LEAVING CERT SPANISH: Confusion abounded in the Leaving Cert Spanish aural exams. Did the girl attack her brother with a potato? Or perhaps a potato peeler? It was definitely some sort of potato-related weapon, wasn't it?
Well, no. In fact, she kicked her brother. The word was patadas (kick), but many students heard it as patatas (potato). "They found the pace of the aural too fast and the voices were not very clear," said Ms Chantal Villa-Mulcahy, who teaches in Mount Mercy College, Cork.
The tape seemed to be particularly fast at a section on magical holidays, and a piece which asked about Britney Spears's philosophy in life threw quite a few students.
Ms Villa-Mulcahy was happy with most of the reading comprehension pieces on the higher-level paper, but said students found the text on the space tourist difficult. "They couldn't find all the detail they needed to support their answer."
The vocabulary in Section B was "very practical", she said, but many students were reluctant to attempt the first option in question 5. "They found they didn't have enough time to develop their ideas."
The dialogue, on "big brother", was less straightforward than usual, but the letter and the diary entry were both fine. The biggest surprise, she said, was the change in style in the note question. "They didn't know to whom to address the note. It was very awkward and not practical."
Ms Ann Harrow, of the Spanish Teachers' Association, found the higher-level paper "demanding but fair overall".
"The translations in Section B confused the best of them. It was possibly the most demanding question." She also thought there was too little time to attempt the first part of question 5 in this section. "It would have been hard for them to get their ideas together."
The comprehensions offered a good choice, she said, and most students were happy with the paper.
The ordinary-level comprehensions were manageable and the letters were "particularly nice", she said.
"Those who put the effort in will have done well," she added.
The Junior Cert Spanish aural was well-paced, Ms Villa-Mulcahy said, "but some of the questions were a bit too vague".
Higher-level students found some of the reading pieces "irrelevant and boring", while others seemed to be too easy. "There was no cohesion", she said.
Students also felt that the letters required too much detail.
The ordinary-level test was as expected, she said. "A good choice of material and everyday vocabulary."
