Teachers report accessible questions, familiar vocabulary and manageable grammarLeaving Cert German paper praised as fair. Photograph: Peter Thursfield Peter McGuireFri Jun 12 2026 - 18:24 • 3 MIN READThis year’s Leaving Certificate higher-level German paper has been very well-received, with one student telling his teacher it was the fairest paper of all his subjects so far.Clodagh Mackle, ASTI subject representative and a teacher at Holy Faith Secondary School in Clontarf, said the paper was comprehensible and navigable.“There were no surprises or complex language, and students would have met the grammar and vocabulary in class,” Mackle said.“Normally, students are nervous about the four reading comprehension questions which are asked in German, but this year they were straightforward.”Jenny Eivers, a teacher at TheTuitionCentre.ie, agreed the paper was well-balanced and accessible.“Similar to previous years, the topics were broad and challenging at times, but the usual topics, including technology and studying abroad, were seen,” she said.“These topics would have been expected by all.”Orla Ní Shúilleabháin, a German teacher at The Institute of Education, said the recurring theme in the paper was young people.“This was a paper that asked students to look at their own experiences and reflect on matters to them,” Ní Shúilleabháin said.“There was no call to recite passages detached from context or nuance. This paper was truly about the lived experiences of the people who learned that language and those who met it, knowing that core ethos will be very pleased.”[ Leaving Cert construction studies paper praised for accessibilityOpens in new window ]Eivers said the reading comprehensions, one of which touched on innovative approaches to the accommodation crisis across Europe and another on a young girl learning to love reading, were manageable but had a few tricky sections. She said the grammar was “surprisingly kind” with the four cases taking centre stage. “This would have really suited students who had a good grasp of the fundamentals of German grammar,” she said.Among the essay and letter topics was a question about whether, in a time when artificial intelligence can translate or interpret languages in seconds, it is still worth learning a new language.“It was a zeitgeist question, but it was quite specific,” said Mackle.“Finally, the last question asked students why they picked German to study. Given this year’s fair and balanced paper, I hope they were not answering with regret, as one of my neighbours told me it was the fairest paper he has sat so far this year.”On the aural exam, Mackle said the topics included a female lorry driver, a student in university joining a running club and a phone call about someone running late for their driving lesson.“Students often dread that phone call question but this one was okay,” she said.“But section four of the aural was a little fast and there could have been more gaps between the breaks,” she said.On the ordinary level paper, Mackle said the reading comprehensions about a summer camp and apprenticeships were very clear, but she would have preferred to see an apprenticeship question on the higher-level paper.“That said, there was nothing shocking and surprising and students would have had the vocabulary to tackle this approachable paper,” she said.[ Leaving Cert business: Largely fair paper with a tough compulsory questionOpens in new window ]IN THIS SECTION