Leaving Cert Applied Maths: It was a trying final day for the 1,612 students who took Applied Maths for the Leaving Certificate. After waiting until the very last paper on the timetable, they were hit with a predictably unpredictable paper in a subject that is known to be challenging.
"There were one or two unusual nuances in this paper, but that's what applied maths is all about," an ASTI subject expert, Mr Christy Maginn, said. "Applied maths tests the ability of students to take their maths knowledge and apply it to new challenges."
Students found some comfort in the early questions but by the time they reached Question 7 times got tough. "Question 8 is usually an 'early banker' but not this time," Mr Maginn said. "I hope the examiners mark that one easy."
Mr Maginn commended the examiners for the paper's excellent imagery, which, he said, was a great help to students.
The Applied Maths syllabus, usually taken with honours maths, has not been reviewed in many years and is due an overhaul in line with modern European syllabuses. "No review can take place independently of the honours maths syllabus, however. The two subjects dovetail at a number of points," Mr Maginn said.
