Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) Past Papers – Latest Question Papers & Mark Schemes (2026 Updated)
- Freddie Roberts
- Feb 23
- 11 min read
Updated: Feb 26
If you're preparing for the Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) past papers, this page provides the complete and latest collection to support your exam success. Here you’ll find updated 2026 question papers and mark schemes, along with previous June and November sessions. Before you dive in, we strongly recommend reading the examiner advice below — our Kingsbridge Education teachers have outlined the most common mistakes candidates make and exactly how to avoid them. A few minutes spent on that guidance could make a meaningful difference to how you approach these papers.
Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) Past Papers October/November 2025 – Papers & Mark Scheme
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 | Downloads | |
|---|---|---|
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 Oct Nov 2025 Paper 1 Variant 1 (0455/11) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 Oct Nov 2025 Paper 1 Variant 2 (0455/12) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 Oct Nov 2025 Paper 1 Variant 3 (0455/13) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 Oct Nov 2025 Paper 2 Variant 1 (0455/21) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 Oct Nov 2025 Paper 2 Variant 2 (0455/22) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 Oct Nov 2025 Paper 2 Variant 3 (0455/23) | ||
What marks were needed to get an A*, A, B or C in the November 2025 Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) exam?
For Option X (Papers 11 and 21), you needed at least 126 out of 150 for an A*, 108 for an A, 90 for a B, and 72 for a C. For Option Y (Papers 12 and 22), the thresholds were 126 for an A*, 105 for an A, 84 for a B, and 64 for a C. For Option Z (Papers 13 and 23), you needed 122 for an A*, 105 for an A, 88 for a B, and 71 for a C.
This suggests that the November 2025 paper was likely slightly easier overall than earlier sessions, as the A* thresholds were generally higher.
Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) Past Papers May/June 2025 – Papers & Mark Scheme
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 | Downloads | |
|---|---|---|
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 May June 2025 Paper 1 Variant 1 (0455/11) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 May June 2025 Paper 1 Variant 2 (0455/12) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 May June 2025 Paper 1 Variant 3 (0455/13) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 May June 2025 Paper 2 Variant 1 (0455/21) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 May June 2025 Paper 2 Variant 2 (0455/22) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 May June 2025 Paper 2 Variant 3 (0455/23) | ||
What marks were needed to achieve an A*, A, B or C in the June 2025 Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) exam?
To achieve the top grades in Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) in the June 2025 examination, the marks required depended on the exam option taken. For Option X (Papers 11 and 21), students needed at least 114 out of 150 for an A*, 97 for an A, 80 for a B, and 63 for a C. For Option Y (Papers 12 and 22), the thresholds were higher, with 125 for an A*, 106 for an A, 87 for a B, and 68 for a C. For Option Z (Papers 13 and 23), students needed 115 for an A*, 98 for an A, 81 for a B, and 65 for a C.
This suggests that the June 2025 paper was likely of moderate difficulty overall, as the A* thresholds were not as high as the later papers.
Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) Past Papers March 2025 – Papers & Mark Scheme
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 | Downloads | |
|---|---|---|
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 March 2025 Paper 1 Variant 2 (0455/12) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 March 2025 Paper 2 Variant 2 (0455/22) | ||
What marks were needed to achieve an A*, A, B or C in the March 2025 Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) exam?
To achieve the top grades in Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) in the March 2025 examination, students taking Option Y (Papers 12 and 22) needed at least 125 out of 150 for an A*, 108 for an A, 91 for a B, and 75 for a C. These overall grades were calculated after weighting both the multiple-choice and structured data-response papers together, as Cambridge does not award an A* at the individual component level.
The relatively high A* threshold suggests that the March 2025 paper was likely moderately accessible to students.
Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) Past Papers October/November 2024 – Papers & Mark Scheme
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 | Downloads | |
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 Oct Nov 2024 Paper 1 Variant 1 (0455/11) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 Oct Nov 2024 Paper 1 Variant 2 (0455/12) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 Oct Nov 2024 Paper 1 Variant 3 (0455/13) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 Oct Nov 2024 Paper 2 Variant 1 (0455/21) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 Oct Nov 2024 Paper 2 Variant 2 (0455/22) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 Oct Nov 2024 Paper 2 Variant 3 (0455/23) | ||
What marks were needed to achieve an A*, A, B or C in the November 2024 Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) exam?
