Leaving Cert business:Aside from a few tricky sections, higher-level Leaving Cert business was seen as relatively straightforward and fair by most experts. An expected question on taxation was welcomed, but some teachers felt questions were more specific than in previous years.

Students were asked to complete a short section that asked them to define and explain business terms, an applied business question and four longer questions focusing on areas such as business environment, enterprise and management.

There was some confusion around part C of the applied business question, which asked students to evaluate an organisation identified in a case study. Some 19,510 students sat business this year, with 15,202 of them taking higher level.

David Duffy of the Business Studies Teachers' Association of Ireland and a teacher at St Mac Dara's Community College in Templeogue, Dublin, said the higher-level paper was "fair and approachable."

He said the one "small downside" was that part of the applied business question was a "little vague". Joseph Gallagher, a Teachers' Union of Ireland representative and teacher in St Eunan's College in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, said the paper was more specific than usual, but that it kept to the syllabus. "I think most students and teachers here were very happy with it," he said. "It was fairly straightforward."

He said it was important to read the paper carefully to answer some sections and said part C of the applied business question would have been "quite difficult" and "slightly confusing", because it was not "100 per cent clear" what type of organisation was referred to.

Celine McGuinness, business education officer with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and a teacher at St Paul's College, Raheny, agreed that the applied business question was tricky. She said it was a broad paper, with very little left out.

William Murphy of the Institute of Education said both papers were fair, but there were some tricky parts on the higher-level paper and it was more specific than previous years.

The 4,308 students who took ordinary level will have been relatively pleased with yesterday's paper, according to teachers. Mr Duffy said it was predictable, with a "very good choice of questions", while Mr Gallagher said students at his school were very happy with it. He said the short questions at the beginning were straightforward, which allowed students to get into the exam.