Students confronted with thought-provoking issues

Leaving Cert: higher level English:In a change of tone, this year's paper focused on high-minded notions of idealism, imagination and changing the world.

Unlike previous years, when students were treated to "teen-friendly" topics such as mobile phones and celebrity, this year's higher level English Paper I was a lofty affair that challenged students to confront issues of social justice and personal creativity.

"Some of the mock examinations patronised students with easy topics on fashion and fame, but today's paper was more thought-provoking," said Institute of Education subject convenor Jim Lusby.

The opening comprehension was a wide-ranging reflection on the power of film to open the mind, drawing in the campaigning power of serious works such as Michael Moore's Roger and Me and the cutting satire of Zoolander.

The second comprehension, a reflection on London by Booker-nominated author Monica Ali, invited students to consider the changing nature of city living and the transforming optic of nostalgia.

Alan Thompson, a teacher in Abbey Vocational school in Donegal and Teachers' Union of Ireland subject representative, worried that some students might find some of the short composition sections "unsettling" as they introduced new genres such as an electioneering pamphlet and a radio presentation.

"Overall this paper was a robust challenge, but many students will have welcomed its thought-provoking composition choices."

Composition options included a personal essay on the idealism and passions of youth and the text of a talk entitled "How I intend to change the world." For the die-hard consumer there was a magazine article on "The Modern Shopping Centre."

Questions that challenged students to form their own responses to the texts on the syllabus characterised Paper II.

"The questions seemed straightforward but they will certainly pick out the people who didn't focus in their answer," said ASTI subject representative Sheila Parsons. Many questions had "a sting in the tail" she said, which would discriminate between the weaker and stronger students.

Poetry, featuring John Montague, Sylvia Plath, TS Eliot and Robert Frost, should have provided something for everyone but again some of the questions were challenging. "Students like Frost, but they may not have liked the question," said Ms Parsons.

Philip Campion, subject expert with skoool.ie, described the unseen poem as "a lovely little piece" with plenty of scope to occupy students for the time allowed.

The emphasis on personal opinion continued as the comparative question was described as interesting and fair by teachers.