by Anna Marie Jennings
The higher-level Home Economics paper was a very manageable and topical paper that offered students a great variety of choices in the questions offered, especially with the amendments to the paper this year. The short questions served as a nice introduction to the paper and were very approachable overall with a good focus on both macro- and micronutrients, which students should have been well prepared for.
The compulsory long question was very approachable and should have been manageable for most students with the inclusion of protein, a topic students had been anticipating this year. The remaining questions in Section B, of which two had to be answered, covered vegetables and food spoilage, processed foods and additives, shopping patterns and budgeting, and changes affecting families, giving students a great choice and opportunity to show their knowledge.
In Section C this year, there was also an additional choice, with students able to opt for Question 4 (Core Studies). This examined students on cereals and milling of wheat, another hotly anticipated topic, and gave the choice between answering on sensory analysis and caring for family members with special needs. Some students may have been surprised to see resource management was not included in this question, as it has been a regular feature in recent years, but overall, it was a very doable question.
The other popular choice of elective question was Elective 3 (Social Studies). Again, this was a very topical question touching on unemployment, voluntary work, and education’s role in child development.
Overall, students should be happy with the paper, as it featured many of the anticipated topics asked in a very approachable way.
