Cunning attempt to trick

While there was nothing too nasty about Junior Cert German, there was a deliberate and cunning attempt to mislead students, one teacher said.

On the higher-level paper, question A of the reading comprehension was fine, according to Helmut Sundermann of the German Teachers Association, but question B "tried very hard to be misleading".

The question involved matching advertisements to a list of services. However, the picture featuring a hillwalker was actually an ad for a bank, not for hillwalking holidays. This type of trick is employed every year, Sundermann said, and students should have been on their guard.

Apart from that possible pitfall it was a good, straightforward paper, he said.

Dorothy Hughes, who teaches in Ard Scoil na nDeise in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, said her students were very happy with both papers and there were "no complaints" about the tapes as their had been in other language aurals. The ordinary-level paper was well received by her students and there were "no unpleasant surprises".