EXAM TIMES: LEAVING CERT ENGINEERING, HIGHER AND ORDINARY LEVELS:THERE WERE no nasty shocks for engineering students on the final day of the Leaving Certificate exams, as they opened papers that were "largely similar to other years", according to TUI subject representative Dan Keane, a teacher in Beaufort College in Navan.

Yesterday’s engineering paper was worth 50 per cent of the overall mark at higher level and 40 per cent at ordinary level. A project and a practical exam, completed earlier in the year, account for the rest.

“I was talking to a few students as they came out of the exam and they said it was a nice paper,” Mr Keane said. “Question five on welding was even described as ‘lovely’ by some.” The higher level paper presented few surprises and students who had practised exam questions would have seen that work pay off yesterday.

“There was nothing that would have shaken anyone.”

At ordinary level most of the longer questions were split into five or so smaller parts. “That was different to other years but I think it was a good move,” said Mr Keane. “Students would have found that more manageable.”

Engineering teachers are awaiting a new syllabus, as the current one makes it difficult to set a topical paper.

One nod to current issues was this year’s special topic, which was solar panels and solar cells.