Junior Cert Maths: post-mortem All but the top 10 per cent of students would have baulked at the "ridiculous" use of theoretical symbols in the first paper of the higher level Junior Cert exam, according to Dr Aidan Seery, a teacher at the Institute of Education in Dublin.
Question 1 (c) concerning the annual income of "Fiona" could have been phrased more directly (see panel). However, an earlier sample paper had students well prepared and they were pleased, said Mr Liam Healy, a teacher at Terenure College.
A challenging question 3 (c) (ii) provoked much comment and looked suspiciously like a question from a previous Leaving Cert.
For the first time, students had no choice and this may explain why so many found questions 5 and 6 difficult, even though they were standard questions designed to reward solid preparation.
"All in all, this was a fair and predictable paper with no serious complaints," Mr Healy said.
The ordinary level first paper was top class, Dr Seery said, and easier than expected, according to Mr Healy. The foundation level paper evoked relief, especially because there was plenty of hiding space for those who couldn't manage algebra at all.
Ms Veronica Harris, an ASTI spokeswoman, applauded a clear and manageable applied Leaving Cert maths which, she said, should have been accessible to any student who could use a calculator.