Reaction to 2026 Leaving Certificate History (Higher Level) by Stephen Tonge, History teacher at The Institute of Education.
- A surprising but not upsetting paper
- Students looking to write two essays from Section 2: Ireland will have found this paper tougher
Students will have started the exam expecting to see the Strike and Lockout for the Document Based Question. Instead they were met with the G.A.A. 1884-1891, the least likely topic. Once they got over the initial shock they will have found the questions fair and manageable within the time. The goal of each question was clear and understandable and most importantly achievable within the sheer vastness of the course.
Students hoping to do two essays from Section 2: Ireland, might have found this paper tough as it lacked a typical ‘get out off jail free’ question. Even at its most distilled, the course is immense and so students would have looked at previous papers to help guide their revision. This paper lacked some of the staples that many had come to expect: no Anglo-Irish Relations, no Eucharistic Congress, no Treaty Negotiations, no Irish Economy. For Topic 3: The pursuit of sovereignty and the impact of partition 1912-1949, students will be relieved with the question on the impact of World War II on the North and South. Elsewhere the examiner has plumbed the nooks and niches of the course. The question of the contribution of Patrick Pearse and/or Countess Markievicz will challenge students to fully contextualise these figures rather than reverting to biography. Topic 5 on Northern Ireland diverges from previous papers by enquiring about the Trouble in three of the questions, up from the normal two. Questions on cultural identities or the Sunningdale Agreement were very approachable fair, but students looking for the more typical variety will be surprised.
Moving into the latter stages of the exam, students will be happy by a more welcoming array of topics. Topic 3 on Dictatorship and democracy in Europe 1920-1945 has been part of the Document Based Question for the past two years and its appearance here will be seen as covering a fair range of topics. Topic 6 on The United States and the world 1945-1989 everyone will be glad to see predicted topics appear. The issue of race relations was absent from the paper last year but made an anticipated return. Students who knew the cultural importance of Billy Graham and Betty Friedan were given a great question that let them demonstrate the full stretch of their knowledge. The question on the Cold War in Europe and Asia was innovative in a way that will really favour the stronger students.
The first volleys of this exam will have surprised many as they flipped through the exam booklet and saw some surprising titles. Yet the greatest challenge of the paper isn’t posed by the topics on the page; it comes from the sheer quantity of material that could be asked.