IE · Subject guide
Latin
Leaving Certificate Latin (NCCA specification), Higher and Ordinary Level, with the SEC examination.
01 · Overview
Latin
Leaving Certificate Latin (NCCA specification), Higher and Ordinary Level, with the SEC examination.
- Subject guide
- Leaving Certificate
- Topics mapped
- 14
02 · Complete topic map
Complete topic map
Every topic recorded for this subject in the curriculum is reproduced below in its full hierarchy. The descriptions reflect the mapped scope without implying additional exam rules.
- 01
Latin Grammar and Morphology
Systematic study of Latin forms: the five noun declensions, pronouns, adjective declension and comparison, and the full verb system (indicative, imperative, infinitive, participle, gerundive and subjunctive). Higher Level covers a broader range including deponents, more irregulars and wider subjunctive use; Ordinary Level follows a defined reduced list.
- 02
Latin Syntax and Constructions
How Latin sentences are built: case usage, indirect statement (accusative and infinitive), indirect command and question, purpose, result, temporal, causal, concessive and conditional clauses, the ablative absolute, relative clauses and gerundive constructions. Higher Level requires the full range of subordinate clauses, Ordinary Level a defined subset.
- 03
Prescribed Latin Text — Prose
A prescribed prose author studied in the original Latin, with set translation plus subsidiary comprehension and language questions. Prose authors set across the course include Cicero (speeches and letters), Livy, Caesar and Sallust.
- 04
Prescribed Latin Text — Verse
A prescribed verse author studied in the original Latin, with attention to metre and poetic style. Verse authors set across the course include Virgil (Aeneid), Ovid, Horace and Catullus.
- 05
Prescribed Text: Literary, Cultural and Historical Context
Reading the whole prescribed text in translation and studying its set literary, cultural and historical context — genre features and authorial style, Roman customs and values such as pietas, fides and fama, and the historical background to the text. Context is common to both levels.
- 06
Unseen Latin Translation — Prose
Translation into English of an unprescribed prose passage, testing language competence against the prescribed grammar and syntax. Core at both levels, with Higher Level passages longer and more demanding.
- 07
Unseen Latin Translation — Verse
Translation into English of an unprescribed verse passage drawn from named authors such as Virgil, Ovid, Horace and Catullus, applying knowledge of poetic vocabulary and constructions.
- 08
Latin Prose Composition
Translation of English sentences and passages into Latin, testing active command of grammar and syntax. The most challenging element of the language paper, requiring accurate handling of forms, agreement and word order.
- 09
Unseen Latin Comprehension
Comprehension questions in English on an unseen Latin prose passage, testing the ability to understand Latin in context as an alternative to active composition.
- 10
Latin Verse Scansion
Metrical analysis of Latin verse, principally the dactylic hexameter of Virgil and Ovid — identifying long and short syllables, feet, elision and the caesura. Assessed at Higher Level.
- 11
Roman History
Roman political and military history of the Republic and Empire: the Punic Wars, the Late Republic (the Gracchi, Marius, Sulla and Caesar), the Augustan Principate and the Julio-Claudian emperors.
- 12
Roman Art and Architecture
Roman visual culture: architecture (the Colosseum, the Pantheon, basilicas, aqueducts and triumphal arches), sculpture (portrait busts, relief and Trajan's Column), painting and mosaics, and the use of art as Augustan visual propaganda.
- 13
Latin Literary History and Criticism
The lives, works, genres and literary significance of major Latin authors of the Late Republic (Cicero, Caesar, Catullus, Lucretius) and the Augustan Age (Virgil, Horace, Ovid, Livy), assessing each author's literary importance and influence rather than biography alone.
- 14
Research Study
An independent, externally marked study on a significant but manageable aspect of the Latin language or a short text, carried out within an annual thematic brief issued by the SEC, with language-based analysis at its centre.
03 · Where this subject applies
Where this subject applies
These pathways and regions are explicitly connected to the subject in the curriculum.
Levels and pathways
Higher Level
Higher Level — the more demanding level, with broader and deeper content and the H1–H8 grade scale.
Ordinary Level
Ordinary Level — the foundational level covering the core of the syllabus, graded O1–O8.
Regions
All registered regions
04 · Official sources
Official sources
The public sources below are referenced directly by this subject or by one of its topics.
This editorial selection points to the relevant official bodies. Always confirm current requirements, dates and exceptional arrangements with your school and the responsible authority.
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Public references
IE · EuraStudy Guides
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