Topical themes left most students spoiled for choice

LEAVING CERT ECONOMICS:YESTERDAY'S LEAVING Cert Economics exams were "bang up to date", fielding questions regarding the price of oil, inflation, banking and credit.

“Both papers had a current affairs theme,” said Pat Collins of Dungarvan CBS in Waterford. “The higher paper was a fine exam, with plenty of choice and scope for good marks.” Teachers and students welcomed a topical higher level paper which also featured questions on the Beijing Olympics and taxation.

“There were no shocks on this paper, although question seven, on balanced regional development, was a little more difficult than usual,” said Pat Connolly, a subject representative of the ASTI. “However, students had much to choose from, so they shouldn’t have had any problems.”

John Morris of the Institute of Education was equally pleased with yesterday’s higher level paper. “The well-prepared student was like a kid in a candy store. There was a huge amount of choice and all the old staples came up – national income, taxation and Government policy, privatisation, inflation – the core topics of macroeconomics.”

The only reservation expressed by teachers yesterday concerned the length of the paper. “Some questions were longer than others, so depending on how they chose, some students may have been under pressure to get finished,” said Mr Morris. Questions one and eight in section B were considered particularly lengthy.

The ordinary level paper was also up to date, with a question on decreasing demand in the Irish housing market and more exploration of oil prices.

“Students could make an attempt at most of the material on yesterday’s ordinary level paper,” said Pat Collins.

Liam MacNamara, a teacher at St Patrick’s Comprehensive in Shannon, said that students who had covered the course should have found it a very fair paper.

Economics is a minority subject. Only 4,569 students took the subject this year; fewer than the numbers taking Music or Technical Drawing. Two out of three Economics students are male.

According to Mr Morris , Economics is the Leaving Certificate’s “best kept secret”. “It’s a shame that more students don’t take Economics because it is a relatively easy subject to do well in and it’s very interesting to study.”