What does it take to get a H1 in Higher Level Economics?
Sally Kiernan, a past pupil from The Institute of Education who achieved a H1 in Leaving Cert higher level economics, shares her advice for acing the exam.
Practice with past papers
Frequently attempting past questions and writing up your own concise notes from your learning material will contribute significantly towards your result.
Pay attention to current events
In preparation for my exams, I listened to current affairs programmes on the bus on the way to school every morning. I became more confident and familiar with current affairs and economic jargon which I ultimately used in my exam.
Exam timing
Fortunately the Economics paper is generous with time, but this time has to be spent effectively. I took ten minutes before I picked up a pen to read through the paper. This gave me a chance to pick my four long questions. Time should be allocated to all questions based on the weight of the marks.
Exam presentation
The presentation of your script should be accessible for the examiner. Market structure graphs should be drawn clearly and with no ambiguity.
Throughout your paper it should be clear that with each point that you have two distinct facts to back up your point.
In the exam I used a highlighter to highlight headings to make it obvious to the examiner. When marks are being allocated, presentation is important.
Sample Notes
Students who attend The Institute of Education are provided with exclusive, exam-focussed study notes to support their home study and revision. Below are a sample of the high-quality economics notes they receive.
Reaction to 2023 Economics Exam
Each year, our exceptional teachers give their take on the Leaving Certificate Higher Level exam papers.
See what Keith Hannigan, economics teacher at The Institute of Education, had to say about the 2023 Higher Level exam paper in this short video.
To read teacher reactions to previous year’s biology exam papers check out our blog>>
