Junior Cert science: pollution dominates on ‘approachable’ paper

A puzzler about distance and time was one of the few difficulties facing students on a fairly straightforward higher level science paper, teachers have said.

“The theme of pollution was notable on the course,” said John Conneely, ASTI subject representative and a teacher at St Flannan’s College in Ennis, Co Clare.

“These appeared on different parts of the course and included questions on acid rain, plastics pollution and noise pollution. Students will have been happy to see two gases appear in the chemistry section of the paper.”

Luke Saunders, Studyclix.ie founder and a science teacher at JMSS in Enniscrone, Co Sligo, said that the paper didn't break any conventions over the last decade.

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“The biology sector would have been welcomed for having a relatively small proportion of plant biology questions, an area disliked by many. The chemistry section would have rewarded students who had a good understanding of the experimental work on the course. But some students may have been confused by the wording ‘physical quantities’ in question 7D that showed an image of a copper coil.”

Difficult

Jennifer Cuffe, a student at JMSS, said that the biology and physics questions went well but she found the chemistry section difficult.

Mr Saunders said that the ordinary level paper offered a lot of photos and diagrams, which students would have welcomed, and the biology section had a lot of favoured biology and ecology questions. However, he was surprised to see cobalt chloride listed as one of the three substances used to test for the presence of water, given it was banned from school science labs in 2011 because it is a dangerous chemical.

Next year’s junior cycle students will sit the first exam of the new syllabus, which places an emphasis on the scientific method. In an era rife with ill-informed scaremongering on vaccines, conspiracy theories about chemtrails and belief in quackery over proven medicine, the new science course will also focus on how students can critically examine sources of information.

“This is welcome but we would also hope that there is still enough room for learning off knowledge and facts,” said Mr Conneely.

Try this at home: Junior Cert science, higher level

A student set up an experiment to show that there is water vapour in air.

(i) Name a chemical that can be used to test for water.

(ii) What colour is this chemical before water is added?