Students of Junior Certificate technology were "comfortable" with yesterday's paper, despite a "stiff" electronics question and a lot of writing throughout.

The 2719 students who sat yesterday's exam were expecting a broad range of questions on mechanics, electronics, technology, design and manufacture and the role of technology in society.

"There was nothing unfair on today's higher paper although students were right up against the clock," said ASTI subject representative Kieran Christie, a teacher in St Attracta's Community School in Tubbercurry, Co Sligo. "Some students were slightly thrown by a stiff question, 2(b), but apart from that the paper was fine."

The "stiff" question looked at the components required to control the movements of a sliding door. The ordinary-level paper was also pronounced fair.

The decade old Junior Certificate technology course has been described as cutting-edge, but it is neglected by many students because there is no subject to progress to at Leaving Cert.

"The lack of a Leaving Cert outlet for technology is a big stumbling block for the subject," said Kieran Christie. "A syllabus has been under consideration for some years but negotiations have stalled. I expect that the level of investment required is putting the department off."

The technology course covers a wide range of subjects, from the theory of technology to its practical applications. There is plenty of scope for computer use which makes the course potentially expensive to implement.