Students were happy with a relatively straightforward higher-level maths paper one, teachers have said.
Niall Duddy, a teacher at Presentation College Athrenry and subject representative for the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland, said students will have been happy to see a full question on financial maths in the paper, as it does not appear every year.
“The lines between paper one and two have blurred somewhat in recent years and, in keeping with that, area and volume featured on the first of the two papers,” he said.
“Students may also expect to see some of the traditional topics from paper one appear on paper two. There is, however, some concern among students that, because paper one was nice, paper two may be a bruiser. It remains to be seen.”
Brian Scully, a maths teacher at the Institute of Education, said it was a reassuring paper with a clear presentation of the questions and an emphasis on core skills.
“An interconnected approach to the curriculum rewarded students who were broad in their study, while still allowing students of all abilities to find opportunities for marks,” he said.
“Many students will have entered the exam hall anxious, a natural feeling only compounded by reactions to last year’s paper. However, upon opening the paper everyone should have been reassured: the opening questions were clear and familiar.”
Stephen Begley, head of maths at Dundalk Grammar School and Studyclix expert, said that the paper wasn’t without challenges, but was fair and doable.
“Having to complete only three of the four long questions was an immediate advantage to students, a premise that remains from the accommodations made since the pandemic,” he said.
“Notorious for being lengthy, this year made for a generous set of long questions. Question 7 covered financial maths and some standard differentiation and integration. The questions were clear and direct in what they were looking for, and stated the methods that students should use, whether integration or differentiation.”
On the ordinary level paper, Jean Kelly, a maths teacher at the Institute of Education, said that it was an accessible paper that was rich in opportunities for marks.
“One of the best things about the paper was how the exam setter made it absolutely clear what the student was expected to do by offering useful clarifications or, in some cases, overt hints,” she said.
“This meant that nothing was hidden behind awkward phrasing, so students could just get stuck into the maths straight away. This was particularly good for students who know how to work through the problem but are anxious about where to start to get it rolling.”
Ms Kelly said that the trapezoidal rule, which often appears on paper two, appeared on paper one.
“This might be the first sign of a new pattern appearing,” she said. “These tougher moments were the minority on the paper and only would impact on who get the very top marks.”
Try this one at home:
Leaving Cert maths, paper one, higher level
Q10(b) The height of a different plant can be modelled by the function 𝑃𝑃(𝑥𝑥), where 𝑥𝑥 is again the number of days after the plant starts to grow. The derivative of this function is: 𝑃𝑃′(𝑥𝑥) = 1∙1 + 2∙73 𝑥𝑥 − 0∙078 𝑥𝑥2 Find the range of values of 𝑥𝑥 for which 𝑃𝑃′ (𝑥𝑥) > 24. In your answer, give each value correct to the nearest whole number.
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