Leaving Cert business - post-mortem: The biggest challenge presented to students on this year's higher-level Leaving Cert business exam was the applied business question.
Ms Noelle King (18), a student at Coláiste Eoin, Hacketstown, Co Carlow, said the text was "long-winded".
However, she added: "The questions were nice and varied, and each questions covered a full topic."
Mr Alan Cashell, head of business studies, Sanford Park, Dublin, said: "Students may have had difficulty relating textbook knowledge to the context of the (applied business) question."
Ms Brenda O'Sullivan, national spokeswoman for the Business Studies Teacher Association of Ireland (BSTAI), told The Irish Times yesterday: "The questions at first reading were very straightforward, but the application was extremely difficult.
"They do mention 'raw material' in the third paragraph, but there's no obvious application for the environmentally conscious question."
The general feeling was that the higher paper was user-friendly, and that all the questions that appeared were on the Leaving Cert course.
Ms Mary Reynolds, business teacher in Ballinode College, Sligo, said: "We teachers have come to expect this clear, unambiguous style." Question five in particular would have favoured well-prepared students, according to Ms Reynolds.
However, Mr Cashell felt that students may have been frightened off by not knowing how many specific points to give for the 60-mark question, which asked students to evaluate leading, motivating and communicating.
One surprise on the higher paper this year was that there were no questions on figures.
Normally students are asked about ratio analysis, cash-flow forecasts and break-even charts, yet there was only one bar-chart on the higher-level paper.
Students taking the ordinary-level paper felt that the wording of the questions was straightforward.
Ms Gemma Doyle (18), also a student from Coláiste Eoin, said: "The questions were easy to understand, and it was pretty much a fair paper."
Ms O'Sullivan said the ordinary-level paper was user-friendly and guided the students through the questions.
Students would have expected to see a question about employment legislation.
Question 7 on ratio analysis used very rounded figures for students in case some had forgotten their calculators.
Students were asked to calculate the working capital ratio and could not have confused this with the acid test ratio since assets and liabilities were the only figures given to students.
Overall, students were given a good choice and there were no trick questions.