Coatbridge College early education and childcare Higher candidates were delighted with this year’s paper, apart from the inclusion of one word.

In Paper 1, Question 2(c), they were asked to consider the “impact” of nature and nurture on children’s growth and development. Afterwards, candidates said they had not been sure how to respond to that word. That reaction took lecturer Anne-Marie Honeyman by surprise. She could only surmise that past papers and other preparatory work had phrased similar questions differently, perhaps explicitly asking for benefits.

She stressed, however, that candidates in general found the language used “much clearer” than in past papers. In previous years, misunderstandings of what was being asked had hampered candidates’ ability to show their knowledge. Questions were also perceived to reflect coursework better than in previous years.

In Paper 2, Question 4(c), under “holistic approaches”, provided scope to show a wide range of knowledge. It asked candidates about roles and responsibilities when a child was unwell. Other good questions asked for a description of one theory of emotional, personal and social development, and to use Maslow’s theory - past questions have expected candidates to pick an appropriate theory themselves - to explain the basic health needs of children in a case study.