The study of Junior Cycle Geography enables students to become geographically literate. It stimulates curiosity, creating opportunities for students to read, analyse, synthesise and communicate about their immediate environment and wider world. It develops knowledge, skills, values and behaviours that allow students to explore the physical world, human activities, how we interact with our world and recognise the interconnections between systems. Geography supports a broad range of learning experiences at junior cycle and offers opportunities to support all key skills.
The specification for Junior Cycle Geography focuses on developing students’ knowledge and skills to explore and understand the world around us, our role within it and recognise the interconnections amongst systems. This is achieved through the three interconnected strands: Exploring the physical world; Exploring how we interact with the physical world; and Exploring people, place, and change, with one overarching concept entitled Geoliteracy.
The specification is informed by the concept of Geoliteracy. This refers to students’ ability to develop far-reaching decisions through geographical thinking and reasoning. Geoliteracy provides the framework for understanding in geography and is threaded throughout learning and teaching of geography.
The core components of Geoliteracy are the three I’s:
Interactions refers to how systems, both human and natural, interact. Interconnections refers to the linkage between people, places, environments, and spatial patterns, either by tangible links such as roads or intangible links such as politics. Implications refers to the individual’s ability to reason the consequences of their decision making and that of others.
The specification sets out three interconnected strands.
Strand 1: Exploring The Physical World
This strand focuses on facilitating students’ exploration of how the physical world is formed and changed. Students develop knowledge and skills to understand and explain the physical world.
Strand 2: Exploring How We Interact With The Physical World
This strand focuses on facilitating students’ understanding of how people interact with the physical world and the implications this might have for their lives. Students explore how we depend on, adapt, and change the physical world.
Strand 3: Exploring People, Place and Change
This strand focuses on students exploring people, place, and change. Students engage with topics related to globalisation, development, population and interdependence. Students interact with topics while exploring interrelationships and the implications those topics might have for their lives.
These elements inform how students will experience the learning outcomes within the strands:
Formal assessment of Junior Cycle Geography consists of two Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs), an Assessment Task (AT) and a final exam.
CBA 1: Geography in the News
CBA 2: My Geography
Assessment Task
Terminal Exam
Geography is concerned with the study of people and their environment. A study of Geography will help students develop an understanding of their physical and human surroundings. It examines the changing interrelationships between the physical and human worlds. Through their study of Geography, students will develop geographical skills that will help them make informed judgements about issues at local, national, and international levels.
Geography is a broad-based academic subject which will open options for you in your future. Employers and universities see Geography as a robust academic subject rich in skills, knowledge and understanding. As a subject linking the arts and the sciences it is highly flexible in terms of what you can combine it with. If you choose to take Geography on to university, there are literally hundreds of courses to choose from and the range of career areas accessed by graduates of Geography will probably surprise you.
With the growing importance of issues such as climate change, migration, environmental degradation and inequalities, Geography is one of the most relevant courses you could choose to study. Geographers have potential to be well-informed global citizens, using their unique combinations of knowledge and skills to make a positive difference in the world.
The syllabus for Ordinary level is presented in the form of core and elective units. For Higher level it is presented in the form of core, elective and optional units.
The learning, use, and application of geographical skills is central to a student’s experience of Leaving Certificate Geography. Geographical skills are central to all parts of the syllabus. These core geographical skills will also be used and applied in the preparation of the geographical investigation at both Higher and Ordinary levels. The student’s competency in the application and use of geographical skills will be examined in the context of the terminal written examination and the geographical investigation.
The geographical investigation is a core area of study and as such is compulsory for all students. Field studies and investigations using primary and secondary sources are central to the geographical education and experience of all students. The investigation will allow the student to experience the practical application of the core geographical skills that are central to all units of the syllabus. The geographical investigation will allow the student to experience the key aims of the syllabus in the context of their own environment. The investigation also encourages students to develop positive attitudes by both experiencing and questioning relationships and issues in their own environment. The investigation represents the practical application of the core geographical skills listed in the syllabus.
Higher level
Higher level students are required to study:
Core Unit 1 Patterns and processes in the physical environment
Core Unit 2 Regional geography
Core Unit 3 Geographical Investigation and Skills
Higher level students are required to study one of the following:
Elective Unit 4 Patterns and processes in economic activities
Elective Unit 5 Patterns and processes in the human environment
Higher level students are required to study one of the following:
Optional Unit 6 Global interdependence
Optional Unit 7 Geoecology
Optional Unit 8 Culture and identity
Optional Unit 9 The atmosphere—ocean environment
Ordinary Level
Ordinary level students are required to study:
Core Unit 1 Patterns and processes in the physical environment
Core Unit 2 Regional geography
Core Unit 3 Geographical Investigation and Skills
Ordinary level students are required to study one of the following:
Elective Unit 4 Patterns and processes in economic activities
Elective Unit 5 Patterns and processes in the human environment
Assessment
Assessment will take the form of a terminal written examination and a report on the geographical investigation. There will be a separate written examination for Higher level and for Ordinary level students. The terminal written examination will have an assessment weighting of 80%. The report on the geographical investigation will have an assessment weighting of 20%. The two forms of assessment will reflect the syllabus content and the learning outcomes specified in each unit of the syllabus. The terminal written examination will consist of questions requiring short answers and multi-part questions requiring more developed answers. Longer essay-style discursive answers will be required only in the assessment of the optional units. All questions will contain stimulus material and a geographical skills element, where appropriate. The report on the geographical investigation will be assessed outside of the terminal written examination.
