Junior Certificate Technical Graphics: A higher-level paper based on the interpretation of detailed plans for a child's tricycle, compact disc player, telephone booth and electric iron was yesterday described by teachers as a challenging but fair exam.

Some 13,016 sat yesterday's technical drawing papers at higher and ordinary level, 1,599 of whom were female.

Micheál Martin, a TUI representative and teacher in Largy College, Clones, Co Monaghan, described the higher-level paper as well-balanced and "do-able".

The ordinary-level paper was described as fair, despite the fact that it contained some unpredicted changes including the type of scale used.