Geography is among the most popular Leaving Cert choices. Is it right for you? Louise Holden reports.

If you're considering taking geography as a Leaving Certificate subject next year, you're facing into the unknown. It's a new syllabus, it has never been examined and sample papers will not be available until January. Nonetheless, the new format promises to make the exam easier. Instead of being expected to write four essays in three hours and 20 minutes, you will now sit a two-and-a-half-hour exam that consists mainly of paragraph-length answers. You will also have 20 per cent of your final mark behind you as you sit the Leaving Cert, thanks to a fieldwork project that you will have completed earlier in the year.

There's plenty of choice in the new syllabus. There are three core subjects that every student must take: physical environment, regional geography and geographical investigation. Beyond that you may choose between economic geography and human environment, which looks at the cultural and social aspects of geography. A further four optional units give you the chance to choose between geo-ecology, global interdependence, cultural identity and atmospheric (ocean) geography.

James Staunton, a geography teacher at Sligo Grammar School, says the remodelled course is good news for students who already have a geography qualification. "The new syllabus develops on many of the subjects covered in the Junior Cert course. It's taken 13 years to harmonise the two courses, but at last they connect."

According to Staunton, you don't need a love of science to enjoy geography, but a bit of spatial intelligence helps. "There's plenty of map reading and interpretation of photos involved in the core subjects. The hope is that geography students will use the Internet liberally for research. There's a lot of variety in the new geography syllabus."

If you're not dreaming of a career in cartography, where can geography take you? You'd be surprised. The new syllabus is one of the most topical on the Leaving Cert menu, and it will complement a range of study and career paths, from journalism to law to overseas development.

"Geography is one of the most topical and practical courses for Leaving Cert, which is why it is so popular," says Staunton. "It covers global economics, multinational corporations, Ireland and the EU, global warming, migration patterns, gender roles, fair trade and deforestation. Students who are interested in current affairs tend to get a lot out of geography."

If geography's on your wish list for next year, get reading. Newspapers and current-affairs magazines will cover a lot of the subjects you'll be studying. You might also want to look at the syllabus for yourself. You'll find it at www.education.ie/servlet/ blobservlet/lc_geography_sy.pdf.