Leaving Cert Music: Students of Leaving Certificate music enjoyed a relaxing exam yesterday with half of their marks already covered and an enjoyable paper as well.

The morning's listening paper opened with an excerpt from Mozart's Piano Concerto in A Major. The Mozart effect was well in evidence as students relaxed into Question 2 - on The Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

"This was a very approachable paper, beautifully paced," said TUI subject expert Ms Anne Maxwell. "Each section flowed naturally into the next and students enjoyed the experience.

"With the exception of Question 6, on the theme from the film Dambusters, which was disproportionately long, the rest of the paper was fine."

The 90-minute afternoon paper, Composition, followed an established format whereby students are required to compose two musical pieces in a set style.

Leaving Certificate music students tend to be quite breezy by exam day, as they dispatch half of their marks earlier in the year. "Many will have passed this exam before they ever sit a paper," said Ms Maxwell.

Since the introduction of the new music syllabus in 1999 the numbers taking music as a Leaving Certificate subject have risen steadily.

Ninety-eight per cent of students get honours in the subject, and the syllabus is described as lively and enjoyable. This year, 4,415 students entered to take the subject - three out of four music students are girls.

Yesterday's ordinary level morning paper was more challenging than usual, with some off-putting technical language, but the afternoon paper was fine, according to students.

The marking scheme for ordinary level music is accommodating - of the three sections examined, students get double marks in their best discipline.