Junior Cert home economics: Students quizzed on value of gluten-free fish fingers

The Junior Cert home economics paper was described by teachers as a "testing paper" which examined all aspects of a broad course.

Margaret Kent, ASTI subject representative and a teacher at Loreto Secondary School in Cork, said students will need to have read the questions carefully.

Short questions on the higher level paper included the British safety symbol, which was somewhat unexpected, the advantages of home insulation, and the purpose of electrical circuit breakers.

Longer questions asked students about the nutritional value of gluten-free and wholegrain fish fingers, allowing them to bring in broad areas of the syllabus.

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Healthy eating and consumer rights appeared, as did a question asking them to compare the role of parents and teens in the family which, Ms Kent said, would have been popular.

Ms Kent pointed out that students have already sat a practical cookery exam and made a craft item or carried out a research project constituting 50 per cent of the marks.

She said that her students enjoy learning to cook both for practical reasons and for enjoyment.

“The ordinary level paper included questions on positive mental health, featured a good use of graphics and was centred on the lives and needs of teenagers, making it particularly relevant,” said Ms Kent.

Official figures show that just over 22,000 students sat Thursday’s home economics paper.