Reaction to Leaving Certificate 2025 Computer Science (Higher Level) by Pat Brennan, Computer Science teacher at The Institute of Education.
- The theory paper was the bread and butter of the course whose challenges were in line with expectations.
- The programming exam was tight on time and a tricky part of Question A will have thrown some. But the second section had space for redemption if timing wasn’t an issue.
While everyone thinks of June as exam season, for over 2000 students across the country their Leaving Certificate exams started today. One of the most recent additions to the exam timetable, Computer Science sees students tackle both theory and programming tasks in the exam hall over two separate sessions in one day.
Opening the first paper, students would have been relieved to see a familiar variety of short questions. Topics like Tracing Code, ASCII, and CPU were predictable. If a student was comfortable with the topic in class, then they would be pleased to see it here without any additions out of left field. The questions were clear and approachable, allowing students to get a few marks under their belts before moving on.
The long question section of the theory paper started equally well with Q13 offering a nice, open-ended question that will appeal to many students. There were multiple possible answers, and this would be reflected within the marking schemes as correctors will be directed to accept any relevant attempt. Q14 required students to complete a Trace Table as well as tackle sections on recursion and quicksort, but once you understood the logic of the algorithm it would come together nicely. Students will have been pleased to see quick sort and recursion appear in this section, particularly as the latter was due an appearance having only been asked once before. Indeed, this paper will have fulfilled the predications of several teachers as the presence of Modelling in Q15 was expected since it was not part of the project. This did not mean it was an easy question though as there was plenty to push a student to really think. Abstraction, Simulations and Agent Based Modelling were all addressed, and students were tasked with applying them to a diverse range of topics: education, mental wellbeing, environment and traffic. In particular, a question on health would have required some creative thinking that may have been tricky for some.
After a short break, the students entered the second exam of the day – programming. This exam is only an hour long and tight on timing. Students will have needed to be quite rigid in how long they allowed for each question. The A part of the exam requires the students to answer all seven questions on modifying code. Questions 1 to 5 were comfortably within the normal remit of the exams, but the challenged increased in Questions 6 and 7. This final question will have been tough for even the most experienced and practiced student, particularly as it is part of a cumulative process over the previous questions. It is important that despite the challenge that students remember the time allocation and keep focused on earning those precious marks.
The second section will feel like a chance for redemption after the previous challenge as students were given a blank file and a series of clear instructions to follow. If they wished they could draw on material from previous sections or give themselves a fresh start. Some of the material will have been familiar from the project and so those who really put in the work to secure that 30% prior to the exam will find themselves in recognisable territory as they approach the exam’s end. However, due to difficulty in Section A, some students were challenged for time in Section 2.
It was of course still full of challenges and places where top scorers can distinguish themselves, but students will likely leave the exam hall feeling like they saw their two years of study fairly reflected back to them.