Although long and testing, students happy with the choice

Leaving Cert Chemistry: Leaving Certificate chemistry students were treated to a slightly updated version of a familiar exam, with a new descriptive section and the inclusion of some photographs.

Although the paper was described as long and testing, students were reportedly happy with the choice and layout.

For the first time on the higher-level paper, students were shown photos of famous scientists, Laurence and William Bragg and Dorothy Hodgkin, and asked to assess their contribution to an area of chemistry, in this case crystal structures. This inclusion of a descriptive question is part of a drive to open up the chemistry syllabus to social and historical themes, thus broadening its appeal.

Chemistry uptake has plummeted in recent years, reaching an all-time low of 6,935 last year. This year the numbers are up again, to 7,463. The reversal of fortune has been attributed to the new chemistry syllabus, which was examined for the third year yesterday.

The paper was well received by students with plenty of organic chemistry, a popular topic at higher level.

"As usual, this was a very long paper and for that reason it was challenging," said TUI subject expert Mr Ted Forde. "The exam covered virtually every aspect of the course and students found it hard to get through. However, they were happy with the range of subject material and the paper suited a lot of student styles."

Mr Pat Hanratty, skoool.ie subject expert, believes that yesterday's paper continued the work of the last five years in making chemistry a far more accessible option for students. He was pleased to note the contextualisation of one of the equations - an unprecedented question style which will now be part of next year's syllabus.

"Usually equations are expressed in the abstract. This year one of the questions described a situation where highly corrosive hydrochloric acid is spilled in a lab and students are asked to calculate the amount of anhydrous sodium carbonate required to neutralise it. It's a chemical equation expressed in a practical scenario - this is a new approach."

The ordinary-level paper, taken by 539 students yesterday, was a fair paper with high-quality diagrams that students found helpful. There was also a "cloze test" style question, where students were asked to show their understanding of chemistry terms by placing them in sentences. This was a new development that students enjoyed.