'Ideal start' helps take The Edge off

Junior Certificate English higher-level candidates got off to a good start with their two papers, including reading about U2's The Edge in their comprehension question.

Alan Thompson, of Abbey Vocational School in Donegal, said the first paper, on language, was 'excellent' and students should have been pleased. He described it as 'an ideal start to the exams'.

The paper dealt with two favourite teenage topics, music and sport, which allowed the students to engage, said Mr Thompson.

Christina Henehan, of Rice College in Westport, said 'students seemed to love' the morning paper.

But she thought the question on the auto-biographical nature of the text on The Edge leaned more towards the Leaving Certificate.

Ms Henehan also felt that students may have been challenged by the essay option on 'The Beauty of Quiet Places', but then there was a 'great choice'.

Teachers agreed that students were also put through their paces in a question asking them to analyse a music review, rather than simply write a review.

Mr Thompson said the afternoon literature paper was a perfect complement to paper 1. All the questions were perfectly pitched and there were no real difficulties, he said.

Ms Henehan agreed that it was very doable but said candidates were tested on their ability 'to empathise imaginatively with other people's cultures'.

Sheila Parsons, of Holy Faith/De La Salle in Skerries, described the afternoon paper as quite challenging, including the the Shakespeare question.

'It was the most difficult in ages, because it was Corialanus,' she said, adding that a lot of candidates probably did the other drama instead.

- JC English Higher level Katherine Donnelly

Irish Independent