3 days ago
Teachers praise Leaving Cert geography, but slam Junior Cycle history as 'illogical and unfair'
This year's Leaving Certificate geography exam contained no major surprises, offering students a "lovely" and well-balanced paper with reliable and current questions.
However, the unfamiliar 'donut' graph format may have caused some stress for students, teachers who reviewed the paper said.
On the third day of the 2025 State exams, Leaving Cert students sat geography on Friday morning, while Junior Cycle students took their history paper.
The Junior Cycle history exam once again faced criticism from teachers, who say the continued absence of mark allocations and limited time remain significant challenges for students.
The 2025 Ordinary Level geography paper was described as fair by Laura O'Sullivan, a teacher at Bantry Community School and secretary of the Cork Geography Teachers' Association.
'The short questions were really well scaffolded with images, which is really good for candidates, and the longer questions were very accessible," Ms O'Sullivan said.
At Higher Level, she added, the short answer section was more balanced than in previous years.
'In previous years, they were looked for loads of answers for small marks whereas I think this year they were more realistic about what can be achieved in a short amount of time which is fantastic.'
One graph question may have presented difficulty for some Higher Level students, she noted.
'It was just a different kind of graph than they would have come across before.'
'Your more able candidates would have been fine but the weaker candidates might struggle with it.'
'They just won't be used to having seen it, but if they treat it like they treat other graphs, and don't panic, then they'll be fine.'
Students also needed to read a question on rock types and landscapes carefully, she said, as it required more than one example.
'If they only did one rock type, and one landscape, then they'll probably only get half the marks.'
Overall, she described the paper as very fair and said she was 'very happy' with its structure and content.
Margaret Fitzpatrick, a teacher at Midleton CBS, also praised the 2025 geography paper.
'The biggest challenge was actually completing it because they would have so much knowledge."
"It was a lovely, lovely paper with each section nicer than the other.' 'If students had worked off their exam papers, they should have been well able for it. The only challenge would be getting it done in the time allowed.'
Junior Cycle
Meanwhile, Junior Cycle history continues to pose a major challenge, according to Studyclix subject expert Jamie Dockery, a teacher at Tyndall College, Carlow.
Students are expected to answer eight questions across a wide range of topics within a strict two-hour limit.
'Not accounting for the time needed to pre-read the paper and review answers, practices teachers actively encourage, students are left with roughly fifteen minutes per question."
"That's a demanding pace, even for the most capable candidates."
'This year, the difficulty was compounded yet again by the continued absence of mark allocations on the exam paper. Each of the eight questions carried different marks, yet students were given no indication of this during the exam."
Mr Dockery added that under time pressure, students should have the option to prioritise higher-value questions.
"A basic exam strategy they are taught in every other subject. Denying them this opportunity in History is both illogical and unfair," he added.
'It risks disadvantaging students in their results and may even deter some from continuing with History into Senior Cycle."
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