THE only unexpected element in an otherwise tranquil first day of Leaving Certificate exams was the number of superintendents the Department of Education had to send into hospitals to supervise sick or injured students doing the exam.
The Department has sent in more than 20 superintendents to supervise such students on a one to one basis. A spokesman said they were still organising them at 7 a.m. yesterday.
The principal of Marian College in Sandymount, Dublin, Mr Paul Meany, said his school had seen a smooth start to the exams. One junior Cert student had been five minutes late because of delays on the DART.
However he had heard nothing of a Marian College Leaving Cert student reported to be held up in traffic caused by flooding and whose dilemma had been mentioned on RTE's Pal Kenny Show.
The principal of Templeogue College, Dublin, Mr Ray Kavanagh, said the Department's examinations branch in Athlone was to be "congratulated on generally improving matters. The service provided this year is much more streamlined and user oriented."
The principal of Christ the King School in Douglas, Cork, Ms Jean Geoghegan, said everything so far was "remarkably calm and quiet".
She said yesterday's first Leaving Cert English essay and comprehension exam had been ideal for "the psychological settling of candidates".
Its choice of questions allowed students to show their "talents, aspirations and interests", which "was vital in the early days of the exams when it was more a matter of "how I'm feeling rather than how I actually do in the papers".
Mr Paddy Boyle, the principal of Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew, Co Galway, said the English essay and comprehension paper was always a good paper to start with.
"It offers a challenge without causing too much upset," he said.
Mr Shay Bannon, the principal of the CBS High School, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, said his students had described both the Leaving Cert and Junior Cert English papers which started off the exams yesterday as "long but fair".
The only discordant notes came from some teachers of Junior Cert English. Mr Boyle said it was unsatisfactory that following an interesting poetry course, the Junior Cert honours exam should contain an "unseen poem of dubious literary value" like Alias by U.A. Fanthorpe.
Mr Alan McDermott, a teacher at Scoil Eoin in Crumlin, Dublin, said the essay titles in the Junior Cert foundation course exam in English were too obscure. Students were asked to write on "This is how I see myself" and "The day I was stronger than fear", whereas honours students were given simpler titles like "A family outing" and "The best present I ever got".