Leaving Cert biology: Plenty of choice but challenging in places

Irish Times

10-06-2025

The Leaving Cert biology paper (higher level) has been well-received by teacher and students alike, with praise for the layout and choice.
Killian Keegan, a student at Athlone Community College and one of this year's Irish Times student diarists, said that it was the
most accessible paper in years
.
Liam Hennelly,
Studyclix.ie
subject expert and a biology teacher at Belvedere College in Dublin, said that it was well-laid out.
'It gave students plenty of choice across all three units of the course, and allowed them to show off what they know.
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'Some of the questions were challenging in places and required an in-depth knowledge of subject material, as you would expect with any higher-level paper,' said Mr Hennelly.
Biology, higher level, sections A and B:
David O'Brien, ASTI subject representative and a teacher at Ballincollig Community School in Co Cork, said that it was a very fair paper.
'The students I spoke to were happy with the exam,' he said.
'They were well-prepared. They were delighted with the experiment question about habitat study in question eight.
'There was a question about vaccination and immunity in section C, which is very relevant,' he said.
'With so much choice on the marking paper, and a good balance between anatomy, plants, cells and genetics, the marking scheme will ultimately distinguish between the H1 and H2 candidates.'
Biology, higher level, section C:
Wesley Hammond, a biology teacher at the Institute of Education, said that students who were diligent in their past papers and didn't cut corners when revising chapters will be happy with this paper.
'Many of the areas that students consider as 'bankers' for their marks were nicely represented,' he said.
The questions in section A won't have thrown anyone, said Mr Hennelly.
'There were no surprises and if you had put in the time to work through past papers you will recognise much of it. While all questions might not suit everyone (Q2's longitudinal section of the root may challenge those less confident in plant biology), there were plenty of viable alternatives to let them demonstrate their efforts over the last two years,' he said.
Ordinary level
On the ordinary-level paper, Mr Hennelly said that it also had a wide selection of questions that ranged across a broad number of topics.
'Short questions included food, ecology, a true/false question, cell structure, tropisms, the nervous system and mitosis. Experiment questions included food tests, enzymes and factors that affect germination,' he said.
'The long questions gave students a lot of choice across ecology, genetics & protein synthesis, photosynthesis & respiration, plant structure, human reproduction and microbiology among other topics,' Mr Hennelly said.
From September 2025, senior cycle students will start a new curriculum for all science subjects, with an increased focus on experimentation, and 40 per cent of marks awarded for project work.
Biology, ordinary level, sections A and B:
Mr O'Brien, the ASTI subject representative, said that schools have yet to receive health and safety guidelines or risk assessments for practical investigation.
'Schools have not received sufficient funding for purchasing equipment and chemicals, which are expensive, and will need annual funding. We're also concerned about digital inequality in the system, as students or schools with more access to computers will be at a disadvantage,' Mr O'Brien said.
Biology, ordinary level, section C:
Try this one at home:
LEAVING CERT BIOLOGY, QUESTION 16 (D)
Lymphocytes mature in the lymphatic system, which is part of the human defence system.
(i) 1. Name two organs of the lymphatic system.
2. Other than maturation of lymphocytes, give two functions of the lymphatic system.
(ii) Lymphocytes play a role in the specific defence system. State the precise location in the body where lymphocytes are produced.
3. Name two types of lymphocyte and describe the role of each.
4. Explain the term 'vaccination'.