Barbie movie added to Leaving Cert English curriculum 2026

Greta Gerwig’s feminist blockbuster Barbie will make its way onto the Leaving Certificate English syllabus for 2026.

Despite being overlooked at Sunday night's BAFTA awards in London, students across the country will be tasked with analysing and comparing various aspects of the hit film, including its social context, interpersonal dynamics and character archetypes.

The exam’s content is regularly updated by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessments, with other 2026 additions including Martin McDonagh’s film The Banshees of Inisherin, Thu Bui’s graphic novel The Best We Could Do and the stage adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic horror novel Dracula.

King Lear will also be replaced by Macbeth as the featured Shakespeare play for Leaving Cert 2026 alongside a poetry list including the works of WB Yeats, Seamus Heaneu, Paula Meehan and Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin.

The complete list of prescribed texts will be published by the Department of Education this week.