Classroom to College

What you put on the CAO form is the first decision, not the last

Welcome question on Daniel Wiffen, Mona McSharry and Róisín Ní Riain, Irish Olympic and Paralympic medalists

Just two more days of exams to come

Wordy questions leave students tight for time in 150-minute exam

Listening paper had no nasty surprises in questions one to four

Design and communications graphics test presents several problems, but generally manageable, say experts

Ordinary-level paper also had plenty of choice and some nice topics, say teachers, but ‘there was a lot of English and reading’

‘I’m surviving. I haven’t cried yet,’ one of our diarists says

Higher-level paper had a ‘few fresh angles that required students to think’, says teacher

Majority of questions were approachable to students of all levels, says teacher

Students either knew the answer or did not, as ‘no room for reasoning’

Ask the Expert: ‘He knows the stuff, but he can panic on the day of exams’

‘It takes resilience. Keep going, the finish line is in sight’

Students found history and maths particularly challenging

Higher level papers in both French and history were particularly tricky

‘This paper gave students a lot of opportunities to show their knowledge of the subject’

Teachers report accessible questions, familiar vocabulary and manageable grammar

‘Paper contained questions on household extensions and adapting them for ... disabled or elderly people’

‘A good, balanced paper allowing students to display their knowledge’

Reduced emphasis on exams can suit some students

No major shocks, but very few questions that could be described as highly predictable

Some feel the higher-level paper was accessible and fair, but others think it contained tricky vocabulary

State Examinations Commission apologises for error, which will be taken into account in marking

Prose and poetry questions were approachable but some of the reading comprehensions may have been challenging

Mother of student with dyslexia made the difficult decision that her daughter shouldn’t sit the exams

Hopefully, Leaving Cert students who left school halls drained and miserable last Friday after the higher-level maths paper were a little happier following the second paper

Ordinary-level Leaving Cert Irish paper considered fair, manageable and accessible for students

Jean Kelly, a maths teacher, said that the ordinary-level paper was fair, modern and thoughtfully designed

Psychotherapist Colman Noctor would much prefer to see a child approaching the exams in a ‘chilled’ fashion, rather than ‘stressed out of it’

Irish teacher Hugh Gallagher suggests it’s better to stick to simple, accurate sentences when writing answers, as opposed to more complex ones, where mistakes can occur

Kat Ruane (18) has ADHD and dyspraxia, and finds it hard to manage the timings of exams

Okay, it was a short week, but it probably didn’t feel like that for anyone sitting the tests.

Students were generally relieved with an approachable higher-level maths paper one, but the element of choice allowed them to swerve trickier questions, teachers said.

Students sitting the Leaving Certificate geography exams were happy with a paper that rewarded preparation while avoiding unexpected questions, teachers have said

When it comes to our Junior Cycle students, it’s all about continued support and motivation

Momin Bari is studying seven higher-level subjects and also French at ordinary level

Paper two challenged candidates but was ‘manageable’, teachers say

The musician and broadcaster sat the exams in the summer of 1984

Guidance counsellor says students should focus ‘on what they know’ rather than what they feel they do not

With its seven, maybe eight subjects, the Leaving Cert cherishes the value of the generalist. In the UK, a 16-year-old may be studying just three