State exams 2026: Irish paper 1 described as 'fair' and 'accessible'
Ireland Ogurdlele at Mercy Mounthawk Secondary School in Tralee, Co. Kerry, before his Junior Cycle exam this morning. Photo: Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD
Irish paper 1 offered Leaving Cert students the opportunity to "showcase their Irish language skills with confidence".
The 2026 State exams continued into its second week on Monday, with Leaving Cert maths paper 2 and Irish paper 1, as well and Junior Cycle business studies and science.
Leaving Cert Irish paper 1 was deemed "fair" and "accessible", containing many of the topics students and teachers had expected to see.
Stephen Doyle of Moyle Park College and Studyclix subject spokesperson said the higher-level paper's composition section featured broad topics "that allowed well-prepared students to draw on current affairs, personal experiences and material they had studied throughout the year."
"Most students should have found an option that suited their strengths and allowed them to showcase their Irish language skills with confidence," he said.
The ordinary level paper was also "very accessible" for students.
"This was a fair and manageable paper that provided students with a wide range of accessible options to demonstrate their Irish language skills."
Meanwhile, this year’s Junior Cycle paper included a wide variety of questions across all three strands of the subject’s specification: personal financial, enterprise and our economy.
That’s according to Vincent Murray, teacher at Christian Brothers College, Cork, and ASTI subject spokesperson.
“The key skills of Junior Cycle were effectively assessed,” Mr Murray said. “Students were able to demonstrate key skills such as being creative, being literate and numerate and managing information, across the full exam.”
There was a wide range in the short questions to suit all abilities, he believed.
“Students would have looked favourably on questions on the types of motor insurance, different types of household expenditure, borrowing money, remote working and the benefits of globalisation to an Irish business.
"The use of coloured info graphs also made the questions more attractive to students,” he added.
The deposit return scheme was also examined again, a topic most students will be familiar with, while a question on electric cars would suit students interested in consumer affairs. Students were also asked what advice they would give government regarding national budget figures.
“This tests their understanding of practical economic topics.”
The paper’s budget comparison question would have been challenging for some students, Mr Murray said.
“They had to show the difference between budgeted and actual figures on a household budget statement.
"Overall, it was a very fair and manageable paper that gave students plenty of scope to demonstrate their business learning.”
- Jess Casey is education correspondent for the
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