NUMBER OF ERRORS in the Irish version of the business studies exam left Junior Cert students upset and tearful yesterday afternoon.
Many of the students, who are doing their exams through Irish, were unable to complete the questions correctly or work out the right answers.
Students in Colaiste Raithin in Bray, Co Wicklow, found one or more mistakes in every question on paper II of the higher level (staidear gno) exam, according to their teacher, Mr Micheal O Flainn, who pointed to questions on the Irish version of the exam paper which clearly differed from the English version. They were very upset when they came out of the exam hall, he said.
There are very substantial differences between the Irish and the English version."
In one question the word "rent" in the English version is "us", meaning interest, in the Irish version. Also in the same question the word "issued" in the English version is "udaraithe" which means authorised, in the Irish. The word should be "eisithe".
In the last question on the paper, where students have to analyse farm accounts, five column headings are given in the Irish version, compared with six in the English version. And there were other mistakes.
A spokesman for the Department of Education said yesterday evening that "we are aware of the problem. The chief examiner is aware of it." He explained that a problem like this is taken into account and that "it will be factored into the marking".
Mr Donall O Conaill, principal of Colaiste Mhuire, the all Irish school in Dublin, spoke in general about this problem recently. "Cailleann na scolairi cuid mhaith ama ag iarraidh an fhreagra a oibriu amach," a duirt sea. "Nil aon rud nios measa nuair ata tu faoi bhru."
Apart from this unfortunate aspect to the exams yesterday, Junior Cert students liked both morning papers in the business studies exam. Although the higher level paper was long "it was well received", according to Ms Rose Mary Lynch, spokeswoman and PRO for the Business Studies Teachers' Assocation of Ireland and a teacher at Fingal Community College in Swords, Co Dublin. "There were a lot of calculations and bookkeeping questions," she said. "It took them the full two and a half hours. Students' understanding of book keeping was tested, and I welcome this." Bookkeeping, said Ms Lynch, was integrated in a number of questions throughout the paper. "There was a balance between short and quick questions where they had to work it out - it was quite a testing paper. It tested their knowledge of bookkeeping; students trying to avoid book keeping would be at a disadvantage."
She said students found the second question about banking in section B "hard and they avoided it. It was fairly tough and it was a bit long."
On the whole the higher level paper tested students in a lot of areas and this was good, she said.
The ordinary level paper was also straightforward. Students enjoyed answering the questions, including a number of "testing parts". One or two parts were difficult for this level, she said.
In the afternoon, students sat the second paper in higher level business studies. "It was quite predictable and the range of questions was broad," said Ms Lynch. "It didn't vary on previous years." She welcomed the fact that question I was shorter than usual.
Mr John Crilly, a business studies teacher at Ardee Community School in Co Louth and ASTI subject representative, said that the ordinary level paper was fine. He said that most of the questions on the higher level papers were "all right and satisfactory".
Mr Crilly was happy with the paper apart for some "minor quibbles" the language was a bit imprecise in question 5a (ii) which asked students to "describe (illustrate) three channels of distribution" . . . it was not clear if students were meant to draw as well as describe the channels of distribution. "Questions should be very precise for Junior Cert students," he said.