JUNIOR CERT IRISH:FOR ONCE, the hours spent mooning over teen idol Justin Bieber weren't a waste of time. Being a true Belieber paid off academically as the singer played a starring role in yesterday's Junior Cert higher level Irish paper 1.
The exam was well received by students discussing it on social networks. The higher level exam featured comprehension pieces about Bieber and Raidió Rí Rá, a teen radio station that runs throughout Seachtain na Gaeilge.
“The pieces were topical but the questions were challenging,” said ASTI representative Robbie Cronin, a teacher in Marian College, Ballsbridge. He added that there should have been a glossary of terms for some of the more unusual words. “Féirín means present, for example, but the word most people would have for present is bronntanas,” he said.
Topical essay choices were good, according to Cronin.
Unfortunately, a minor error managed to slip past the exam proofreaders. “There was a question in the grammar section which was already answered,” said Cronin. “There was no gap for them to put in the answer. It wasn’t worth many marks but it shouldn’t really be happening.”
The listening comprehension threw up a few issues.
Some of the questions asked were “tough, bordering on unfair and unexpected”, Cronin said. “Students were asked to write down the title of the Réamhfhaisnéis na hAimsire [weather forecast] announcement. My students were surprised by this and couldn’t answer it.”
The new-look ordinary level paper was well received generally, although again it was challenging in parts. Comprehension passages about Jedward and Giovanni Trappatoni were topical but some of the vocabulary used was difficult for the level, according to Bláithín Ní Liatháin, who teaches in Kylemore College, Ballyfermot.