Question 1 · Both levels
The displacement-time graph shows a toy car moving along a straight track. Which describes its motion?
The new Leaving Cert Physics
Students sitting Leaving Cert Physics in June 2027 are the first to be examined on the new specification: a written examination worth 60% and the Physics in Practice Investigation worth 40%.
26 weeks, 104 hours in all
Start with Section 6
Waves, sound and light: 16 of your hours. It is 5 of the 30 questions on each of our practice papers, 17%.
| Section | Your hours | Share of the papers |
|---|---|---|
| Section 6: Waves, sound and light | 16 | 17% |
| Section 3: Forces, momentum and pressure | 12.8 | 13% |
| Section 4: Energy, gravitation and circular motion | 12.8 | 13% |
| Section 7: Electric charge, fields and circuits | 12.8 | 13% |
| Section 2: Motion and vectors | 9.6 | 10% |
| Section 8: Magnetism and electromagnetic induction | 9.6 | 10% |
| Section 9: Atomic and nuclear physics | 9.6 | 10% |
| Section 1: Nature of science, measurement and models | 6.4 | 7% |
| Section 5: Heat and temperature | 6.4 | 7% |
Week by week
- Week 1Section 6: Waves, sound and light
- Week 2Section 6: Waves, sound and light
- Week 3Section 6: Waves, sound and light
- Week 4Section 6: Waves, sound and light
- Week 5Section 3: Forces, momentum and pressure
- Week 6Section 3: Forces, momentum and pressure
- Week 7Section 3: Forces, momentum and pressure
- Week 8Section 3: Forces, momentum and pressure, Section 4: Energy, gravitation and circular motion
- Week 9Section 4: Energy, gravitation and circular motion
- Week 10Section 4: Energy, gravitation and circular motion
- Week 11Section 4: Energy, gravitation and circular motion, Section 7: Electric charge, fields and circuits
- Week 12Section 7: Electric charge, fields and circuits
- Week 13Section 7: Electric charge, fields and circuits
- Week 14Section 7: Electric charge, fields and circuits, Section 2: Motion and vectors
- Week 15Section 2: Motion and vectors
- Week 16Section 2: Motion and vectors
- Week 17Section 8: Magnetism and electromagnetic induction
- Week 18Section 8: Magnetism and electromagnetic induction
- Week 19Section 8: Magnetism and electromagnetic induction, Section 9: Atomic and nuclear physics
- Week 20Section 9: Atomic and nuclear physics
- Week 21Section 9: Atomic and nuclear physics, Section 1: Nature of science, measurement and models
- Week 22Section 1: Nature of science, measurement and models
- Week 23Section 1: Nature of science, measurement and models, Section 5: Heat and temperature
- Week 24Section 5: Heat and temperature
- Week 25A timed multiple-choice practice paper and two written questions, then review every lost mark
- Week 26A timed multiple-choice practice paper and two written questions, then review every lost mark
| Written examination | 60%, Higher or Ordinary Level; the 2027 sample Higher Level papers are 2 hours 30 minutes and 300 marks |
|---|---|
| Physics in Practice Investigation | 40%, a common brief done in school and reported to the SEC in Year 2 of the course |
| Strands | The Nature of Science, Forces and Motion, Wave Motion and Energy Transfer, Electric and Magnetic Fields, Modern Physics |
| First examined | June 2027 |
Five strands and three themes
The unifying strand, The Nature of Science, is about how science works, how to investigate, and how physicists model the world and check answers with units. The four contextual strands are Forces and Motion; Wave Motion and Energy Transfer; Electric and Magnetic Fields and their Interactions; and Modern Physics: Atomic and Nuclear. Technology, health and sustainability run through all of them.
Higher and Ordinary Level
The specification prints some learning outcomes in bold. Ordinary Level covers the outcomes in normal type; Higher Level covers all of them, including the bold ones. In this course every question is marked Higher Level or both levels.
How this course is organised
We group the specification into nine sections, starting with investigating and the nature of science, with a lesson, practice and experiment questions in each.
Try 2 questions
Question 2 · Both levels
| Potential difference / V | Current / mA |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 112 |
| 2 | 164 |
| 4 | 240 |
| 6 | 300 |
| 8 | 351 |
A student measures the current through a filament lamp at several potential differences. The table shows the results. What is the lamp's resistance at 6.0 V, and how does it compare with its resistance at 2.0 V?
Next step
Questions people ask
Is the new Physics specification examined in 2027?
Yes. It was introduced to fifth years in September 2025 and is examined for the first time in June 2027.
Is the Physics in Practice Investigation done at Higher or Ordinary Level?
Neither: it is a common brief, the same for every student. The written examination is set at Higher and Ordinary Level.
Are old past papers still useful?
For some topics, but the specification has changed, so check each question against the new learning outcomes.