Cora - Higher Level Home Economics

So my exams began today and after the not so great start I had with paper one in English, I couldn’t explain to you how nervous I felt before home ec. It's a subject commonly thought to be easy, and the answers are easy most of the time, that is if you can figure out what the questions want you to say. But I needn't have worried. Home Ec was a dream, well as dreamlike as leaving cert exam could be.There were very few nasty surprises. The short questions were as always picked from random and weird parts of chapters but they weren’t the worst short questions I’ve seen either.

Question 1 was lovely, fibre. Even if you hadn’t revised it after a quick brainstorm the answers would surely come. Question two was a nice one on fish, something my teacher had predicted and it was a nice one too nothing too bizarre or out of the ordinary, they combined that with vitamin D. Question three was a bit weird, food processing, but it wasn’t your standard question I’d never seen so many marks go for naming a freezing method and its description.  To tell the truth I’m doubting myself on that one so I did an extra question. Question four was a really lovely consumer question and thankfully no laws came up, it was just about supermarkets and an agency, lovely jubly. I didn’t do question five and I don't remember what it was but what I do know is this, if you even had a night before cram with a little bit of prediction you would have been well able for this exam, even the elective seemed doable and that's something I’ve always struggled with!

Home ec really lifted my spirits after paper 1 in English and has given me hope for the rest of these exams. I’m so delighted I have one exam done and dusted, only another eight to go! 

Ellen - Higher Level Home Economics 

I could not believe my eyes when I read through that home ec paper - literally everything my teacher predicted came up - fibre, fish, poverty, even the short questions on textiles and the environment! I chose to do the question on fish first as I felt I was strongest in that, although usually I always start with Q1, I just didn't like the look of that graph! I ended up doing the consumer studies question, something which I did not anticipate going into the exam! But the questions were nice enough- shopping patterns and merchandising techniques for 20m each.The social elective was fair as well, although I struggled a bit with the poverty definitions. I hadn't studied education much but I was able to wing the functions of education for young people. Then I looked at my watch- I only 40 minutes left for Q1 and half the short questions I'd left earlier!That table was the literally my biggest fear - no graphics and so difficult to decipher. I raced through the fibre questions, I don't know if I even answered them correctly or not, my main goal was to finish it. I was a bit thrown by the 'strategies' to increase fibre intake but I just said nuts & seeds, wholegrains etc, with a bit of public awareness campaigns thrown in for good measure. All short questions answered and it was just time to finish up. There were bullet points and tables go leor, but Home Ec is finally over!Please note: blog posts reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union. Blogs are updated daily by 6.30 pm on scheduled examination dates.Zeminar is an event for Generation Z, particularly those aged between 15 and 19, and their parents, teachers, mentors and coaches. It will take place from 11th - 13th of October 2016. For more information see www.zeminar.ie