Junior Cycle Geography is speci?ed and examined at Common level. The examination is marked out of 360 marks and is two hours in duration. All questions on the examination are to be answered and in any given year the learning outcomes assessed are a sample of the total learning outcomes from the speci?cation.

Some good practice observed

The following good practices were observed with varying degrees of frequency in the material presented by candidates for the 2022 examinations. Where they occurred, they assisted candidates in scoring well.

• Candidates who scored well had clearly covered the full breadth of the speci?cation. This is particularly relevant given that there is no choice in the examination.
• Most candidates attempted at least one part of every question. Many questions are structured in a way that even where a candidate is unable to complete one part, they may be able to complete subsequent Most candidates took advantage of this, and many were awarded marks in later parts of questions even where they had been unable to answer earlier parts especially in relation to short answer questions that involved a tick-the-box, labelling or one-word answer.
• There was excellent engagement with the wide variety of stimulus material on the examination; information and data were used, interpreted and analysed to ?nd
• In questions requiring an extended answer, many candidates who did not gain full credit nonetheless at least gave an attempt and showed some knowledge and understanding of the subject of the question and therefore gained partial
• The skill of drawing diagrams to display knowledge was excellent in many cases, notably in Questions 1 (b) (iii), 3 (a) (iii) and 8 (b) (ii).

• In some instances candidates showed a high level of skill in working with Ordnance Survey maps. This was particularly so in the drawing and labelling of their sketch maps in Question 3 (b) (i), where many included a key beside the map which is good
• There were excellent answers provided almost universally on questions relating to the areas of climate change and energy Candidates had clearly bene?tted from their level of engagement with these topical issues.
• For candidates at all levels of overall achievement, the questions with extended answers that elicited the most accurate detail were those on the topics of mechanical weathering, location of a factory, deforestation, and energy resources.
• In Question 2 (c) (iii), there were some very good answers, in which candidates applied their understanding of globalisation to discuss such matters as modern transport, improved communications and various other improvements in

Advice on engaging with the written examination

The following advice will assist with ensuring that candidates demonstrate their levels of achievement to full e?ect when engaging with the written examination.

• Candidates should read each part of every question carefully before starting an answer, including the introduction above or below any stimulus material. If a question asks for engagement with “one reason” or “two factors”, then candidates should ensure that their answers deals with the “one reason” or “two factors” in as much detail as is required by the question.
• Candidates should attempt all questions as best they Even if not able to answer fully, they should avoid leaving any question blank.
• Teachers should continue to provide opportunities for students to apply and practice a variety of geographical skills, including map reading and photograph interpretation, across the content of the subject speci?cation. In particular, with aerial photography, students should become familiar with di?erent perspectives (oblique, vertical, satellite etc.) and how to refer to locations on the aerial photograph appropriate to each type of perspective.
• When answering a question that requires evidence from the Ordnance Survey map in the form of a grid reference, candidates should ensure that the full grid reference is provided in their answers, including the subzone letter.
• Teachers should encourage students, where appropriate, to develop their responses beyond simple statements, through explanations, descriptions and the use of examples. The amount of answer space on the examination paper can provide a rough indication of the expected length of an answer.
• Candidates should be given the opportunity to apply their learning in one area to new contexts. As well as being important at junior cycle, such an ability to adapt their knowledge and understanding of di?erent topics is fundamental for the study of Leaving Certi?cate Geography.
• Candidates should become familiar with the di?erence between various question cues and the responses required by them. There are di?erent requirements for questions that ask candidates to name, list, state, explain, describe, discuss, etc.
• Noting, for example, the comparatively small number of candidates who gave the kind of very good answers to Question 2 (c) (iii) as are described above, teachers are advised to arrange learning activities that develop the skill of In particular, student engagement with the topic of globalisation should be linked to di?erent learning outcomes in strand three and the other strands, as appropriate, to help achieve the learning outcome “synthesise their learning of population, settlement and human development within the process of globalisation”.