asked students to write - and without using abusive language - a composition on "teachers: what I think of them". Ironically, another option available was "what frightens me".
After seeing the answers to the Leaving Cert higher level English paper, the low-key Minister for Education, Dr Woods, may have some new ideas to play around with. Students were asked to give the hard-pressed Minister their views on the changes needed in the education system in the composition sector.
For the more defeatist candidates, there were other options. The ordinary level Leaving Cert English paper asked students to write a letter to the examiner, starting: "I cannot find anything interesting to write about any of the composition titles on this examination paper. I would prefer, with your permission, to tell you what I think about the Leaving Certificate English course which I have just completed".
The Junior Cert higher level paper brought pop stars Mel C, Robbie Williams, Westlife and the Spice Girls into the world of the exam hall.
Pupils were asked to write about how these stars appeared in the magazine Top of the Pops.
In the case of Robbie Williams, the answer was without his top. The rest of them, meanwhile, appeared to be enjoying an existence far from an exam hall.