Latest news with #LeavingCert2025
Irish Examiner
14 hours ago
- Science
- Irish Examiner
Leaving Cert students face tougher maths paper with 'some curveballs'
The second week of Leaving Cert 2025 began with a 'trickier' maths paper 2 exam that included some curveballs to get students thinking, teachers reviewing this year's exam papers believe. Junior Cycle 2025 also continued this Monday, with students tackling the science exam. Maths paper 2 was a tougher paper than Friday's paper 1, according to Niall Duddy, ASTI subject spokesperson and teacher at Presentation College, Athenry, Co Galway. 'The feeling certainly amongst our own students here is that it was a trickier test than paper 1 overall,' he said. 'It was a more stern test but at the same time, it was still doable,' he added. 'If I was doing the paper myself, I probably would have started with a question like number three, which was around probability and Venn diagrams, which students would have been familiar with from Junior Cycle, with this question just given a higher-level Leaving Cert twist.' He also noted several 'helpful little hints' included in the questions this year, for example, students were asked to give a reason for their proof. 'That has crept in the last couple of years, and it's nice to see. It's more user-friendly.' However, students he spoke to after the exam found section B of the higher level paper 'trickier'. 'Particularly question eight, which was based around pyramids. It's a bit like Marmite; Some people like this type of question, others don't.' 'A lot of students I spoke to avoided it, even though the question wasn't as bad when you went down into it as it was at first glance.' Another question that caught a few students out was the use of the phrase "stratified random sampling" in question 10, he believed. 'It's only a small part of the question but I know quite a few students who asked me afterwards what it actually was.' The paper 'got tough' as it went on, he said. 'But that is to be expected with higher-level maths.' 'There was no one coming out who seemed very disappointed, but they did say it was trickier.' Studyclix subject expert Stephen Begley, of Dundalk Grammar School, said the higher level maths paper 2 was 'very fair and decent'. 'Though it did have some curveballs to get students thinking." 'Those who prepared for a typical paper 2 would have been content with this paper, which enabled students to showcase their knowledge of the usual core topics in a range of questions. 'All in all, it's been a pretty good, fair, and accessible set of exams for Leaving Cert higher level maths students in 2025.' Meanwhile, the ordinary level paper presented students with a 'very typical and manageable set of questions', Mr Begley believed. 'While the paper was particularly statistics heavy, those who prepared this regularly featured topic would have been well-rewarded, with all elements of the area being examined across multiple questions.' He said the empirical rule in question six, tree diagram in question seven, pie chart in question eight and trigonometry question in question 10 "would have given students plenty of marks to boost their confidence in the exam". He added: 'Whilst the tail end of questions were not without their stings, the opening parts provided good space for students to gather marks.' Read More Threat of industrial action in secondary schools as ASTI rejects Leaving Cert reforms
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Leaving Cert Diary 2025: Maths Paper 1 and Geography finish the first week
In this entry to our Leaving Cert Diary we look back on Maths Paper 1 and Geography. The first week is done! Make sure to rest and relax this weekend. Thanks to Kayleigh from Athlone, Co Westmeath and Sarah from Co Louth who are back to write about Maths Ordinary and Higher Level respectively. And to Laura from Galway who sat Geogrpahy earlier in the day. The Leaving Cert Diary series, with thanks to our friends at the Irish Second-Level Student's Union (ISSU), is all about getting a first-hand account of how the exams went each day. Read Kayleigh's blog... The weather might not be the usual Leaving Cert sun but if the papers keep giving us something to be happy over I think that's a trade I'm willing to take. Another lovely paper from the SEC, I'm almost worried there's going to be a catch on Paper 2! Leaving Cert 2025 has the same accommodations as last year with six 30-mark questions on part A, where you needed to answer five, and four 50-markers, where you needed to answer three. Maths Paper 1 was entirely predictable and certainly provided me and many other students with a lot of security. I am glad to have been able to answer every question and given myself the best chance at good marks. There were no particularly challenging questions or overly complex wordings in the problems either. Financial maths was the bulk of the questions with series and sequences, algebraic functions, complex numbers, calculus, scientific notation, length area and volume all making their appearances too. There were a lot of tables and graphs featured on the paper that certainly gave students plenty of chances to pick up easy marks. I am certainly relieved for week one to be over and to have another exam out of the way. I think we're all ready for a little rest from the exhausting cycle of paper after paper this weekend; but not without some cramming thrown in. If the SEC continues to be nice to us I'm sure the rest of the exams will fly just the same as this week has. Fingers crossed! Sarah's blog kicks off with a maths pun... Unfortunately the only pie I saw in Maths Paper 1 was two dimensional and inedible. On the better side of Section A, algebra was an enjoyable question one. It gave me the confidence to begin the paper. Integration was nice and simple and even if someone was uncomfortable with this topic they would have gotten a lot of marks from attempting using the log tables provided. As well as that, logs and indices sneaked into a good few questions. De Moivre's Theorem and the binomial theorem were through