Leaving Cert Construction Studies: Topical issues on an approachable paper

The higher-level construction studies paper was very topical and students will have been happy with it, according to James Howley, ASTI subject representative and a teacher at St Nathy’s in Ballaghadeereen, Co Roscommon.

“Nothing unexpected came up,” he said.

“The good student had a chance to shine with nice questions on an eco-sustainable house and a nice question on planning permission in the countryside and selecting a site, which is very topical at the moment. A question on self-built houses and the advantages and disadvantages of insulating a house was also very topical, while a question on the conversion of an attic into a bedroom was a nice choice for the more literal student.”

Green house design and respecting the environment were prominent on the paper, he said. “Whoever made the paper came up with a nice exam,” he concluded.

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TRY THIS AT HOME: LEAVING CERT CONSTRUCTION STUDIES, HIGGER LEVEL

A wood-burning stove, combined with a solar collector, is used to provide central heating and hot water for a compact three bedroom, two-storey house. (a) Using notes and a single-line diagram, show a typical design layout for both the central heating and the hot water systems. Show two independently controlled heating zones, one on each floor. Include three radiators on each floor and give the typical sizes of the pipework.