Exam Diary: Longing for the final curtain -- and a little sunshine

THERE is a Polish saying: "Hope is the mother of fools." Yesterday, I discovered the true fickleness of hope.

After an exhausting week, it was my first exam-free day. I had hoped to catch up on some much-needed rest and then get a chance to enjoy the sunshine. For the first time in over a week, there was no need to set an alarm.

Naturally, it didn't happen.

I was awoken at 7.30am when the dog exploded into a frenzy of barking, because the rabbit had the temerity to hop into his territory.

Since I was up early, at least I had the chance to enjoy the morning sunshine. Well that's what I thought, but what did I see outside? Yep, rain. I saw this as a sign that it was time to get the books out.

With great reluctance, I eventually started into some number-crunching for accounting. After a couple of hours of debits, credits and sheer frustration, I decided to relax for a couple in the company of the US Open.

After pretending I knew something about the sport by using jargon like "par" and "birdie", I decided it was time to find out if those who had studied biology had life left in them after the exam.

The general reaction was that it was a very difficult paper. My friends said it was quite different from previous years, as the experiment questions, in particular, had some nasty twists.

The long questions also posed problems, especially the ecology one. The genetics question was also deemed difficult. I hope by using jargon like "ecology" and "genetics" it seems like I know something about the subject.

After German and design and communications graphics today, the stage is set for the final week. As the days slowly creep by, I can't wait for the final curtain.

Gavin Cooney is a pupil at Mercy Secondary School, Ballymahon, Co Longford

- Gavin Cooney

Irish Independent