BRIGHT, well presented Leaving Certificate French papers with accessible content appear to have generally pleased both teachers and students, though there were some reservations about the ordinary level paper.
Ms Sally Maguire, a teacher in St Raphaela's Secondary School, Stillorgan, Dublin, said that students were "pleased on the whole" with the higher level paper, while Ms Dellemar Keane, TUI subject representative and a teacher in Bush School, Riverstown, Dundalk, Co Louth, said it was "fair and predictable".
Ms Margaret Le Lu, ASTI subject representative and a teacher at Old Bawn Community School, Tallaght, Co Dublin, praised the layout of the papers and adjudged the higher level paper sufficient to differentiate the As from the Bs.
"Question 1, the close test, was easy, if not easier, than recent years," said Mr Peter O Murchu, a teacher in Scoil Eoin, Rathstewart, Athy, Co Kildare, discussing the higher paper. However, he added, some phrases were quite difficult to translate mentally. Ms Keane, though, said the cloze test was more difficult than in previous years and added that teachers would probably be happy that this was the last year of this type of cloze test.
The comprehension pieces, on animal protection and racial unrest, had very little difficult vocabulary compared with similar pieces in previous years, Mr O Murchu said. Ms Le Lu said the use of language in the pieces was fine and they were not too long.
Ms Maguire said some students found the questions on the race problems piece comprehensible, but the answers proved more difficult to find. "Students said they were both a bit depressing, which I have to agree with," she added. The animal piece, in particular, appears to have caused unhappiness among the more sensitive souls.
Question 6 offered students the option of writing a note to an absent friend from a lycee or describing an armed robbery. Mr O Murchu said the first wasn't very demanding, while students would probably have encountered elements of the second in listening comprehension.
Ms Maguire said the vocabulary required was "quite technical" in the armed robbery account, though students were happy with the first option.
In question 7, students could write on the influence of parents versus the influence of peers or on country life versus city life. Ms Keane thought the language in 7(a) could have been simpler, in particular the phrase se laissant davantage ("allow themselves more"). "The marks for question 7 are for what is written downs by the student and therefore the stimulus should always be clear," she said.
"A lot of pupils tend to be scared of this section since it used to be very abstract," Ms Le Lu said. However, this year's question 7 was "very good", she commented.
At ordinary level, the questions on the comprehension pieces were very straightforward, though the use of the word bled (wheat) in the fourth section of question 3 was a little difficult, Mr O Murchu said. "I would say the vocal in that was a problem," Ms Maguire agreed, while Ms Keane described the questions on this piece as "quite difficult".
Ms Le Lu said students might have slipped up on question 2, part 3, if they had not read carefully.
Question 5, on transporting one's dog, asked students how one might cope with a dog barking in the car. This could have been a bit difficult for students to answer, Mr O Murchu said, especially if they didn't know the word for bark. This could lead students to suggest some unfortunate solutions to the problem which might prove unpopular with the dog.
Ms Keane said some of the vocabulary was quite technical and described the ordinary level paper as testing enough" overall.
Question 7 may have posed problems for students, since it required them to write to a hotel in France requesting the return of an address book for which, as Ms Maguire and Mr O Murchu pointed out, many students would not know the word.
Finally, both ordinary and higher level students found few difficulties with the aural tests. Ms Maguire said both the accents and pacing were fine.
"One ordinary level student said she had answered the paper before the tape started because the questions were so simple," Ms Maguire said. She noted, however, that while such confidence was admirable, it was probably not a good idea in the long run.