Reaction - Dundalk Grammar School: Dundalk Grammar School student Jonathan Keenan was happy with the higher-level French paper: "The higher-level journalistic comprehension was a fairly straightforward assessment and gave no cause for complaint, whereas the literal comprehension was quite challenging. Overall, it was a very pleasing paper."
Andrew Conroy found the written section of the higher paper very manageable, with a good selection of topics to write about. "But I thought that the aural exam was easier than in previous years," he said, confirming the view of French teachers.
Kelly O'Rourke found the French aural test on the ordinary level quite difficult compared to the previous year's paper. (Both ordinary and higher-level students hear the same aural tape, although they are asked slightly different questions.)
The reading and written comprehension sessions were a treat, she said.
An A in higher-level history would ensure admission to Oxford for Raymond Thornton, who is also winner of a trip to China courtesy of the Experiment in International Living and The Irish Times.
He was "delighted" with the paper. "I'm flying," he said yesterday after he sat the exam.
"It was a fine paper, very well balanced and I was well prepared for it by my teacher. My favourite part was the fact that France came up, because I was very well prepared for the question on the French Third Republic during the period 1870-1914."
His only complaint was that there were too many subsidiary questions on the research project (Question 5). "There was too much on how you prepared your sources, not enough on your writing of the research project itself," he said.
Conor Honan also felt he was well able to take on the higher-level history, which was a "fair paper".
As in the maths papers, there were some awkward C-sections to questions, but overall it was a good paper that would have suited anyone who'd put the work in, he said. "We have such a great teacher - Ms Valerie Meagher - who gave us total confidence."