Leaving Cert home economics: Question on lipids gives fat chance

Students who paid attention to past exam papers will have been richly rewarded by this year’s home economics papers, according to teachers.

Several topics which had not appeared in a few years showed up at higher level, much to the delight of students. These included lipids (fats), energy labelling and food additives.

Margaret Kinsella, ASTI subject representative and a teacher at Bunclody Vocational College, Co Wexford, said the short questions on the higher level paper were all very approachable and encompassed all areas of the course, including microbiology, nutrition, textiles and budgeting.

Sandra Cleary, a home economics teacher at the Institute of Education in Dublin, said this year's questions were very factual and did not require much opinion from the students.

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Children’s rights

“The short questions had a broad selection and none of them were too difficult. A question on children’s rights and conflict between adults and adolescents was nice and straightforward,” she said.

“The topical issues of homelessness and rent in the private sector appeared in elective one, and students who are up-to-date on current affairs would have been at an advantage.”

Ms Kinsella said the ordinary level paper, which asked students for three pieces of information per question instead of the usual two, may have posed a challenge for some students.

A question on the rising number of women in the workplace may have been daunting. Otherwise, she said, the questions were very doable.

Try this at home “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” (Nelson Mandela)

(a) Identify and explain the rights of children in society today.

(b) Discuss the possible causes of conflict between adolescents and adults.

Suggest strategies for resolving this conflict.

(c) Outline the protection available for families under the Family Law (Maintenance of Spouses and Children) Act, 1976.