The first Junior Cert exam in religious education was regarded as "very testing" by teachers and students yesterday, writes Sean Flynn, Education Editor.
Some teachers said the language and concepts in the paper were "beyond the average 15-year-old". But others said it closely resembled a sample paper distributed earlier this year as a guide for students and teachers.
More than 5,000 students in over 50 schools sat the exam as part of a pilot project.
Among other issues, students were asked about the work of a religious sister comforting a death-row prisoner.
They also answered questions about a visit to the Russian Orthodox Church in Dublin and they were asked to detail a religious view of creation.
It is expected that several hundred more schools will opt to take the subject over the next three years. Religious education will also be examined in the Leaving Cert in 2005. Students will be able to secure CAO points for their grades in the subject in the normal way.
The course was developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. It has been widely praised for its inclusive nature and its focus on a wide variety of religions. Most schools devote at least three classes per week to the subject. Teachers stressed yesterday that the exam assesses student knowledge of various faiths.
One teacher said: "We have no interest in whether students practice their religion or not; we are examining a band of knowledge which students should know."
The Junior Cert course is designed to give students knowledge and understanding of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and other world religions. It also exposes students to non-religious interpretations of life and aims to give students the skills to accept other cultures and develop attitudes to tolerance and understanding.
Yesterday's papers were described as tough and some teachers complained that students were tired after completing the 19-page higher-level exam booklet.
Ms Una Killoran, a subject representative from the Teachers' Union of Ireland, said the exams were similar in style and content to sample papers - but they were quite demanding.
In broad terms, she said, students would require a good standard in English to take the higher-level exam. She said that her students - at Lough Allen College, Drumkeerin, Co Leitrim - thoroughly enjoyed the subject and took it as seriously as any other.
Some 20 per cent of the marks in the subject are given for project work completed by students during the year. Typically, students prepared portfolios on particular religious faiths or places of religious worship.
In some cases, students profiled individual nuns or a representative of a minority faith living in their locality.