Question 1 in Section 1 of the Leaving Cert Accounting exam focuses on the preparation of full final accounts for a sole trader and is compulsory, carrying the highest weighting at 120 marks.

It requires students to produce a Trading, Profit & Loss Account and Balance Sheet, based on a trial balance and multiple adjustments, testing a wide range of core financial accounting skills and attention to detail.

In contrast, Questions 2 to 4 in Section 2 are optional, each worth 100 marks, and focus on more specialised topics such as Club Accounts, Service Firm Accounts, Manufacturing Accounts, or Control and Tabular Statements.

These questions require specific knowledge of different formats and rules unique to each topic. While Question 1 is predictable and tests broad foundational skills, Questions 2–4 vary more from year to year and test a student’s ability to handle topic-specific scenarios.