The Leaving Cert agricultural science exam left students with a “mixed bag of emotions” after a “challenging paper” on Monday.
Peter Keaney, teacher at Wilson’s Hospital School in Co Westmeath, said the paper was “challenging” but had “generally good choice”.
Keaney said, however, that this year’s section B was one of the toughest ones he has seen in a while.
“Some of the questions were very specific,” said Keaney, adding that students either knew the answer or they didn’t; there was “no room for reasoning”.
RM Block
Victoria Hennessey, teacher at the Christian Brothers College in Co Cork, said on the contrary that the higher-level paper was straightforward.
“My students responded very positively to the paper,” said Hennessey.
Catriona Hendry, agricultural science teacher at the Institute of Education, said students who know their beef will be happy, but the lack of potatoes or barley on the paper “will upset many”.
Hendry said much of the paper was “logical and approachable”.
Hennessey said question 13, relating to soil properties and soil structure, may have been challenging to some students. But the variety of questions would have helped many progress.
She said there was “nothing here that students haven’t seen before”.
Hendry said both sections had “stiff starts that offered no comfort for apprehensive students”.
The second question of section A on photosynthesis to enhance crop production “would challenge most”, she added.
“Section A was very doable,” said Keaney, adding that a few trick questions could’ve been avoided by students as there was enough choice.
Overall, there was a “mixed bag” of feelings among his students after the exam, said Keaney, who added that the ordinary level paper “went as normal” and is usually one “very well scaffolded”.
Section A of the ordinary was “very doable” while section B had a “nice range of questions than the higher level paper”.
Keaney said question 14 on sheep was a nice and “straightforward” question. However, question 15 on soil may have tripped up some students.
“Overall, the ordinary level was a student-friendly paper,” said Keaney.
