Reaction to 2026 Leaving Certificate Economics (Higher Level) by Rob Quinlan, Economics teacher at The 91制片厂.
- Questions focused on the 鈥渨hy鈥� more than 鈥渨hat鈥�.听
- Not past paper friendly听
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Students will leave that exam wondering where the time went. At the best of times Economics is a race against the clock, but this paper included long introductions and enough conceptual framing that听pushed this听pace听even听further. Students will听likely have听paused for 30 seconds before committing pen to paper, and over the course of the whole exam those added up. This will have been听immediately听evident听in Section 1鈥檚听short questions. The examples used were extremely topical and ranged from Spotify to Klarna to the aging farming population. Yet some the Economic concepts examples were dug from the lesser spotted areas of the course. Students would not have only needed to know the central talking points but also the footnotes听in order to听cover everything. Indeed, those who relied heavily on past papers to shape their grasp of the subject听as a whole will听have been shocked by the inclusion of听Kuznet鈥檚听Curve which听hasn鈥檛听yet听been examined. As such students hoping to lob down a quick definition and move on will have struggled to gain traction here.听
The long questions of Section 2 followed in a similar vein, though it is important to remember that the tougher task tend to loom larger in听our memories of the paper. The exam听definitely听pushed听the students to think about the听economic principles at play beneath the given scenario and听this听dissection听takes time and mental effort. The section opens with some familiar territory with Q11鈥檚 micro market structures. For the second year in a row imperfect competition was asked,听which听is unusual so听those听who relied heavily on patterns to filter their study regime might struggle. Q12 compared the economy of听the US and听Ireland, which will have suited those who knew their trade policies. Q13 was听probably the听most听similar to听past papers in how it covered topics like ECB interest rates and labour shortages.听听
The challenge increases in Q14 which looks welcomingly听familiar at first glance. Those who ventured further will really have had to think when asked about the limitations of GDP on economic welfare. A top student could parse out the idea and feel rewarded but students hoping for something simpler to carry them over a grade line will be more听unsure. Q15 of Fiscal Policy follows a similar formula: a nice prelude on current and capital expenses before diving deeper. The questions on targeted support for citizens and broadening the tax base will test the depths of their knowledge.听A.I. made an appearance in the final phase of Q15 as students were asked to appraise its impact on the gap in productivity between foreign firms and Irish SMEs. The core ideas involved听aren鈥檛听inherently hard, but the skills to dismantle the question will be what distinguishes the top scorers.听
Q16 was a supply and demand question framed around 鈥渃oolcations鈥�, holidays to cooler climates like Ireland. Students were asked about exchanges rates and the reasons behind tourist taxes, both of which should be manageable. The latter part of the question on the Production Possibility Frontier (PPF) compared Ireland and Malawi.听Again听this was very approachable if the students knew how to shift the curve.听
A student who entered this exam hoping for a repeat of the past papers will have struggled in this exam. However, those who went in ideas first and were always attentive to the underlying forces being examined will be happy.听