LC Geography study guide
LC Geography · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Leaving Certificate Geography is the senior-cycle geography subject examined by the State Examinations Commission for students in Irish post-primary schools, and its results feed directly into CAO points for third-level entry. It suits candidates who are comfortable moving between physical process questions, regional case studies, human and economic geography, and a written account of their own fieldwork. The LC Geography study guide has 6 sections and about 1,853 words.
01Core Unit 1: Patterns and Processes in the Physical Environment
Core Unit 1 treats the physical environment as a set of interacting systems: plate tectonics and the rock cycle supply the material, while weathering, erosion, transport and deposition sculpture the landforms. The exam tests whether you can explain a process accurately and attach it to a named landform in a named place.
317 words, about 2 min02Core Unit 2: Regional Geography
Regional Geography asks you to define regions by a criterion, describe them, and explain why some regions prosper while others lag. The exam rewards comparison and explanation using named Irish, European and developing-world regions, not a list of facts about one place.
316 words, about 2 min03Core Unit 3: Geographical Investigation and Skills
Core Unit 3 combines your Geographical Investigation report, which carries 20% of the subject marks, with the map, graph and data skills tested in the written paper. The exam checks that you can design a fair investigation, handle data correctly and evaluate your own results.
308 words, about 2 min04Elective Unit 4: Patterns and Processes in Economic Activities
Elective Unit 4 examines where economic activity locates and why that pattern shifts: the shift between primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors, industrial location factors, the role of multinational corporations, and the decline and regeneration of industrial regions. Answers are judged on how well you apply location theory to a named example.
302 words, about 2 min05Elective Unit 5: Patterns and Processes in the Human Environment
Elective Unit 5 looks at where people live and how settlements grow and change: population distribution and density, demographic change and migration, urban land use and urban problems. Strong answers interpret models and data rather than describing them.
303 words, about 2 min06Optional Unit 6: Global Interdependence
Global Interdependence examines how economies, people and environments are linked across borders: trade, aid, debt, multinational investment and development. The exam expects you to measure inequality with indicators and to evaluate whether linkages help or harm poorer countries.
307 words, about 2 min