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Subjects · Leaving Cert Geography

Leaving Cert Geography: The European Union

How often The European Union comes up on the Geography papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.

HL Asked on 7 of the last 10 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2026. most years

OL Asked on 7 of the last 10 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2026. most years

June 2028 is the first exam on the new Geography course. These come from the 2016–2026 papers, so read them as a guide.

The European Union, Higher Level(8 marks)

Quick ones on The European Union.

(a)The four freedoms of the EU single market are the free movement of what?
  1. Goods, languages, religions and people
  2. Goods, services, capital and labour (people)
  3. Farming, fishing, forestry and mining
(b)Change to the CAP in 2015 that let Irish dairy farmers expand?
  1. A ban on dairy exports outside the EU
  2. The start of EU milk quotas
  3. The end of EU milk quotas
(c)How have CAP direct payments helped farm families in the West of Ireland?
  1. They support incomes on small farms with poor land
  2. They guarantee every farm the same yield
  3. They pay for large factories in western towns
Show the answers

(a) Goods, services, capital and labour (people)

(b) The end of EU milk quotas

(c) They support incomes on small farms with poor land

Your turn: Higher Level questions on The European Union.

Higher Level

Asked on 7 of the last 10 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2026. most years

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2026Q5A
2025Q4C
2024Not asked
2023Q5C
2022Not asked
2021Q4C
2019Not asked
2018Q6C
2017Q5C
2016SQ10, Q4B

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More The European Union questions

The European Union, 3 marks

Why did Brexit pose a special challenge for the Irish border region?

  1. The border region had to leave the eurozone and adopt sterling, which raised costs
  2. Donegal had to switch to the pound sterling to keep trading with Derry and Belfast
  3. The border became a land frontier between the EU and the UK, putting cross-border trade at risk
Show the answer

The border became a land frontier between the EU and the UK, putting cross-border trade at risk

Farms, firms and workers trade across the border every day, so special arrangements for Northern Ireland were needed to avoid a hard border.

Ordinary Level

Asked on 7 of the last 10 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2026. most years

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2026Q6A
2025SQ9
2024Q4C
2023Not asked
2022Q6A
2021Not asked
2019SQ9
2018Not asked
2017Q6B
2016Q5A

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More The European Union questions

The European Union, 2 marks

Which country left the EU in 2020?

  1. The Kingdom of Norway
  2. The Kingdom of Denmark
  3. The United Kingdom
Show the answer

The United Kingdom

The UK voted to leave in a 2016 referendum and left on 31 January 2020; this is known as Brexit. Norway was never a member.

The European Union, 2 marks

One advantage of EU membership for Irish people?

  1. They never need a passport outside Ireland
  2. They can live and work in any EU country
  3. They pay no tax on anything they buy
Show the answer

They can live and work in any EU country

Free movement means Irish citizens can study, work and live anywhere in the EU without a work permit.

The European Union, 2 marks

What do the letters CAP stand for?

  1. Common Agricultural Policy
  2. Central Area Plan
  3. Common Atlantic Pact
Show the answer

Common Agricultural Policy

The CAP supports EU farmers with payments and rules on food production; Irish farmers have gained a lot from it since 1973.

Other Geography topics

All of Leaving Cert Geography