Students get to advise Finance Minister

MORE than 4,500 Leaving Certificate students got the chance to come up with their own solutions to the Government’s budget crisis in two very topical economics papers yesterday morning.

Shane O Ciardubháin, subject spokesperson for the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI), said well-prepared candidates would have been very happy with the higher level paper, although they might have found it tough completing the exam on time.

Among the topical themes included were questions about banks over-extending their loan books and another offering students the chance to give the Minster for Finance advice on reducing the current budget deficit.

Mr O Ciardubháin said many students would also have been expecting the questions which appeared about national income and imperfect competition.

He said the ordinary level paper also had a wide choice of questions and students should have liked questions about the effect of falling demand in the car industry and the causes and affects of unemployment.

Also yesterday morning, Junior Certificate music students had their written exam following earlier practical tests which were worth a quarter of total marks.

Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) music representative Mary McFadden said the higher level paper was reasonable, examining students in a broad range of keys in the comprehension section.

She felt students who had prepared well were given a chance to show off their skills and most would have been happy with the selection of illustrative and film music in the chosen music section.

TUI music spokesperson Maria Morgan said there was nothing unexpected or problematic about the higher or ordinary level exams.

Junior Certificate technology papers were set in the afternoon and ASTI’s subject spokesperson Kieran Christie liked the emphasis on modern technologies and the environment in the higher level exam.

He said the layout was similar to that of previous years, with clear photos and sketching, and students were likely to have been pleased with a question about robotic toys. The electronics questions were testing but fair.

Mr Christie said the ordinary level exam was well balanced, with a good breadth of questions.