Geography and History exams continue positive trend in 2026 State examinations

Darra McDonald, Callum Green and Luke Crowley at Community St Colemans College in Midleton. Picture: Howard Crowdy

The third day of the 2026 State examinations continued with a "fair and balanced" Leaving Cert Geography paper that was well received by students and teachers alike, while the Junior Cycle History exam continued the trend away from rote learning.

Leaving Cert Geography is a "marathon" and a "very demanding" paper, according to Margaret Fitzpatrick, a teacher and ASTI subject spokesperson.

However, she believed the 2026 paper would be widely praised by both students and teachers.

"It was a fair and balanced paper with predictable question structures," she said. 

The short questions were in line with previous years, as were the structured essay questions.

"Well prepared students will do extremely well," she added. 

The ordinary-level paper also contained no major surprises, according to Stephen Doyle, Studyclix subject spokesperson.

"Students would have been reassured by the range of choice available throughout the exam." 

"The questions were accessible, covered familiar topics and gave candidates plenty of opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge. Overall, it was a fair and manageable paper that should have been well received by students." 

Meanwhile, the 2026 Junior Cycle History exam was also well received.

"This year’s Junior Cycle History paper continued the trend away from rote content and towards source analysis, with photographs, a cartoon, a diagram and a timeline all featuring," said history teacher Patrick Hickey, who posts online as @lchistorytutor.

"A fresh climate change and archaeology angle opened the paper. Question 6 on the Holocaust proved trickiest. I think the paper will be broadly welcomed."