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What to Expect from Geography in 2025
With the 2025 Leaving Cert Geography paper fast approaching, we’ve analysed trends from 2020–2024, including deferred papers, to give you the most accurate predictions possible. Here’s everything you should focus on.
📊 Section 1 – Short Questions (Q1)
This question covers every part of the course, so it’s worth preparing broad. Expect a mix of Physical, Regional, and Geo-skills. Diagrams, definitions, and example-based answers are essential.
✅ Pro Tip: Don’t linger—complete this in 20 minutes max and move on
⛰️ Section 2 – Physical Geography (Q2-Q4)
Core Focus Areas:
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Rivers and Coastal Processes are frequent and likely to come up again.
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Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Folding are slightly less predictable but have recent appearances.
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Mass movement and rock formation are also potential returns.
🧠 Recent Trends:
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2017: Rivers & Earthquakes
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2018: Coastal processes, Folding
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2019: Earthquakes & Mass Movement
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2020: Rock Formation & Volcanoes
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2021: Folding & Rivers
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2022: Rivers & Volcanoes
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2023: Earthquakes & Folding
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2024: Rivers & Coastal Processes
🧪 Prediction: Rivers, Coastal Processes, and possibly Folding or Volcanoes are strong bets.
🌍 Section 3 – Regional Geography (Q5-Q7)
Topics to Watch:
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European and Irish regions come up consistently.
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Sub-continental regions (e.g., the Paris Basin, the Mezzogiorno) are overdue a revisit.
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Case studies are crucial—know 2-3 really well, including economic and demographic data.
✅ Pro Tip: Tie your answers directly to specific named regions for higher marks.
📐 Section 4 – Geoecology, Economic, or Culture (Q8-Q10)
Choose one of the three options here based on your strengths. Here’s what’s most likely for each:
Geoecology:
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Soil formation and human interaction with biome ecosystems are high probability.
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Know a biome in depth: Tropical Rainforest or Temperate Grassland are common.
Economic:
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Secondary economic activity and globalization have featured often.
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Multinational companies and environmental impact may feature again.
Culture & Identity:
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Language and religion are frequent, but migration and identity shifts could also feature due to their contemporary relevance.
🧠 Recent Patterns Suggest:
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2023: Geoecology (biome), Economic (globalisation)
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2024: Geoecology (soil), Economic (secondary activity)
General Patterns in LC Geography Question
Geo-skills (grid references, sketch maps, graph interpretation) often appear in Q1 but can creep into other questions. Practice drawing clear and labeled sketch maps of regions, and understanding aerial photos.
🗺️ Map and Photograph Questions:
Be able to link landscape features to geographic processes (especially rivers, coasts, and human settlement).
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📊 What Came Up in 2020–2024?
Here’s a snapshot of what’s been tested most often:
🧠 Frequently Asked Questions
Here’s a snapshot of what’s been tested most often:
Q: What Physical topics are most likely?
A: Rivers and Coastal Processes are due again. Folding and Volcanoes could reappear.
Q: What Regional areas should I prepare?
A: Know one Irish region, one European, and one sub-continental well. Paris Basin and Mezzogiorno are overdue.
Q: Can I skip map work?
A: Not advisable. It's a core part of Q1 and essential in Geo-skills—easy marks if well prepared.
📄 Deferred Papers – Do They Matter?
Yes – and no. The SEC usually avoids repeating experiments year-to-year. But in 2023, two experiments from the 2023 deferred paper were reused in 2024.
Plus, the 2022 deferred paper had three overlaps with the 2023 paper.
🔍 Watch this space: If the 2024 deferred paper is released soon, study it closely.
