What can current and future students and their teachers learn?

The following advice is offered to teachers and students preparing for the Leaving Certificate Home Economics Scientific and Social written and coursework examinations. The comments below refer to both levels unless otherwise specified and reflect good practice that should be developed over the course of the student’s five or six years of study in this subject area at second level. The depth of understanding and level of mastery required of candidates at Ordinary level is obviously less than that expected at Higher level. 4.1 During the Learning

• Teachers and students are encouraged to engage fully with all parts of the syllabus, the omission of any part of the course severely limits students’ ability to achieve a satisfactory grade as it restricts their choice of questions. Questions range across the entire syllabus and candidates who study the entire course content are rewarded in the examination.
• Students should develop the competency of planning and structuring responses, and an awareness of the detail required in questions to attain high marks. Key points to be addressed should be noted and answers formulated around the key points identified.
• In discussion type questions, it is good practice to structure responses with examples to support explanations.
• Have regard to mark allocation; a twenty-mark allocation generally requires answers to have four / five distinct points with no overlap evident.
• Teachers and students are encouraged to engage in a wide variety of teaching and learning methodologies, the ability to analyse and interpret information is essential to answer Question B.1.(a). Students should be familiar with the practice of interpreting case studies, charts and tables of information.
• The linking of syllabus material is essential, students should learn how to integrate topics from one content area to another.
• Areas of the syllabus can be examined in different ways and teachers and students should be prepared for different styles of questions.
• Students should be familiar with the name and question number of the elective they are studying on the examination paper, as each year candidates attempt the incorrect elective or parts of different elective questions and lose substantial marks as a consequence.
• Close to the examination time the use of previous examination papers and marking schemes will assist students in familiarising themselves with the paper format, question styles, terms, weighting of marks and answer guidelines used to assess knowledge and understanding of topics. However, teachers and students are reminded, as noted in the introduction to the SEC marking schemes that in many cases only key phrases are given which contain information and ideas that must appear in the candidate’s answer in order to merit the assigned marks. Teachers and students should note that the descriptions, methods and definitions in the marking scheme are not exhaustive and alternative valid answers are acceptable, and that the detail required in any answer is determined by the context and the manner in which the question is asked. Requirements and mark allocations may, therefore, vary from year to year. However, the notes to teachers and students at the front of the published marking scheme about their use should be carefully taken into consideration.
• Teachers should encourage the use of diagrams and charts to support answers, these can help students avoid writing long descriptive answers and therefore save valuable time e.g. in Section C, Elective 1.(c)(ii) explaining the principle of one method of natural and one method of artificial ventilation and in Section B Question 1.(b), classification, chemical formula, examples, food source of carbohydrates.
• Students should be encouraged to develop strategies for cross-checking answers with the examination paper. 4.2 While doing the practical coursework Food Studies Coursework
• Students should read and interpret assignments carefully and should be directed to continually refer to the recording criteria in the journal in order to ensure the key requirements of the assignment are included.
• Students should research topics independently, using as wide a range of resources as possible and research should be analysed and linked to the assignment topic.
• Course content relevant to journal work should be studied in advance of commencing assignments, students require a foundation in nutrition to investigate the requirements of special diets in Area of Practice A – Application of Nutritional Principles.
• In practical classes students should be encouraged to identify the key factors that are critical to the success of the dish, and the important hygiene and safety factors and know the importance of citing reasons in respect of both.
• Students should critically analyse outcomes in their evaluations. Students are advised to complete the evaluation for each assignment as close as possible to the completion of the practical application.
• Following the practical application, record each assignment in its entirety before starting the next one, so as to avoid errors and omissions.
• In assignments where common research resources are used or where students work in pairs for practical work, each student must present his / her individual report of the assignment.
• It is particularly important to use black or blue pen in Food Studies Coursework, pencil should not be used as it may fade and make reading difficult.
• Students must not insert extra material or sub divide lines, examiners will only mark what is presented on the pages of the journal itself, additional material will not be awarded any marks. Textiles, Fashion & Design Coursework
• The finished garment and accompanying design folder should be the student’s own individual work.
• Students should follow the assessment criteria outlined in page 4 ‘Practical Coursework Assignment Brief’.
• Fabric selected should be suitable for the brief, easy to handle and skill appropriate.
• During the construction, students should ensure that mandatory processes are correctly executed. 4.3 During the written examination
• Students should allocate time at the start of the examination to read the instructions at the beginning of each section, noting the compulsory questions and the elective they have studied, and should highlight or underline key parts of each question.
• Students should attempt all parts of the required number of questions, if questions / parts are omitted, this reflects adversely on final grades. This is a common error at Ordinary level.
• It is advisable to answer compulsory questions first, followed by optional questions, and students should ensure they answer the required number of questions and all parts of questions, even when they have limited knowledge of the topic. Students should be mindful of the mark allocation for different parts of questions and present the required number of points to be eligible for the award of full marks.
• Students should plan in advance their use of time during the examination and this should allow for revision of their work.
• Students should pay particular attention to the wording used in the question, particularly when the following cues are used – ‘discuss’, ‘analyse’, ‘elaborate’, ‘give an account’. Incomplete answers and answers that do not include adequate discussion, elaboration or explanation are the main reasons why students lose marks.
• It is important that students ensure they understand the question before starting to answer it. It is noted that students sometimes attempt the first part of a question and find they are unable to attempt any additional part, resulting in the student having to attempt an additional question.
• Students should avoid lengthy descriptive paragraphs, while being mindful of giving an expanded answer in the form of a sentence or sentences when required. This is particularly important when answering the social studies elective as it prevents candidates from giving irrelevant information.
• Students should begin each question on a new page, and number each part of the question in sequence, this avoids omitting sections of questions and affords the student the opportunity to add additional information at the end of the examination.
• Students attempting extra questions in the examination are reminded that, while all answers will be marked, they might have been better served spending more time reviewing and clarifying their answers rather than attempting extra questions.
• Students should use all of the time in the examination. If they finish the examination early, they should review their work, checking back through answers.