Junior Cert Business Studies: verdict: Junior Cert students had a full day of business exams yesterday and reported satisfaction with both papers.

Honours Paper 1 was described as "appropriate and relevant to the syllabus", by the president of the Business Studies Teachers Association of Ireland, Ms Norah Martin.

"The paper started with some easy questions to get students settled, but they were tested later on," she said.

The short question section raised some minor concerns - some students were confused by a request to differentiate between money and legal tender, and others were surprised by the appearance of a "continuous balance" presentation instead of the more familiar "T account" format.

Section B of the morning paper, which covers banking, insurance and borrowing, was considered fair. This paper focuses on personal finance and accounts for 60 per cent of the overall mark.

The afternoon paper covers commercial and business topics, and was well-received by students and teachers. Mr Pat Morris, a teacher at Scoil Chríost Rí, welcomed the paper, saying that many aspects were topical and enjoyable for students. "The marketing questions directed students to design their own advertisement for a new airline route. It was practical and relevant," he said.

Ordinary level students sat one paper yesterday morning, which received a positive response.