Other optional and complementary subjects (ONL, sciences, philosophy, economics)
What the optional and complementary examinations test
Optional subjects vary widely - ONL (Other National Language), sciences, philosophy, economics and others - but they share a purpose: to test depth of understanding in a chosen discipline and the ability to use its methods independently. ONL examinations test literary and linguistic analysis in that language, with written and oral components. Science options test conceptual understanding, data handling and experimental reasoning; philosophy tests argument analysis and essay construction; economics tests theory applied to data and real cases.
Core rules and concepts
- Identify the assessment format early: essay, data-response, practical-based questions or oral. Each has a different mark scheme.
- In ONL, do not translate mentally from L1; build your argument in the target language and use its idiomatic structures.
- In sciences, show the reasoning chain: identify variables, state the relationship, use units, and comment on reliability or error.
- In philosophy, reconstruct the argument before criticising it; use premises and conclusions explicitly.
- In economics, define terms, use a diagram where it clarifies, and apply theory to the specific case rather than listing generalities.
Worked example
Economics data-response: a table shows rising household debt and falling savings. Question: "Explain the likely effect on consumption."
Reasoning: Define consumption and the relevant determinants (income, wealth, confidence, credit). Use the data: rising debt may sustain consumption in the short run if credit is available, but falling savings reduces a buffer and raises vulnerability. Distinguish short-run from long-run effects. A diagram of the consumption function could show an upward shift if confidence rises, or a downward shift if debt servicing cuts disposable income. Conclude that the effect is ambiguous without knowing interest rates and income growth. A weak answer says "consumption will fall" and ignores the data.
Traps
- In ONL, producing a technically correct but idiomatically foreign essay.
- In sciences, giving a numerical answer without units or significant figures.
- In philosophy, describing a philosopher's view instead of evaluating the argument.
- In economics, using a diagram that is not referred to in the text.