God, whales, friendship and eating habits jostled for space on yesterday's higher-level French paper. The breadth and topicality of the paper was welcomed by teachers.
TUI subject representative Ms Mary Costelloe said the first comprehension, describing the emotional state of a man who had just turned 50 was "abstract and tough enough". However, the introduction explained the characters and the situation.
The second comprehension, which featured the whales, was very manageable, said Ms Costelloe, who teaches in the comprehensive school in Shannon, Co Clare. She singled out question 6 for praise - it asked students to show how the writer treated her theme from a personal angle.
There was a choice in the obligatory question in section II. The first part was fine for students with plenty of imagination, she said, while the second part may have suited weaker students.
The resume in question 5 was unusual but it was a lovely piece and the context and vocabulary were familiar, said Ms Costello.
ASTI subject representative Ms Margaret Le Lu also said the written comprehension (section I) was difficult. She welcomed the translation of clochard (tramp) in this translation and une balaine (whale) in the second piece. She also noted the difficulty of part (a) of the obligatory question, section II. Question 3 in this section was also difficult but optional.
At ordinary level, Ms Le Lu, who teaches in Old Bawn Community School, Tallaght, Dublin, said question 1 was "lovely" but wondered why it featured four men and only one woman. Overall, the paper was fine with plenty of choice in the written expression.
Ms Costelloe said: "I was very pleased with the ordinary-level paper compared with last year. The content was good and the layout was clear." The extract from Paris Match magazine in question 3 was a difficult piece but the content, the French victory in the World Cup, was attractive. It was slightly long but the questions were straightforward, she added.
Unusually, two teachers rang Exam Times to compliment the Department of Education on the papers. One teacher said the higher-level paper was "beautifully pitched, a real test going in the right direction". Mr Sean Higgins, a past president of the ASTI and a teacher in St Mary's Diocesan School, Drogheda, Co Louth, said "last year, there was a lot of upset about the paper. I think the Department has gone a long way towards meeting the worries of teachers and students. They have made a serious attempt to be very fair".
Sample question
Repondez a (a) ou a (b)
(a) Madame Vesson raconte sa decouverte a ses collegues. (Section 1, Q1). Imaginez son compte-rendu, ses commentaires et les reactions des autres journalistes.
(Vous pouvez rediger votre reponse sous forme (i) d'histoire narrative ou (ii) de dialgoue ou (iii) d'un melange histoire/dialogue.)
OU (b)
"Si elle vient, c'est qu'elle est sans peur", dit Anne en parlant de la baleine. (Section 1, Q2). Il vous est surement deja arrive d'avoir eu tres peur. Dans quelles circonstances? Comment avez-vous reagi?
