Leaving Cert physics: No nasty surprises

The higher level Leaving Cert physics exam was a “fair” paper that would have been welcomed by those familiar with past papers, according to teachers.

John Conneely, a teacher at St Flannan’s College in Ennis and ASTI subject representative, said that the paper allowed plenty of opportunity for students to show their understanding of key concepts and critical thinking skills.

“As the questions were very much aligned with the present very clear and concise Leaving Certificate physics syllabus, including the very clearly laid out list of experiments, students should hopefully feel that it was a very fair test of their knowledge and skills with an array of questions requiring them to engage in higher order thinking,” Mr Conneely said.

Pat Doyle, a physics teacher with the Institute of Education, said lots of choice meant that students of all abilities would have been able to accrue marks.

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“This paper posed very few surprises, none of which would be unwelcome. Students would have liked that questions tended to focus on single topics, rather than fusing different elements together, as per the most recent exams,” he said.

“Yet, those who had honed their skills on those papers will find this streamlined focus on each topic rewarding and satisfying.”

Section A

Mr Doyle said this offered an encouraging start to the paper, allowing students some feel-good-factor at the beginning of the exam. The students had to answer three of the five experiments, providing lots of choice.

“Thus, if a student was unsure about the questions on light, they could still fully complete the section,” he said. “These five experiments tested a nice mixture of essential skills: graphing, calculations, and diagrams. There was nothing unpleasant or awkward to phase those who had familiarised themselves with the standard model of the physics paper.”

Section B

Question 6 is typically the most popular every year as it offers short, concise questions that cover the expanse of the course. T

The Covid adjustments meant that there was even more choice than previous years, which allowed students to make the most of their knowledge.

Mr Doyle said question 7 on Newtonian physics was a fair combination of previous questions but will have challenged those who struggled with the applied mathematical approach.

“Question 8 was a very clever question as it tested the genuine understanding of the material, allowing those with an aptitude for graphing to make the most of it,” he said. “Question 9 blended nuclear physics, heat, and mechanics into a question that, while accessible, contained a calculation that challenged the conceptual grasp of some students.”

He said question 10 may have discouraged those students hurriedly scanning questions for key words, as the preamble text on Van Der Graff – who is not on the course – will make the question appear more daunting than it is.

“This was just a distraction technique and has appeared in previous questions. A student who read further would have seen the actual tested material was not on Van Der Graff and bore a resemblance to material they would have revised,” he said.

Question 11 was very “manageable” but will likely have been skipped by most students., Mr Doyle said.

“Electromagnetism is generally perceived as challenging so many students and teachers avoid it. Those who did study that unit found a question with no twists or surprises,” he said.

Mr Doyle and Mr Conneely praised the contemporary relevance of some later questions on the paper.

Question 12 included cutting-edge particle physics, the kind that is central at CERN (the European Organisation for Nuclear Research).

“Question 13, based on the conversion of stored potential energy to electrical energy at the Turlough Hill pumped storage power station, provided a modern context for testing the fundamental aspects of the course,” Mr Conneely said.

Meanwhile, the ordinary level paper would not have provided any nasty shocks for the student who was prepared, Mr Conneely said.

Mr Doyle added: “This was a fundamentally fair paper – there were no nasty surprises or novel inventions that could unsettle students. Those who had a solid grasp of previous exams will have found this exam an even-handed opportunity to reflect their hard work,” he said.