Review by Yeats College Home Economics teacher 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 nutrition, 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 return of a macronutrient – carbohydrates as anticipated by many. The remaining questions in section B, of which two had to be answered, covered diet in pregnancy and folic acid, changes in Irish eating patterns and yoghurt, consumers and the modern Irish family, 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 fats and gave the choice between answering on household textiles and appliances or sensory analysis and the Irish food industry. Some students may have been disappointed to see social studies was not included in this question, but overall it was a very do-able question. The other popular choice of elective question was election 3 (social studies) again, this was a very topical question touching on education, unemployment and leisure.
Overall, students should be happy with the paper as it featured many of the anticipated topics. There was a good focus on diets throughout, with some links to the journal assignments that students completed prior to the exam.
