STUDENTS IN Cork expressed a collective outpouring of relief that exams were finally under way, following yesterday’s English Paper 1.
Leaving Certificate students at Coláiste Chríost Rí on Capwell Road in Cork city broadly welcomed the paper, describing it as “straightforward,” “futuristic” and “a little bit weird.”
Niall Harte (18) from Pouladuff Road spent a sleepless night fretting about the first exam, but was “happy enough” on completion.
“I couldn’t sleep at all, I was nervous out, but once I got into the exam and started writing the nerves were sorted.
“At the start I wasn’t sure, some of the questions were a little bit weird but I think I wrote a good enough essay,” he said.
Niall hopes to study psychology through Arts at University College Cork, for which he needs a minimum of 360 points.
Rob Shannon (18) from Douglas, was “really happy” with the paper for which he was well prepared. “We had some handy last minute study tips from a teacher and it was much better to do it then than back in fifth year, because it is still fresh in your mind,” he said. Rob hopes to secure a place in medicine at UCC and is aiming to achieve at least 530 points.
Cathal Martin, nephew of Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin, said he had put the hours in study wise and felt he was off to a good start. He is hoping to study Sports Science at UCC next year.
“There will be a good bit of cramming now tonight for English Paper 2. I just hope it keeps raining,” he said.
Niall Cooke (18) said he was happy to get started. “It was grand, not too bad, you can’t really prepare for it, but it feels good to get going, finally. It’s been a long build up,” he said.
Hoping to secure a place in sports science at UCC, Niall shared some practical advice that he found helpful yesterday. “If you see something you don’t like on the paper, just keep calm. And watch your time,” he said.
The school boasts a prestigious line up of past pupils, including Micheál Martin, Green Party Senator Dan Boyle and the newly appointed Bishop of Killaloe Kieran O’Reilly. Sporting heroes educated at Coláiste Chríost Rí, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, include former Cork senior football manager and former all star Billy Morgan and soccer hero Denis Irwin.
Principal Seán Culhane said the students had plenty of preparation and is expecting good results from the 210 students sitting the Leaving and Junior Certificate. “There was that sense of waiting – like waiting for a match to start but they were all quite composed, if there were nerves, they carried them at a subterranean level,” he said.
