They answered a question on las problemas de trafico en Barcelona, but overall students had no problemas grandes with yesterday's Junior Cert Spanish exam.
Both Spanish papers "were quite nice", according to Ms Ann Harrow, president of the Spanish Teachers' Association and a teacher at St Michael's College in Ballsbridge, Dublin.
There were a couple of words in the ordinary-level paper which were "a little bit tricky for the standard, but overall it was a very student-friendly paper".
Ms Harrow cited un violador (a rapist) and congelacion (being frozen)o a desarrollarse (began to develop) as "a little bit difficult". Otherwise, the paper was "pretty straightforward and very much what you would expect".
On the higher level, "I was very pleased with the paper. There was nothing too demanding but enough to separate the As from the Bs and the Ds." The tape section was "very clear and there were no strong accents".
The instructions were "clear and precise", particularly in the ordinary-level paper - unlike last year, she said.
Ms Chantal Villa Mulcahy, a Spanish teacher at Mount Mercy Secondary School in Cork and a member of the Spanish Teachers' Association, said the listening comprehension section on the higher-level paper was good. But, the pupils found the last section quite difficult. "However, the quality of the tape was excellent throughout."
In the written paper, the comprehension pieces - which included items on noise pollution, the Internet and traffic in human organs - were all "challenging".
The letter "regrettably focused on one topic mostly", Ms Villa Mulcahy said. This piece, which involved a young fellow who sustained an injury in an accident, was "also difficult to understand, and students felt they didn't have a lot to write about".
Ms Maire Ni Chiarba, ASTI subject representative and a teacher at Colaiste an Phiarsaigh in Glanmire, Co Cork, said the higher-level paper was "very appropriate and there was nothing unexpected". The ordinary level was "fine", she said. Students were "delighted with the letter".