Educators responded favourably to the absence of unexpected difficulties in the Leaving Certificate’s higher level maths paper two on Monday. Niall Duddy, a maths teacher at Presentation College, Athenry, and a representative for the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), said the unanimous opinion of the paper was decidedly upbeat. Duddy noted the questions were crafted with helpful cues, making the paper amicable for students, while the typical challenging twist at the end of each query was also present.
Brian Scully from the Institute of Education described the paper as an approachable counterpart to paper one, interspersed with a few unique elements to distinguish students confident across various topics. He positively acknowledged the gradual progression of the paper’s difficulty, stating it held a balanced blend of questions.
Stephen Begley of Dundalk Grammar School and a subject specialist with Studyclix, echoed similar sentiments, noting only that part B of the paper posed more of a challenge. Considering Monday’s paper two as denser than Friday’s paper one, Begley still deemed it reasonable and achievable.
He mentioned that students would have found the mini-questions in Section A straightforward and fair, while the extended questions in Section B rigorously tested them. “Topics covered including statistics, probability, geometry, and trigonometry were prevalent in the brief queries, while extended questions were oriented around the same subjects,” he mentioned.
On a lighter note, Scully added that students could effortlessly tackle the short questions, noting that the longer ones demanded meticulous reading and consideration, featuring clearly high-level only concepts. However, he saw a logic in this step-by-step approach, offering ambitious students a chance to showcase their prowess.
Teachers found the ordinary level maths paper predictable and easily navigable. Robert Chaney, a maths teacher at Presentation Secondary School in Kilkenny, found it packed with tips and scaffolded queries designed to aid candidates.
Jean Kelly, a mathematics educator at the Institute of Education pointed out that the majority of students probably felt a sense of reward after completing an ordinary level maths paper, which comprised of tried and tested study material.
However, for the Irish higher level paper in the Leaving Cert, the sentiment might be quite different. Many students probably left the exam centres feeling let down, as the “unusual” paper lacked key topics and issues they were expecting.
Clare Grealy, who teaches Irish at the same institute, pointed out that widely anticipated subjects such as homelessness, war and violence were missing from the essay section. “The shock of realising these crucial topics were not on the paper would have disappointed many. There were several chances to utilise prepared material, including the orals, albeit indirectly,” she expressed.
Lorraine Finn, an Irish language instructor at High Cross College, Tuam, in County Galway, noted that certain parts of the paper may have been difficult for students, particularly the listening comprehension section. Representing the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), she relayed that students generally found the language and speed of the listening comprehension challenging, and felt that increased intervals between sections would have been helpful.
With regard to the ordinary level paper, Finn noted that it was standard in nature. On the other hand, Ms Dolan stated that it was well-received and student-friendly.