PREVIOUS French Higher exams have been criticised for problems with the taped listening passage, with complaints about the speed, pronunciation - and even the sound quality.

This year, reviewers were pleased with that section of the exam, which pupils coped with well.

Alison Harvey, teacher of French at St Kentigern's Academy in West Lothian, said: "I have complained in the past, but the listening section was good this year.

"The quality of the recording was better and the accent and pace was fine. You don't want pupils to be put off."

Marie Fogg, principal teacher of languages at Trinity High School, in Renfrewshire, also liked the listening passage, which she said was well-paced and clear.

Overall, she thought the Higher was a good, fair test, although she did raise doubts over the directed writing, which she said took a different format this year.

"Pupils were surprised by the bullet points and that is not how previous papers appeared, but, candidates would have been fine," she said. "Examiners had the level of difficulty pretty well spot on in the last few years and, while candidates have not found it easy, they are comfortable with the paper."

Liz Bertram, head of modern languages at Hutchesons' Grammar School in Glasgow, said both teachers and pupils thought the exam was fine. "It was a fair and accessible paper with a good range of vocabulary. The translation was short, and tough in places, but the French itself was not too complex, although choosing the right English words was a little bit trickier."

Evlyne Verneau-Conlan, principal teacher of French at Stewarton Academy in East Ayrshire, was disappointed with the Higher paper. "I thought it was a difficult exam," she said.

"The directed writing was not as predictable as it has been and related more to the world of work than normal, which we don't cover. Some pupils would have struggled with the vocabulary. The bullet points were also unpredictable and pupils were not very happy at all. Overall, it was not an easy exam and, compared to previous years, it was too hard and not fair on those of lower abilities."