Beth

Higher Level

Alexandra College

And we’re done! After a very long 20 days, I’ve finally come to the end of my Leaving Cert with the politics exam! Politics was an exam I was looking forward to but with a slight bit of apprehension, particularly around what essays would come up.

Overall, the paper was very fair and managed to cover most elements of the course. The short questions were based largely on opinions, which is a bit of a change from previous years but was a great opportunity to apply wider skills and engage with topics like the digital divide. The DBQ this year was based on false information surrounding COVID-19, which was really thought provoking and relatable for students in the context of social media.

I found that the essay section had a good amount of choice. I went with discussing how global inequalities and discrimination present a threat to life, and there was a wide range of other options from the pay gap to the climate crisis! I’m really glad to have had the chance to do politics, and I’m looking forward to the summer and next steps!

Tammy

Higher Level

St. Augustine’s College

I ended my exams on a high note! Politics and Society is my favourite subject, so I’m delighted that the paper went my way!

 The Section A short questions (worth 50 marks) were great! The changes made to the papers allowed us to answer 10 out of 15 questions, but I decided to answer them all in order to give myself the best chance of success! Some of them were quite tricky but I think I got them right! 

 The Data Based Question (worth 150 marks) was a little tricky but nothing out of the ordinary! I liked how modern the topics discussed were, Covid-19 and the media. I think I spent a little bit too long answering the shorter questions as I ended up rushing through the 40m question at the end of the section. Overall though I’m very happy how I handled this section because I generally find them tough!

 Finally, I tackled the dreaded essay question, worth 100 marks. I was so worried about this section, and spent all morning drilling data and key thinkers into my memory! I was hoping that some form of patriarchy essay would appear, and it was just my luck that one showed up! I was absolutely delighted and dove straight into it. The title was:

Discuss whether the gender pay gap is a complex issue, which goes far beyond the issue of equal pay for equal work.

I was writing for the full two and a half hours, I have absolutely no idea how students in previous years had to write 2 full essays! It really showed me how valuable the changes made to the paper actually were, I’ve no idea how I would’ve gotten on if they weren’t there!