# Leaving Cert English 2026

> The 2026 Leaving Cert English exam papers and official marking scheme for Higher and Ordinary level. Questions come from the official State Examinations Commission papers; every PDF link opens the original on examinations.ie.

Canonical: https://examai.ie/past-papers/leaving-cert/english/2026

## Higher Level

- [Paper 1](https://www.examinations.ie/archive/exampapers/2026/LC002ALP100EV.pdf)
- [Paper 2](https://www.examinations.ie/archive/exampapers/2026/LC002ALP200EV.pdf)
- [Marking Scheme](https://www.examinations.ie/archive/markingschemes/2026/LC002ALP000EV.pdf)

### What's in the 2026 Higher Level paper?

| Paper | Question | Topics | Marks |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Q1 | comprehending, text 1, question a, manchester | 50 |
| 1 | Q2 | comprehending, text 1, question b, article | 50 |
| 1 | Q3 | comprehending, text 2, question a, elif shafak | 50 |
| 1 | Q4 | comprehending, text 2, question b, letter | 50 |
| 1 | Q5 | comprehending, text 3, question a, art | 50 |
| 1 | Q6 | comprehending, text 3, question b, proposal writing | 50 |
| 1 | Q7 | composing, short story, negative influence, community | 100 |
| 1 | Q8 | composing, personal essay, creativity | 100 |
| 1 | Q9 | composing, opinion piece, music, music industry | 100 |
| 1 | Q10 | composing, discursive essay, legacy, the past | 100 |
| 1 | Q11 | composing, speech, social media influencers | 100 |
| 1 | Q12 | composing, short story, influence | 100 |
| 1 | Q13 | composing, personal essay, enriching experience | 100 |
| 2 | Q1 | single text, literary analysis, essay, shakespearean drama | 60 |
| 2 | Q2 | comparative study, cultural context, general vision and viewpoint, literary genre | 70 |
| 2 | Q3 | unseen poem, poetry, alvy carragher | 20 |
| 2 | Q4 | prescribed poetry, poetry, essay | 50 |

## Ordinary Level

- [Paper 1](https://www.examinations.ie/archive/exampapers/2026/LC002GLP100EV.pdf)
- [Paper 2](https://www.examinations.ie/archive/exampapers/2026/LC002GLP200EV.pdf)
- [Marking Scheme](https://www.examinations.ie/archive/markingschemes/2026/LC002GLP000EV.pdf)

### What's in the 2026 Ordinary Level paper?

| Paper | Question | Topics | Marks |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Q1 | reading comprehension, language analysis, personal writing | 50 |
| 1 | Q2 | functional writing, speech writing | 50 |
| 1 | Q3 | reading comprehension, language analysis, personal writing | 50 |
| 1 | Q4 | functional writing, persuasive writing | 50 |
| 1 | Q5 | reading comprehension, visual literacy | 50 |
| 1 | Q6 | functional writing, dialogue writing | 50 |
| 1 | Q7 | composing, personal essay | 100 |
| 1 | Q8 | composing, short story | 100 |
| 1 | Q9 | composing, speech writing | 100 |
| 1 | Q10 | composing, opinion piece | 100 |
| 1 | Q11 | composing, short story | 100 |
| 1 | Q12 | composing, article writing | 100 |
| 1 | Q13 | composing, personal essay | 100 |
| 2 | Q1 | single text, prose fiction, drama | 60 |
| 2 | Q2 | comparative study, social setting, relationships, hero heroine villain | 70 |
| 2 | Q3 | unseen poetry, poetry analysis, tone | 20 |
| 2 | Q4 | prescribed poetry, poetry analysis, imagery, tone | 50 |

## Revise English by topic

- [Comprehending](https://examai.ie/past-papers/leaving-cert/english/topic/comprehending)
- [Composing](https://examai.ie/past-papers/leaving-cert/english/topic/composing)
- [The Single Text](https://examai.ie/past-papers/leaving-cert/english/topic/single-text)
- [The Comparative Study](https://examai.ie/past-papers/leaving-cert/english/topic/comparative-study)
- [Prescribed Poetry](https://examai.ie/past-papers/leaving-cert/english/topic/prescribed-poetry)
- [Unseen Poetry](https://examai.ie/past-papers/leaving-cert/english/topic/unseen-poetry)
- [Literary Analysis & Craft](https://examai.ie/past-papers/leaving-cert/english/topic/literary-analysis-craft)

## Related

- [English 2025](https://examai.ie/past-papers/leaving-cert/english/2025)
- [All English years](https://examai.ie/past-papers/leaving-cert/english)