Leaving Cert German/Higher and ordinary level: Some students of Leaving Certificate German expressed disappointment yesterday when the subject of the 2006 World Cup failed to appear at higher level.

Yesterday's reading comprehensions were considered unusually detailed, and students were asked for their opinions as well as straight interpretations of the texts.

"This was an exacting paper," said ASTI subject convenor Noel O'Callaghan.

"In one comprehension, students were asked to explain why they believed the man in the story preferred to look out the window than to watch television with his wife. His reasons were not offered in the piece - it might have been difficult for students to put their views into German."

The overall mood of the paper was welcomed, however. It covered topical, teenager-friendly subjects such as computer addiction, TV-viewing habits and mobile phones.

Orla Ní Shuilleabháin of the Institute of Education agreed that the World Cup was missed, but warned students that it was unwise to count on any topic. Many teachers and students prepared themes and vocabulary related to football over the last year, in anticipation of Germany 2006.

The main complaint about yesterday's higher paper was the amount of descriptive detail required in many sections.

Few students had the opportunity to leave the exam early.

"This paper was challenging, as a higher paper should be. Students were asked for a lot of detail in both the reading comprehension and written sections. Many of my students had problems getting through the whole paper within the time," said Ms Ní Shuilleabháin.

Ordinary-level students were broadly happy with yesterday's paper and especially a World Cup section at the end.

Some complained of tough vocabulary in places, especially in the third comprehension section, which featured "adrenalin junkies" enjoying bungee jumping and sandboarding.

The paper also explored the experience of foreign pupils in German schools trying to learn the language. "The topics on the ordinary level paper were engaging and relevant to the age group," said Noel O'Callaghan, a teacher at Bray Senior College.

Nearly a third of students take Leaving Cert German at ordinary level.

Yesterday's listening comprehensions were also considered fair and accessible, with a small number of students expressing concern over the difficulty of the first section.

The number of students opting to take German has remained steady over the last few years, at about 15 per cent of the overall cohort.

It is the second most popular foreign language after French.