"No tears and big smiles," was how teachers described Junior Cert students emerging from their maths exams, yesterday. "There were no tears and the students appeared to be very happy altogether," observed Mr John McKeon, who teaches at the Post Primary School, Maynooth, Co Kildare.

Higher-level students at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, Malahide, Co Dublin, left the exam centre with big smiles, according to their teacher, Mr John Evans. It was a thorough and well-structured paper, he said. Mr Cammie Gallagher who teaches at St Jarlath's College, Tuam, Co Galway, agreed. The higher paper was "very nice and along predictable lines", he said.

"Questions 3 and 4 on the theorems were particularly nice. Question 3 is the most popular theorem of the lot."

The ordinary level paper, meanwhile, was very straightforward, clear and well laid out, he said.

Mount Temple's Mr Evans, however, expressed some concerns about the ordinary level paper. It was tougher than usual, he told The Irish Times. Question 2 part (c) on arithmetic and mensuration lacked sufficient structure to enable students to perform well, he said.

Question 4 - a geometry question - was also problematic. "The diagram was complicated and teachers would have preferred if there had been a bigger lead in to the question," he said.