Reaction to 2026 Leaving Certificate Art, Visual Studies (Higher Level) by Declan Kelly, Art teacher at The 91制片厂.
- A thoughtfully contemporary paper that allowed students to wax lyrical
- While many questions were lovely, there were challenges placed in the most popular essay topics
The subtitle of Section is 鈥淭oday鈥檚 World鈥� and the array of questions lived up to that moniker. While the questions were short, each offered a snippet of ongoing discussions around the position of art is society. Many students will have recognised Banksy鈥檚 2025 mural 鈥淭he Royal Courts of Justice鈥� as an act of real-time social commentary. Elsewhere questions on the Basic Income for the Arts Scheme which becomes permanent in 2026 asked听students to think about the arts place within the social fabric and how听we as a society听want to ensure it is preserved. One aspect of this paper I particular like is how it seems aimed at making them reflect on conversations that ripple out of the classroom or exam hall.听Whether as producers, consumers, or simply appreciators of art it is important that these students听have the tools to advocate for the value of this human endeavour amidst deepening discourse on A.I.听
In the later stages of the paper, the SEC seems to have听listened听to some of the听criticisms听of last year’s paper. That is not to say that all questions were easy, but students will have found听relatively cloud-free听vistas into their studied fields. Section B on Europe and the Wider world will be viewed as positive by most students. The Baroque question was beautifully open-ended and the prompt to discuss 鈥済randeur鈥� will have let them wax lyrical.听Opportunities abounded in many of the other topics as Romanesque and Gothic question was generous while the听option听for Realism, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism听could be approached five听different ways听and still make sense. The final question on Post 1960 art will challenge students to think on their feet and craft a definition for 鈥渟ocial issue鈥� that fits their studied pieces, but many will have been able to do so adroitly. However, many teachers and students tend to gravitate towards the Renaissance which was the toughest question in this set. While the topic covers听a huge range听of material, the question zoomed in on sculpture exclusively. Students should still know their artists and key works but constrained as painting tends to loom large in their memory.听听
A similar phenomenon occurs in Section 3: 鈥淚reland and its place in the wider world鈥� as the exam setter places the most听difficult question听in the most popular topic: The Georgian Period.听Rather听than been able to simple discuss the works of this period, the question directed the students to the influences upon the art and听architecture,听thus听funnelling听them into听a very strict听approach to the material.听In contrast听the other questions were听very comfortable听in how they allowed students to shape their responses. The听Pre-Christian听question听was as an accessible as it has ever been and students will have been able to cover every aspect they revised. Last year the question on听Post 1960s art was tricky in its restrictive focus on 鈥渓ens-based鈥� but this has been replaced with a discussion of identity, a universal theme that can be adapted in a plethora of ways.听
While some might feel the topics that they covered in class proved trickier than others, the questions were laid out in such a manner to lead the students to fully coherent essays. There was nothing obscure or obtuse in the questions. A student who really thought about how art relates to the human experience and in particular the experience of the modern person will have found this paper a gift.