Rocking test has the Edge

The Junior Cert technical graphics paper offered choices, challenges and a bit of rock 'n' roll thrown in for good measure.

"The higher-level paper was very realistic in terms of the demands of time and the factor of difficulty," John O'Sullivan, teacher at Mountgarrett CBS, Newross, Co Wexford, said.

Section A was very wide ranging, he said. "The questions were designed to test students knowledge of principals and there were no repetitive elements."

Question 1 of section B was "relatively easy to visualise" and should have settled students for the paper, O'Sullivan said.

Gerry Walsh of the Association of Materials Technology and Graphic Teachers said his students at Wesley College, Dublin, were very pleased with both the higher- and ordinary-level papers. "The questions varied in standard, but there was a good level of choice," he said.

O'Sullivan found ordinary-level section A "very appropriate"; and in section B, there was sufficient choice to make up for the difficult questions.

Question 4 asked students to draw a U2 logo from a given grid. "This was an excellent choice," he said. "Students would really identify with it, but it was time-consuming."