‘One day down now’: Cork students happy with first English Leaving Cert paper 

The Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations got under way yesterday morning in schools nationwide.

In Cork this year, there are a total of 7,007 students sitting the Leaving Certificate exams and 369 Leaving Certificate Applied candidates, while there are a further 8,376 students sitting the Junior Certificate.

As far as students sitting the Leaving Cert were concerned, English paper one was the first hurdle. For some, this was followed by home economics in the afternoon.

English paper two is up for students this afternoon. Before that, for a minority of students, the engineering exam is on the agenda this morning.

Speaking to The Echo, Padraig Mac An Rí, principal of Coláiste Chríost Rí in Turner’s Cross, said the mood amongst the students was positive overall after the opening day of exams.

“Lads were happy enough and confident,” he said. “We had a good start because we had English, they had a half day, as such, because we don’t have home economics.

“They seemed happy with the paper anyway coming out, as far as I could see.

“There was no great anxiety or tension. There was a nice excitement about it, I think.

“The first day really is about settling them into the exams, getting the fear factor for fellas out of it, as such.

“Once they are in and working, they just power on from there, really.”

After all of the hype and commotion leading up to the start of the exams, Mr Mac An Rí added that his role from here on in is to ensure operations at the school run smoothly and that they are there to support the students if required.

“One day down now,” he said. “Most of the hiccups appear on day one, and we had none.

“They know where they are going and they know the gig now. They know what the papers are like, and they will work away. They have a lot of work done, the students have worked hard and have their study done.

“Hopefully they will get the results that they deserve.”

Nationally, there are 140,457 candidates sitting State exams this year across the Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Applied, and junior cycle examinations.

Former Cork GAA chairperson Tracey Kennedy, who is the principal of Carrignafoy Community College in Cobh, said students were pleased with how English paper one went.

“I was an English teacher myself before I became a principal, so I always look at the English with interest, “ she said.

“It looked like a very accessible paper. Certainly, the mood here was good in relation to that one.

“I would always encourage students to take the opportunity now to show the examiners what you have learned and what you have done.

“The work has been put in over the last few weeks, months, and years. Now is their opportunity to showcase that work.”

Aaron Wolfe, principal at Coláiste Éamann Rís in Turner’s Cross, had some useful advice for students, as they move from one exam subject to another over the course of the next few weeks.

“I would encourage students to avoid the postmortem,” he said. “Just focus on what is coming next.

“There is very little a principal can say about the exams.

“Once they are on, they are on, and they run smoothly. That is the important thing, that they avoid the postmortem and focus on the next one.

“They can’t undo what they have done in the exam.

“There is no point in talking about how other people did or how other people answered. That doesn’t help, really. Just focus on the next thing.

“Keep studying, belt away, and the time will fly.”