Ulster dialect causes some aural problems

Tricky tapework in the Junior Cert aural Irish section caused some difficulties in what was otherwise a fair and reasonable exam at both higher and ordinary level.

"The Ulster dialect in the tapework was a bit heavy and the phrasing would have been difficult to make out," Hilari de Barra, of Comhar na M·inteoir∅ Gaeilge said. "Students would have had to concentrate very strongly to make it out."

Quite a few of the questions that followed the tape were the same at both higher and ordinary level, which was, he said, "not very fair and a bit unusual."

Unlike the Leaving Cert, the Junior Cert aural is conducted before the written exam. The difficulty of the aural might have unsettled some students as they faced into the their first Irish written paper, however, according to de Barra, the students at St Mary's College, Drogheda, where he was supervising, were reasonably happy with the written exams.

"There was something for everyone in the honours paper, particularly in question 1. Students could write about a TV programme, the influence of the weather, they could finish a story, there was lots of choice," he said.

The reading comprehension piece was slightly shorter than in previous years, he said, but it was very challenging. "Even for the better student, this would have been quite difficult as it demanded a very good depth of understanding of Irish."

Hugo Martin, a teacher at Falcarragh Community School in Donegal, said the higher-level paper should have been acceptable to most students. "I would imagine the choices were predictable enough and good and wide."

The ordinary-level paper was also reasonable with good choices throughout, Martin said. "There was not much change in format from last year's paper, there would have been no great difficulties there." All the reading pieces were very straightforward, with good concise questions, he said.

Hilari de Barra praised the layout of the ordinary-level paper, particularly the use of colour photographs. "It was a very balanced paper from begining to end, the comprehensions may have been a little difficult, but overall it was fair."