'Not that bad' say students in wake of first Leaving Cert exam

"Not that bad" was the general reaction of Leaving Certificate students at Mullingar's Community College as they emerged from the first of their exam papers this lunchtime, Wednesday.

In glorious sunshine, the teens congregated near the school's main door, comparing reactions to the the first of their exam papers.

"I didn't like the choice of essay," said one student.

"I went for one that involved argument: 'do we live in an unheroic age'," but I don't think they were great choices," he said.

Gareth Dempsey, from Ballynacargy was also pleasantly surprised: "It was alright: not as hard as I thought it was going to be," he said.

Zoe Devaney, from Mullingar, was also relieved: "It was grand," she said, admitting she had feared much worse.  "I was very nervous," she said, adding that she is especially nervous of the forthcoming home economics exam.