As exams go, yesterday's Junior Cert civic, social and political education (CSPE) exam was a relatively relaxed affair. The exam accounted for only 40 per cent of the total marks. Students had done the hard work - the action projects - earlier in the year. They were submitted for assessment along with the exam papers yesterday.

Following a pilot programme last year, CSPE has now been introduced into all schools. Almost 60,000 students sat yesterday's exam.

According to Mr Brendan O'Regan, spokesman for the Association of CSPE Teachers, the paper was topical, manageable and included a good urbanrural balance.

Topics included environmental campaigns, world conflict, including Northern Ireland, world debt and crime. The use of colour photos was particularly welcome, he said, but teachers would have preferred them to appear at an earlier stage on the paper.

Michael Stokes, who teaches at Castlecomer, Community School, Co Kilkenny, described the paper as very student-friendly. He particularly appreciated section 3, which required students to work on a survey of school bullying, a campaign for a community centre and play area, a letter of invitation to a TDC to visit a school or a short speech introducing a guest speaker.

This action-type question, he noted, was linked to the student projects. "This is in line with the aims and objectives of the CSPE programme which is to promote active, participatory citizenship," he said. "The CSPE exam is not a test of general knowledge. It's about encouraging students to become active citizens."