LEAVING CERT HOME ECONOMICS ( HIGHER AND ORDINARY LEVEL):IT WAS a long day for Leaving Cert home economics students but at higher level they were rewarded with a paper full of topical questions and one or two pleasant surprises.
After complaints last year about the difficulty and the vague language in the compulsory short questions at higher level, teachers and students breathed a sigh of relief as a much clearer paper greeted them yesterday afternoon.
“There was a good broad selection of questions and there was no ambiguity in the language,” said Sandra Cleary of the Institute of Education.
Questions on diabetes, renewable energy and merchandising techniques were nice and topical according to the ASTI’s subject representative Maura McCaul.
This is the sixth year of home economics exams since the introduction of the new course and teachers are welcoming what appears to be an established pattern in the structure of the papers.
Ms Cleary said. “A pattern has emerged in the paper; the style, presentation and layout has been established, which is excellent. It may make the exam less daunting.”
The compulsory first question in section two dealt with vegetarianism. “Students found a part in that question about vitamin B12 very specific,” Ms McCaul said. “There was no waffling around that one.”
Questions on marriage, food spoilage, small businesses and kitchen appliances made up the rest of Section B.
The appliance question in particular was so open it may have thrown some students, according to Ms McCaul.
“Normally students are asked about a specific appliance like a kettle or a microwave,” Ms McCaul said.
“This was wide open. It was generous but students would have had to stop and make sure they were reading it correctly as the exam is normally so prescriptive.”
The only problem with the paper came from the third, elective section of the paper.
“In elective one, the compulsory section covered housing, for the third year in a row, which might have surprised candidates,” Ms Cleary said.
At ordinary level students were greeted with a straightforward but occasionally challenging paper. “Students were happy enough,” Ms McCaul said.
The structure of the paper is similar to that at higher level, Ms Cleary said.
“Unusually, the ordinary-level paper question that related to appliances did examine candidates on a specific area of appliances. The higher-level students were not asked for that level of detail.”
