A printing error in the Leaving Cert economics higher level paper created some confusion for students yesterday.
Question 2(c) gave price elasticity for two goods, good x and y but a minus sign had been omitted on the paper. Before the exam, superintendents were asked to inform students of the error.
Despite the misprint, teachers gave a broad welcome to the papers at both higher and ordinary level. Only 5,000 students are taking the subject this year; many are put off the subject because of its maths content. By contrast, almost 25,000 students take Leaving Cert business which is regarded as being less difficult.
Mr John Morris, a teacher at the Institute of Education said the paper stuck to the syllabus. He expressed surprise, however, that students could have opted to take only questions in micro or macro economics in section B. Teachers had advised students that a knowledge of both aspects of economics was required.
Mr Morris also expressed some concern about the awkward wording of some questions.
Mr Dermot McCarthy, a TUI subject representative from Abbey Vocational School in Donegal, said the paper provided "something for everyone". In racing parlance, he said the "form book had been thrown away" as many of the predicted topics did not actually appear on the paper.
Few of the questions on the exam related to current economic trends. However, students were asked to discuss the positive and negative economic consequences which a fall in the level of economic growth may have on the Irish economy.
Only 130 students sat the agricultural economics Leaving Cert exam yesterday. Higher level questions included one on the Mansholt Plan and the "low responsiveness of farm production to price change". At ordinary level, students were asked about the "cheques in the post system" now received by farmers.
