The sex is only ordinary

A sultry Kim Basinger looked out at Junior Certificate students from the yellow pages of their Irish paper yesterday afternoon. De reir an phaipeir, bhi si ag iarraidh teach a cheannach i nGaeltacht Dhun na nGall le deanai.

On the facing page, the ordinary-level paper also featured an action-packed shot of athletic women in combative form taking part in the final of the women's football in Croke Park earlier this year. This stirring paper contrasted sharply with higher level, which was not as interesting or as lively as other years, according to Treasa Ni Chonaola, an Irish teacher at St Michael's College, Ballsbridge, Dublin. "De ghnath, bionn na paip eiri (onoracha) i bhfad nios briomhaire agus nios speisiula," a duirt si. On the whole, however, students were happy with paper 1 at both the higher and ordinary levels. The aurals went well also for both sets of students. Treasa Ni Chonaola said students were pleased overall. "Bhi an paipear onorach nios deacra i mbliana, go hairithe an triall tuiscine a bhi mar gheall ar an aimsir chrua i nDun na nGall caoga bhliain o shin," a duirt si. Cheap si go raibh an sliocht seo "thar a bheith leadranach" agus "teicniuil go maith o thaobh aimsire de". De ghnath, a duirt si, "bionn si nios cuimsithe, ni raibh an piosa speisiuil" .

The papers were topical and they were age-appropriate, said Maire Ni Laoire, ASTI subject representative and from Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal in Blarney, Co Cork. And conversely, she found that students enjoyed the passage about bad weather in Donegal 50 years ago. Thairis sin, duirt Treasa Ni Chonaola go raibh rogha brea i gceist a haon agus bhi ceist a do "an-dheas" agus "thaitin se leis na scolairi". "Ni raibh aon fhadhb leis an gnathleibheal," a duirt si. "Nior chuala me aon duine ag clamhsan faoi." One student, Georgina Connolly (16), of Mercy College, Coolock in Dublin, who sat the ordinary level in Irish yesterday, breathed a sigh of relief after she finished the paper. It was tough enough but she was happy. Some of the questions were hard to understand, she said. The first question was "easy and I liked it". The second question was nice but question 3 was "hard enough". She also liked the question where students were asked to write a postcard about being on a summer course in the Gaeltacht. The aural was hard to understand in places, she said. Maire Ni Laoire welcomed the fact that a number of places - such as Youghal, Ring, Spiddal and Rosmuc - were mentioned in the aural (higher level) test. Duirt si go raibh an ghnathleibheil soilear agus toipiciuil. "Nior chuala me aon drochsceal faoi," a duirt si.