Leaving Cert Spanish:There were no major criticisms of yesterday's higher-level Spanish paper, with the written sections regarded as fair and straightforward.

The aural component of the exam, which accounts for 140 of the 320 marks, was said to have been quite challenging, however.

Sinead McCarthy, a teacher at St Laurence's in Loughlinstown, said that both papers were "straightforward" and "well laid out". "The aural exam was quite challenging and may have posed problems for students on the higher level borderline," Ms McCarthy said.

Almost 4,300 students were sitting yesterday's Spanish exams, with nearly three quarters of candidates taking the higher-level paper.

The comprehension section was described as standard but Ms McCarthy thought the letter was quite difficult.

"At higher level, students had no choice with the letter and it required some specific vocabulary."

The ordinary-level paper comprised expected questions on straightforward topics and students were said to have been pleased with the written paper.

"The letter was a nice question with a good choice of topics and the comprehensions were quite clear. Weaker students may have found the aural exam difficult," Ms McCarthy said.