Verdict - Leaving Cert Art: The Book of Kells, Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ and the Sony Discman were just three of the works of art up for discussion in yesterday's higher level Art History and Appreciation exam.

Student's were reportedly "delighted" with the paper which offered plenty of choice and the widest definition of the art form from Megolithic tombs to window dressing.

Students were especially relieved to be offered a choice of Megolithic tombs to discuss - traditionally Newgrange is the focus of question 1, section 1, but due to the popularity of the site for tourists many Leaving Cert students had difficulty getting near the tomb this year.

Ms Mary Toland of the TUI welcomed the paper's "unambiguous style" which she felt was designed to illicit full responses from students. "The appreciation section was challenging, and the students had plenty to write, but the topics were well received," she said.

Some students and teachers were disappointed that there was no direct question on film this year.

ASTI subject representative Ms Jane Campbell also noted a good response from students, although she believes that the paper was tougher than previous years.

"Many of the questions contained statements that demanded very sophisticated analysis by the students," she said. She also regarded the paper as unbalanced with some questions requiring more work than others, although the marks allocations were the same. However, students seemed untroubled by the anomaly, Ms Campbell said.

The ordinary level paper was also a big hit. Students especially enjoyed the opportunity to design a pair of casual shoes. As part of the section on art appreciation ordinary level students were also asked to examine the role of design in the appearance of everyday objects such as shower gel and soft drinks.

Another popular questions gave students the task of conceptualising a music video. "The ordinary level paper was perfectly geared to its audience," said Ms Jane Campbell of the ASTI.

The Leaving Certificate art syllabus dates from the 1960s, but a review is in the pipeline. The subject is growing in popularity with 10,348 students entered to sit the exam yesterday.

The majority of art students (6,489) are female, but the gap is reported to be narrowing.