For the Geography exam, your assessment is split up into two parts:

With seven or more essays to be written, timing is crucial in the written exam. It's really important that you keep an eye on the clock and avoid the temptation to run over time perfecting one essay at the cost of not finishing your last question.

The examiner will be looking for SRPs (single relevant points) in your essay. An SRP can be described as a "single meaty statement" or a sentence or paragraph with one clear and true point. At Higher level, an SRP is worth 2 marks so a typical 30-mark essay will need at least 15 SRPs.

There is one written paper for both Higher and Ordinary levels, which lasts for 2 hours and 50 minutes. There are three parts to the written paper, and here is a breakdown of each part:

To truly succeed in Geography, you need to have a keen understanding of what you are learning and why you are learning it. You can then adjust your answers in the exam so they fit specific questions.  This, along with knowing the layout of the exam, plenty of practice and a knowledge of a few handy tips is the crux of how to do well in this exam. The guide below will act as a map, that will orient you around the Geography exam, making sure you reach the summit: an H1!

The more Geography past exam questions you practice, the fewer surprises you'll have on the day of your exam. This is why going through past exam papers is probably the best study method you can use for this subject! Here are three ways you can go about it:

We have worked with a Geography expert teacher and examiner to review a number of our sample essays to show you how to structure an answer and where to pick up marks.

We have 92 examiner-reviewed essays for you to look at, and you can find them on the 'videos and notes' page in a topic or at the bottom of an exam question.

For more information about our sample essays, check out this blog post.

Also, for tips on essay writing check out this episode of the Studyclix Podcast! After years at Studyclix and working alongside expert teachers, Eimear and Nessa have picked up lots of tips and tricks for crafting the perfect essay. There is a formula for essay-writing that if you follow it, will make it so much easier on yourself so you don't waste time agonising over what to write.

To hear these great tips, listen below:

​​​Every year, in the lead-up to state exams, we are often asked for predictions for Leaving cert subjects. So we've put together our Topic Analysis Tables for you to try & plan your study as best as possible!

Do you know how your essay-style Geography questions are marked? In this guide we go through what a Significant Relevant Point is and how many you need to get full marks.

Watch Gabrielle share her top tips for the day of the exam.

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