The following are excerpts from the hundreds of e-mails on the skoool.ie discussion forum on the exams. Here, students discuss the big issues in their own words.
History: Hey did yall no dat da guy in da picture was John Hume?I guessed it Im so proud of meself.
- Peacock
I have to say, reading the messages in this forum, I'm not surprised there are such a number of students who are finding the exams so hard. The spelling is atrocious, and though I didn't believe it when I heard it first, I see many comments using English more suitable to a text message than a proper message service.
Wake up kids writing dat tings cud b better will only get you in trouble and (I personally feel) should result in automatic failure.
Exams are not going to get any easier think of the step up that Leaving Cert is from Junior Cert, and multiply that by two or three. That is what is going to be like for your first exam in university, if that is the direction you are going. You have three to four more years of toughing it out in a learning institution, and then the real fun begins when you start paying rent for yourself, balancing the phone and gas bills, trying to save for a holiday somewhere and paying for things you do during your time off, be it drinking, clubbing, cinema, travel or whatever.
- CT
The junior cert has been so god damn easy its unreal. Finished history ... was pretty happy with and looking forward to science tommorrow. Higher English was so easy and I dont know what all the fuss is about.
- Gonzaga whiz
hi ppl. omg history yesterday woz soo hard... then agen, i didnt exactly study! french listening woz easy. and da comprehensions, but the letter bout ur homework... wat was that about?? we never did that before, i made half of it up! only 2 more exams 2 go, science(o) and spanish!! then summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good luk every1! x
- Chaz
Am I the only jc tat has to do religion on Wednesday do I rite my name here
- Anon.
Honours maths LC: This is a copy of the email I am sending to info@examinations.ie. Everyone else send one like it PLEASE.
To whom it may concern, I am writing to you to complain about the higher level mathematics papers 1 and 2. Why were these papers so difficult? Fewer than 1 in 5 students sit the higher maths paper and on the basis of these papers I can see why. Are the Examinations Commission trying to deter people from sitting the higher level.Questions 1, 4 part (c), Q6 (c), Q7 (b) and Q8 (c) on Paper 2 were a disgrace. Why were these and several questions on Paper 1 much, much harder than in previous years?
I believe it is extremely unfair to give an easier exam in previous years and a tougher one this year. While it is too late to sit the paper again, I think that these papers should be marked easier. Thank you for your time,
- MATHS CRUSADER