LEAVING CERT PHYSICS HIGHER AND ORDINARY LEVEL:REALITY WAS the star of the show in the higher and ordinary physics papers yesterday morning, as students were required to apply their knowledge of physics to everyday scenarios.
Rote learning would have been of little use, according to TUI representative Michael Gillespie, a teacher in St Brendan’s Community School, Birr, Co Offaly. “We have to teach students how to apply their knowledge. It’s great to see the examiners are taking that on board.”
Section A, the experiments section, at higher level was “fine, as expected”, said Pat Doyle, physics teacher in the Institute of Education.
“Question One was a bit different in that students were given a graph as opposed to being asked to draw one,” Mr Gillespie said, “but it was fine.”
ASTI representative Ger Curtin, from Beneavin College, Finglas, said: “Anyone who had their practical work done would have been pleased with that section.”
The trend of linking physics questions to real situations was continued in section B. “The questions, while a little challenging, were clearly written,” Mr Doyle said.
Question five was a mixed bag, according to Mr Gillespie. “Part (a) was more of a geography question, while part (e) asked for three conditions necessary for an observer to see a rainbow – that was tricky.”
Part (g), however, asked a question about a smoker outside a building and the amount of smoke that could enter the building, which was a good real-life situation.
Questions five and six required a good level of mathematical ability, while question seven was similar to previous years. Question eight, about nuclear fission and fusion, could have been asked 20 years ago, but again, examiners managed to link it to the present day.
Question 11, about wind turbines, was “a good topical question”, Mr Curtin said. “There’s a real move towards that kind of subject matter.”
Mr Doyle said the ordinary level paper held “few surprises”. Again it required students to apply their knowledge of physics to real-life situations. Polarised sunglasses, a glass of iced water, a fire engine, the Tacoma Bridge and a vacuum cleaner all formed the basis of questions. The language was direct and overall the paper was “satisfactory”, Mr Curtin said.