Teachers have claimed that this year’s higher-level history exam posed a challenge, despite well-prepared students being content with the range of topics. Institute of Education’s history teacher, Mr Stephen Tonge, pointed out that pupils who exclusively focused on case studies struggled as more complex queries demanded wider contextual knowledge. But he suggested pupils with thorough preparation across diverse topics faced manageable question.
According to Jamie Dockery, a teacher at Tyndall College and subject expert at Studyclix.ie, the exam hit popular topics, especially in its Ireland section. These included land reform, home rule, prominent figures like Edward Carson and Eamon de Valera, the Eucharistic Congress, and Northern Ireland. Dockery noted that the examination provided thought-provoking topics for studious candidates.
However, there were concerns, with Philip Irwin, a teacher at The High School in Dublin and a representative of ASTI, pointing out the exame’s high demands. Particularly, he noted the historical range covered by some Ireland section questions. For instance, politics and society in Northern Ireland (1949-1993) required students to discuss either the Sunningdale agreement, the Anglo-Irish agreement, or the Downing Street declaration. The time span was a challenge since the syllabus extends only up to 1993.
Furthermore, Dockery expressed concern over the underrepresentation of significant women in Irish history until it was addressed later with references to Margaret Thatcher, Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, and Marilyn Monroe in the Europe and the wider world section. Dockery also noted pupils’ satisfaction with the inclusion of Stalin’s show trials as a key document, which Irwin agreed was a fair question.
Mr. Irwin remarked on the peculiar nature of the inclusion of two diary entries in the test, an uncommon occurrence. He also touched on how the queries tested the students’ comprehension of varying epochs from the 1930s. He claimed that the questions were well-composed, which shouldn’t pose any obstacles to the students, and that there were some notably captivating comparative ones as well.
Mr. Tonge further added that students found the history syllabus extensive and as a result, often have to single out particular sections for special concentration. In connection to the topic on political and social modifications between 1870-1914, he affirmed that related questions were sound and encompassed all the necessary information.
Regarding the segment on Europe and its global implications, there was a notable question on the hurdles that former US President Harry Truman dealt with from 1945-53. The question allowed candidates to mention events such as the deployment of the atomic bomb, the blockade in Berlin and also the Korean War.
Mr. Irwin also mentioned a case study on the Montgomery bus boycott, which he remarked would have been appreciated by the students. For ordinary level students, Mr. Dockery noted that the test was wholeheartedly accepted by both instructors and pupils, while stating it’s typically more foreseeable and attainable than its higher level equivalent. Repeatedly, the trial of Stalin held the spotlight in the documents-oriented query.
He also expressed his approval for the identical structure of the higher and ordinary level exams, especially considering that a typical senior history class necessarily consists of students studying at both levels. As per Mr. Dockery’s advice, ordinary level students are usually encouraged to primarily concentrate on the case studies and significant political figures for each topic.
According to him, it is a strategy that will have brought satisfaction to those students who adhered to it during this exam. Key figures from Irish history such as O’Connell, Parnell, Davitt, Douglas Hyde, Collins, and de Valera figured prominently in the test. Female figures such as Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington, Countess Markievicz, and Maureen O’Hara also found spots in the exam.
Mr. Dockery also mentioned that topics on Europe and the broader world were also diversified, providing a well-prepared student ample opportunity to perform well. As an exercise, he suggested an attempt at Leaving Cert history, higher level, particularly on the topic of government, economy, and society in the Republic of Ireland, 1949-1989, focussing on your learning about RTÉ; changes in education; changing attitudes to the Irish language from your study of the culture in the Republic of Ireland.