Leaving Certificate Chemistry: A "favourable" exam left most chemistry students smiling as both Higher and Ordinary level participants reported more manageable papers than recent years.

The last five years' Leaving Cert chemistry papers have been welcomed for their accessibility and relevance, but students have complained of a rush to the finish.

This year, most were able to complete their exam comfortably, said one teacher. Some students noted that the picture of the scientist J Thompson was different from the picture in the textbook, making him more difficult to identify.

The inclusion of photographs in the chemistry exam has been lauded as evidence of a more 'contextualised' syllabus.

Other students were thrown by the inclusion of a table instead of a diagram in question six.

Eagle-eyed Higher level students spotted that the company featured in the industrial section of the paper, Irish Fertiliser Industries in Cork, has been closed down for two years.

The industrial component of the syllabus, an elective subject giving students the opportunity to study aspects of the pharmachem industry in Ireland, was introduced as part of the new chemistry syllabus examined for the first time five years ago.

The syllabus also features more organic chemistry and a section on social and applied chemistry.

Science teacher with the City of Dublin VEC, Ted Forde, was surprised to see the inclusion of a question on ethane production. The same question came up the year before last.

"The reappearance of ethane may have caught some exam predictors by surprise," sad Mr Forde, who is a subject convenor for the TUI.

Yesterday's Ordinary level paper was praised for its excellent layout and clear illustrations.