History at Senior Cycle
The History syllabus offers students, an exciting opportunity to dive deeper into the areas of History which you enjoyed at Junior Cycle level.
Topics may include:
- Dictatorships and Democracy in Europe 1920-1945
- USA and The World 1945-1989
- Ireland – Sovereignty and Partition 1912-1949
- Movement for Political & Social Reform 1870-1914.
Students have the opportunity to undertake a research study of their choice and this is submitted usually in April/May prior to the examination. This research study is required at Higher and Ordinary Level and is worth 20% of the total marks. Another major area of study for Leaving Certificate History is a detailed examination of documents under a predefined case study. These are both written and visual documents. This section seeks to develop interpretation and analytical skills which are vital in many aspects of the workplace and are also worth 20% of the final exam and 60% of the marks is based on three essays on the topics listed above.
Each topic (including the Document Section) will have three case studies that are required learning. For example, in the USA and the Wider World the three case studies are:
- The Montgomery Bus Boycott
- Lyndon Johnson & the Vietnam War
- The Moon Landing 1969
History gives you the freedom to be in charge of your own research and express fact-driven opinions on key events throughout the time periods we study. The skills acquired are useful not only in the study of History, but also in courses and careers in Media, Project Management, Economics, English, Gaming, Journalism, Law, Education, Politics, Medicine, Psychology, Sociology, Archaeology, Military and many more.
History & Senior Cycle Redevelopment
As part of the redevelopment of senior cycle, it is envisaged that a revised specification for Leaving Certificate History will be introduced in schools from September 2027. History is part of Tranche 3 subjects. Below is an infographic outlining the Key Competencies students will be developing in the Senior Cycle.
More information can be found by following this link: https://ncca.ie/en/senior-cycle/curriculum-developments/history/