Shorthand skills continued to pose a problem for candidates in the news report exam with the examiners highlighting the issue for the second NCE running.

In their report, the examiners found that many candidates found it difficult to record more than a few words at a time.

Others were “concentrating so hard on getting the speech down in shorthand that they were not listening to what was actually being said.”

“This translated into inaccurate stories or quotes out of context,” said the report.

But trainees were also praised for their grasp of media law with some “very high scoring papers” in the newspaper practice section of the exam.

And the examiners were cheered by the high pass rate in the interview section, which featured a human interest story that “required accuracy in many areas.”

Of the 86 hopefuls, 53 passed all four sections News Interview, News Report, Newspaper Practice and Logbook to become senior reporters.

Here’s our at-a-glance guide to each section of the test and what the examiners thought of the candidates.

News Interview

Candidates: 66
Passed: 49
Pass rate: 75pc

The news interview centred on a heart-warming story about a young couple who had given birth to quintuplets. The aim was for candidates to conduct a face-to-face interview with the hospital staff and elicit enough information to write a vigorous and well-balanced story.

Candidates were provided with lots of biographical details about the parents and the babies as well as facts on the pregnancy and birth.

The examiners said: “It was encouraging that candidates checked and rechecked spellings and facts, but some still managed to misspell names and places.

“Successful candidates managed to include all the relevant information, along with some ‘colour’ and descriptive quotes which made it a rounded story.”

News Report

Candidates: 75
Passed: 50
Pass rate: 67pc

The news report exam focused on the annual drink-drive campaign by the police, due to be launched the following week.

Candidates were provided with figures for accidents and failed breath tests the previous year, as well as an outline of the new campaign which featured a 24-hour hotline.

The examiners commented: “To produce the most comprehensive story, candidates needed to blend information from the brief with that from the speech. Most achieved this to a large extent.”

However they added: “Shorthand is still a problem for many candidates who find it difficult to record more than a few words at a time and often get them out of context. Those candidates who have worked on their shorthand were able to produce stories with full accurate quotes that were a delight for the markers to read.”

Newspaper Practice

Candidates: 64
Passed: 51
Pass rate: 80pc

Law questions in the newspaper practice section of the exam focused on core areas of contempt, court restrictions and libel with the practice questions featuring topical discussions on obesity, marriage and newspaper sales.

The examiners said: “The trend for very strong papers continued at this NCE with a large number of very high-scoring candidates.

“Those who did particularly well combined extremely strong law answers with very competent practice answers.

Candidates who did well had lots of ideas and some real-world experience which they cited in their answer. Those who did less well often seemed to struggle to come up with questions and ideas.”

Logbooks

Candidates: 43
Passed: 40
Pass rate: 93pc

Presentation in the logbooks section of the exam, in which candidates submit a selection of their work, continued to be of a high standard, said the examiners.

They said journalists are clearly showing care and application when compiling them, both in terms of the copy supplied and the time taken to present the logbook.

The examiners said: “The November submission has shown once again that candidates are prepared to take a great deal of time compiling a logbook which is an excellent record of their work to date.

“Both in terms of the copy supplied and the time taken to present the logbook, it is pleasing that both the candidates and their editors/trainers have given it a great deal of thought.”