LEAVING CERT MATHS HIGHER LEVEL PAPER 1:THE STATE Exams Commission has been forced to defend yesterday's higher-level maths paper after a furious reaction from students and teachers.
Teachers have described the paper as the toughest and most challenging in years.
Last night the commission said that following discussions with the chief examiner in maths it was satisfied that the questions were “within the parameters of the syllabus”.
However, the paper was described by one teacher as a “battle” for the one in five students taking the subject at higher level. Another described the exam, which is due to be phased out by 2014, as “one of the most challenging of recent times”.
“Of the six most popular questions, three of them had elements that were exceptionally challenging,” said Aidan Roantree of the Institute of Education in Dublin. “It was of little consolation that the other two questions that are generally less popular were accessible.”
Question 7, on differential calculus, is chosen by most students each year. Yesterday’s version is reported to have caused problems for many students.
“It needs to be said: this was the worst question on the paper,” said Brigid Cleary of St Flannan’s College in Ennis. “It featured three diagrams that the students would not be accustomed to at all. Some of my students didn’t even attempt it. As one astutely noted, it was more like a question off a Project Maths paper.”
Project Maths is the new maths syllabus which has been trialled in some schools. Just over 2,000 students sat Project Maths exams at both levels yesterday.
The initiative has been introduced in an effort to reverse the low take-up of higher-level maths.
The difficult calculus question also caused confusion for her students and some of them believed it contained a mistake. “When my students got to the end of the question it appeared to them that the answer should have been expressed in terms of ‘t’, rather than ‘x’ as the paper stated.
However, the question was correct, she said. “Question 8, another popular option, also had some very difficult elements,” said Ms Cleary. “Overall, I think the students will be hoping for a better Paper 2 on Monday.”
Bríd Griffin of Carlow Institute of Further Education said the calculus question, was “very thought-provoking”.
The number of students registered to take higher-level maths in the Leaving Certificate this week is the lowest ever recorded by the State Exams Commission.
As part of a national numeracy and literacy strategy, higher-level maths students will earn 25 bonus CAO points from 2012. A student scoring an A1 in the exam will secure a total of 125 points, while a student scoring a D3 will get the current 45 points plus the 25 point bonus, a total of 70 points.
TRY THIS AT HOME PROJECT MATHS HIGHER LEVEL
Gold jewellery is made from a gold alloy. The purity of the material is measured by its carat rating, given by the formula c - 24mg/mt, where
c = carat
mg = mass of gold
mt = total mass
A jeweller is recycling gold jewellery. He has the following old jewellery in stock: 147 grams of 9 carat gold; 85 grams of 18 carat gold. He can melt down this old jewellery and mix it in
various proportions to make new jewellery of different carat values. The value of the old jewellery is equal to the value of its gold content only.
Gold is valued at €36 per gram. What is the total value of the jeweller’s stock?
PROJECT MATHS
Project Maths was taken by students in 24 schools yesterday. The new “user friendly” programme will be rolled out in all schools from 2014.
