Leaving Cert geography: higher, ordinary level:As globalisation, climate change and immigration dominate news headlines, it's little wonder that the higher and ordinary level geography papers this year were "very topical and relevant" according to teachers.

Geography is the second most popular elective subject in the Leaving Cert with almost 25,000 students sitting the papers yesterday. Exam stress may still have been a factor for students, but they did have the comfort of knowing that 20 per cent of the exam was already behind them. All had completed a field study, accounting for 100 out of 500 marks in geography in April of this year. The remaining 400 marks were decided yesterday.

At higher level the paper was described as being fair, but "tough enough" by skoool.ie expert and teacher in Rockbrook Park School, Jackie Brennan.

The days of geography being seen as a "soft option" for points seem to be over with the advent of the new syllabus. Examined for the first time last year, it has left little opportunity for students to predict what questions or topics might come up. Short questions were "straightforward and doable", said James Campbell, a teacher with the Institute of Education and head of the geography department in Blackrock College.

"Fair but difficult" was the verdict on the physical geography questions. Those who had studied plate tectonics should have been happy as all three of the questions involved that topic. "Students would have expected a range of topics there:" said ASTI subject representative Jack Keane.

The higher level paper scored marks for presentation with large colourful diagrams and photos featuring strongly. Similar care was not taken with the ordinary level paper according to some teachers. The quality of production in some of the photographs was not so great:" Mr Brennan said.

Mr Keane said: "Any student who reads the newspapers would be familiar with the areas that came up. EU policies, multi-national corporations, global warming, it was all very topical."