âA little trickyâ
Mr Girdham said the question on Boland was âa little trickyâ but that the expected appearance of Heaney would have âsent the country home happyâ and the Durcan question was âa doddle [with students asked about] tone and mood expressing emotionsâ.
Candidates who answered poetry also had to take on the unseen poem. âLouise Greigâs How to Construct an Albatross had an arresting title and was an interesting one,â said Mr Girdham.
âI think that this may have disconcerted quite a few candidates; itâs certainly testing, but it was a good choice.â
Paul McCormack, an English teacher at the Institute of Education in Dublin, said that the single text questions on King Lear were âbeautiful and subtle questions that challenged candidates to think carefully and use their argumentative writing skills effectivelyâ.