David

Higher Level

Lucan Community College

Maths paper 1 is over now and what a relief. I was surprised by the paper having so many functions and calculus questions. That was the main takeaway from people I was talking to after the exam. Nearly all of section 2 in the exam were functions and calculus which almost took away the illusion of choice for us.

Opening section 1 was quite intimidating as the questions did seem to be more difficult than usual. We only had to do 4 questions out of the 6 in that section but in my opinion the choice made the exam more difficult. I was sitting there spending my time on whether I should do a complex numbers question or the sequences and series instead of actually doing the questions.

In the end I actually found section 2 of the exam to be easier as the answers linked to one another which gave me clues that I was on the right track. I was pleasantly surprised when I got to this part of the exam.

Overall, I am really happy with the paper this year and I am looking forward to paper 2 now that I understand how to tackle choosing the best questions to do for me!

Jane

Higher Level

St. Mary’s Secondary School, Wexford

We’ve made it to the weekend!

That paper was definitely a lot more doable than I was anticipating. Maths is far from my strong point, so I was extremely nervous in the run-up (one highlight of my preparation was a nightmare last night in which I was told I received a grade of “NG”). 

As usual, algebra and complex numbers appeared as relatively straightforward short questions. Area & volume was a surprise twist, but the predicted question on proof by induction was doubtless welcomed. 

Even though it suited me, as we never covered the topic, I was surprised when financial maths didn’t appear as normal as a long question. While I imagine it’ll make an appearance on Paper 2 to compensate, it’s been a Paper 1 certainty for years and was definitely unexpected. 

The abundance of calculus on the paper was also interesting, but I feel that the questions were generally accessible. Q.8 - the long question on the rollercoaster - was great, and Q.9 was relatively manageable as well. 

Overall, I liked the paper. The changes meant we had to answer a reduced number of questions, and this meant we could play to our strengths insofar as possible.