Students obliged to keep course material in mind in pursuit of relevance and balanceIn the compulsory data-based questions, students were given documents about how the continent of Africa is portrayed through cultural and cartographic lenses. Photograph: Getty Images Peter McGuireTue Jun 23 2026 - 17:24 • 2 MIN READThere were plenty of topical issues on this year’s higher-level politics & society paper, according to Paul McAndrew, a teacher at the Institute of Education.“That said, students will have had to keep the course material in mind to stay relevant and balanced,” McAndrew said.The paper began with a choice of 10 out of 15 short questions, which included topics such as presidential election ballots, the Consumer Price Index and prison overcrowding.“There was a greater emphasis on critical analysis in this section, with some questions asking students to ‘comment’ rather than ‘describe’, ‘state’ or ‘give an example of’,” McAndrew said. In the compulsory data-based questions, students were given documents about how the Continent of Africa is portrayed through cultural and cartographic lenses.“Again, the questions mixed the more straightforward comprehension-style with discursive analytic skills. For example, question C asked students to ‘explain what is meant by ‘maps are instruments of power’. A clear effort to make the exam more challenging than previous years is evident here.”The final section of the exam featured questions on key thinkers, including Martha Nussbaum and Edward Said.“The question on Nussbaum would have been trickier, as the need to cover her approach to both human and sustainable development would push the 35-minute time slot,” said McAndrew.“In the case of question three’s options on either the social contract or the State’s obligation to children’s rights, students likely have strong personal convictions on these topics, but they need to keep the remit of the course in mind.“Students who kept their cool and took a balanced approach would notice that both these questions were effective paths to discuss education in Ireland, the Equal Status Act and more.“A similar approach was essential for the patriarchy essay, but the questions scaffolded that balance in a nice way.“Finally, the essay on European values was a nice reflection of our upcoming presidency of the Council of Europe,” said McAndrew.IN THIS SECTION