Technical drawing 'testing but fair'

Leaving Cert technical drawing: The Leaving Cert technical drawing syllabus was examined for the penultimate time this week …

Leaving Cert technical drawing:The Leaving Cert technical drawing syllabus was examined for the penultimate time this week and yesterday's papers were considered to have been "fair" and "as expected".

Paper 2B, which more than two-thirds of candidates sit, deals with building applications.

Technical drawing is taken largely by male students, many of whom are interested in a career in engineering or architecture.

John O'Sullivan, of the ASTI and a teacher in the Christian Brothers school in New Ross, Co Wexford, said: "Yesterday's papers were a suitable challenge for students of various abilities.

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"Broadly speaking, higher level students were happy with the structure of the paper. The questions were clearly communicated and easy to visualise," Mr O'Sullivan said.

The higher level paper came with a heavy workload and few students were said to have been finished early.

Pat O'Dwyer, TUI subject convenor and technical drawing teacher at Pobalscoil Inbhearsceine, said: "The ordinary level paper was testing but fair. Questions 1, 3 and 6 had a 3D drawing that helped students see exactly what they were dealing with.

"We have a fantastic new syllabus starting in September and this is the last year that we will have a divide in the subject."

Steven Carroll

Steven Carroll

Steven Carroll is an Assistant News Editor with The Irish Times