Economics exam keeps it topical

The exams set for Leaving Cert economics students included many references to current affairs and topical issues, like Irish Water, mortgage lending restrictions and rent controls.

Teachers’ Union of Ireland subject spokesman Shane Ó Ciardubháin said the higher level paper was very fair and the good choice allowed students to prove and apply their knowledge of economic concepts and ideas.

Micro-economics questions on demand and supply, monopolies and factors of production were well balanced, and questions on the need to regulate Irish Water and on rent controls required more than just rote learning.

Mr Ó Ciardubháin said macro questions were very accessible and students were offered a broad choice.

For the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), Pat Collins welcomed the use of current affairs in the exam, referring also to topical issues like the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA).

He also thought the question on Government intervention in the private rental market was slightly testing, but he said there was a very nice banking question.

Mr Collins said weaker ordinary level students would have been pleased with a short question asking what some basic abbreviations stood for, and the same section had a nice question about online shopping. There was overlap with the higher level exam, he said, with a more direct question about Irish Water in the ordinary level exam, and students had a chance to show their understanding in question on social housing.

Mr Ó Ciardubháin said the ordinary level paper was clear and balanced, covering topics like imperfect competition, demand and supply for smart phones and circular flow of income. He said questions were fair and well composed, with explanatory notes provided where required.

Both Leaving Certificate design and communication graphics papers were very fair, well structured and challenging, according to ASTI’s Michael Horan.

The use of 3D graphics helped students visualise items, and objects familiar from everyday life to boys and girls were used. Higher level students were asked to construct drawings around objects like a satellite orbiting the Earth, the Fifa World Cup trophy, and plotting the movement of a mechanism from a coin pusher arcade machine from TV game show Tipping Point.

Ordinary level students constructed designs including an image from the Angry Bird computer game, a widescreen plasma TV on a stand, and the roof structure of Glasnevin Museum.