the entire paper as a constant. Those who were not familiar with it, might have had no choice but to leave a lot of gaps blank. I luckily spent my morning trying to revise this topic. I attempted all questions for section A. I got the minimum done for section B with 3 questions answered. Proof by induction at the end stunned me for a few minutes. I was quite confused with the wording and began with some of the steps to help me get my focus back but failed to come up with a conclusion. Many other people I had talked to, found this part challenging. I wonder will the points be reduced for it? On the positive side, sequences and series was a welcoming question In section B but I found myself skipping the rates of change. I got just about three out of the four questions done when the time ran out. Overall it was a tough paper but there were many chances for every student toshine. Now I have to throw this out of my mind and prepare for the second round. See you Monday! Read Laura's blog here... The Geography Leaving Cert exam is finally over, and honestly, it's caused a lot of mixed feelings among students and teachers alike. I found the short questions quite fair, there was a good variety, and nothing too tricky. But it was the essay section where things really changed. Physical Geography was more or less what we expected, although I was surprised not to see the formation of metamorphic rocks essay, which had been heavily predicted. Still, that section felt manageable. The real curveball came in Regional Geography. Almost none of the predicted essays came up, and like many students, I felt completely thrown off. My confidence dropped halfway through the paper because I felt like everything I had focused on just didn't show up. The 20-mark questions were as expected, and weirdly enough, you could skip the sketch map portion almost entirely which is unusual. In Section Four, I answered the Geoecology question. Luckily, it followed some predictions, but a lot of people were expecting a question on brown earth soils, which didn't appear either. It honestly felt like the paper was made to ignore predictions maybe because the course is going through changes. I know predictions aren't everything, but the total lack of overlap this year really shocked a lot of us. In the end, it wasn't the hardest paper ever, but it was unpredictable, and that made it stressful. Now it's time to move on, take a breath, and face into the next exams with a fresh mind. Founded in 2008, the ISSU is the national representative body for school students in the Republic of Ireland. The ISSU is led by students, for students.
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- General
- RTÉ News
Leaving Cert Reaction: English Paper 1 reviewed
Leaving Cert 2025 is officially up and running. Join us for reaction to English Paper 1 (Higher Level) with Liam Dingle, English teacher at the Institute of Education. And we have Exam Papers for you to download. Key points The paper reflected the world beyond the exam hall and the experiences of modern students. The layout and range of questions was consistent with recent papers. Download the exam papers here to review yourself at home: Press play up top to see more from Liam and click here for his full breakdown. Liam says: "Hopefully, students will leave the exam hall with a sense of satisfaction. There were no artificial barriers or curveballs to startle students facing the rest of their exams. The paper advocated for optimism and the fight of the underdog; hopefully they will have taken that message to heart."
Irish Examiner
7 days ago
- General
- Irish Examiner
ieExplains: Key dates for Leaving Cert students, teachers and parents
When do the Leaving Cert 2025 exams start and end? Leaving Cert exams start on Wednesday morning (June 4) with English paper 1, and continue in the afternoon with home economics. The exams will run until Tuesday, June 24, finishing up with Japanese, Arabic, religious education, and applied maths. A full Leaving Cert timetable can be found on How are students graded? A new grading system was introduced for all Leaving Cert subjects in 2017, replacing the traditional ABC grading system. The new system now uses eight grade bands, each 10% wide. For a student to achieve the top mark at higher level (H1), they need to score between 90 to 100% in the subject overall. When will Leaving Cert 2025 results be out? Students should receive their Leaving Cert results on Friday, August 22. The first round of college offers is due to go to students on Wednesday, August 26, at 2pm. What happens if I miss a Leaving Cert exam? The State Examinations Commission (SEC) will run a set of deferred exams later in June and July. These are strictly limited to students who experience a close family bereavement, or who suffer serious medical conditions such as accidents, injuries or illness. Access to these exams should be seen as a 'last resort' and the SEC only grants access to students who meet the criteria. It warns against viewing them as 'second chance examinations'. Unless a student is 'absolutely sure' they meet the criteria, they should attend the exams in June as normal. When is the CAO deadline? The CAO Change of Mind facility, which allows students to add, remove, or reorder their college course online, closes on July 1 at 5pm. What are the most popular CAO courses in 2025? College course entry points are subject to change, and are determined by a number of factors. There has been a surge in applications to the CAO this year, and data collected earlier in the year suggests strong interest in nursing, teaching and medicine, as well as engineering.
Irish Independent
7 days ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Starting the Leaving Cert tomorrow? Here are four pieces of expert advice that you should know before the exams
With the start of Leaving Cert 2025 just one day away, there are four common questions asked of guidance counsellors by both students and parents, each one reflecting the pressure of exams, the uncertainty of results, and the need for calm, realistic guidance.
