Irish History Junior Certificate Examination
# Irish History Junior Certificate Examination

The Irish History Junior Certificate Examination is an achievement test on world history that is offered to students in Ireland.

It is one of a suite of Junior Certificate Examinations the country uses to assess students. It has two difficulty levels, Higher and Ordinary. This subject is not required at a national level. However, many schools make it compulsory. Most students choose to complete the Higher Level exam.

## Ordinary level

The Ordinary Level exam lasts 90 minutes. It includes four questions. The maximum score is 180.

Questions :

| Number | Type | Mark | Recommended time to spend |
| - | - | - | - |
| Question 1 | Sources: Pictures | 35 marks | 15 minutes |
| Question 2 | Sources: Documents | 35 marks | 15 minutes |
| Question 3 | Short Questions | 60 marks | 20 minutes |
| Question 4 | People in History | 50 marks | 30 minutes |

## Higher level

The exam lasts 150 minutes. It includes six questions. The maximum score is 270.

Questions :

| Number | Type | Mark | Recommended time to spend |
| - | - | - | - |
| Question 1 | Picture Questions | 35 marks | 10 minutes |
| Question 2 | Document Questions | 35 marks | 10 minutes |
| Question 3 | Short Questions | 60 marks | 20 minutes |
| Question 4 | People in History | 50 marks | 25 minutes |
| Question 5 | Long Document Question | 30 marks | 15 minutes |
| Question 6 | One of four options (see below) | 60 marks | 20 minutes |

Questions 1, 2 and 5 are mandatory. Only 10 of the 20 sub-questions in Question 3 are required. Question 4 includes two sections. One sub-question from each section must be answered. In Question 6, only two of four possible sub-questions need to be completed. The four sub-question topics are:

* Question A: Unknown until exam
* Question B: Social Life
* Question C: Political History
* Question D: World War I & World War II

## Topics

Topics include:

* Historians, Archaeologists, Sources
* Ancient Rome
* Ancient Ireland
* Early Christian Ireland
* The Middle Ages/Medieval times
* Monks and Friars
* The Renaissance
* Exploration and Discovery
* The Reformation
* Plantations in Ireland
* The American Revolution: 1775-1881
* The French Revolution: 1789-1799
* The Revolution in Ireland:1798
* The Agricultural Revolution
* The Industrial Revolution
* The Transport Revolution
* Ireland in the mid-nineteenth century
* The Home Rule Crisis in Ireland:1910-1914
* The Easter Rising and After:1916-1918
* War of independence and Civil War:1919-1923
* Cumann nan Gaedheal in power:1923-1932
* Fianna Fáil in Government:1932-1948
* The Inter-Party Government:1948-1951
* From 1950 onward (Different Governments)
* Northern Ireland:1920-2000
* Dictatorship (knowledge of characteristics)
* Fascist Italy
* The Nazis take power in Germany
* Hitler's Five Steps to War
* World War II:1939-1945
* The Super-powers & the Cold War:1945-1991
* Social Changes in 20th Century Ireland