To achieve the top grades in Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) in the November 2024 examination, the marks required depended on the exam option taken. For Option X (Papers 11 and 21), students needed at least 122 out of 150 for an A*, 103 for an A, 84 for a B, and 65 for a C. For Option Y (Papers 12 and 22), the thresholds were 124 for an A*, 107 for an A, 90 for a B, and 73 for a C. For Option Z (Papers 13 and 23), students needed 123 for an A*, 105 for an A, 87 for a B, and 69 for a C.
The relatively high A* thresholds suggest that the November 2024 papers were likely moderately accessible overall as compared to other past papers.
Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) Past Papers May/June 2024 – Papers & Mark Scheme
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 | Downloads | |
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 May June 2024 Paper 1 Variant 1 (0455/11) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 May June 2024 Paper 1 Variant 2 (0455/12) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 May June 2024 Paper 1 Variant 3 (0455/13) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 May June 2024 Paper 2 Variant 1 (0455/21) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 May June 2024 Paper 2 Variant 2 (0455/22) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 May June 2024 Paper 2 Variant 3 (0455/23) | ||
What marks were needed to achieve an A*, A, B or C in the June 2024 Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) exam?
To achieve the top grades in Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) in the June 2024 examination, the marks required depended on the exam option taken. For Option X (Papers 11 and 21), students needed at least 112 out of 150 for an A*, 97 for an A, 82 for a B, and 67 for a C. For Option Y (Papers 12 and 22), the thresholds were 122 for an A*, 103 for an A, 84 for a B, and 66 for a C. For Option Z (Papers 13 and 23), students needed 120 for an A*, 101 for an A, 82 for a B, and 64 for a C. These overall grades were calculated after weighting both the multiple-choice and structured data-response papers together.
The slightly lower A* thresholds in some options suggest that the June 2024 papers may have been a little more challenging overall compared with some later sessions.
Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) Past Papers March 2024 – Papers & Mark Scheme
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 | Downloads | |
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 March 2024 Paper 1 Variant 2 (0455/12) | ||
Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 March 2024 Paper 2 Variant 2 (0455/22) | ||
What marks were needed to achieve an A*, A, B or C in the March 2024 Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) exam?
To achieve the top grades in Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) in the March 2024 examination, students taking Option Y (Papers 12 and 22) needed at least 125 out of 150 for an A*, 109 for an A, 93 for a B, and 77 for a C. These overall grades were calculated after weighting both the multiple-choice and structured data-response papers together.
The relatively high A* threshold suggests that the March 2024 paper was likely moderately accessible to students.
What’s Stopping You From Getting an A* in Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455)? According to Examiners
What follows is not generic exam advice. It is a distillation of the most common, most costly mistakes Kingsbridge Education teachers see Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) candidates make year after year, along with the clearest guidance we know on how to avoid them — drawn directly from examiner experience, and worth reading carefully.
1. Ignoring the stimulus material
One of the most persistent issues is candidates writing in broad, general terms rather than engaging with the data actually in front of them. A question might include a detailed table or graph, yet the response makes no reference to it whatsoever — drawing instead on memorised knowledge that, however accurate, simply doesn't answer what's being asked.
For Section A in particular, your answer must be rooted in the provided sources. If a graph or table is given, you are expected to interpret it, quote specific figures as evidence, and acknowledge any exceptions or anomalies in the trend. Examiners are looking for this engagement — it's not optional.
2. Confusing "productivity" with "production"
These two terms appear close enough that many candidates treat them as synonyms, but in economics they are meaningfully different. Production refers to the total volume of output, whereas productivity describes how efficiently that output is generated — typically expressed as output per worker or output per unit of factor input. Writing "production increased" when you mean "productivity improved" will cost you marks, particularly in definition or analysis questions where precision of language is being assessed. Make the distinction a habit.
3. Confusing the government budget with the current account
This mix-up is more common than you might expect. A government budget deficit and a current account deficit are two entirely separate concepts, yet candidates frequently conflate them — often using one term when they clearly mean the other.
Keep them distinct in your mind. The budget deficit is a matter of government finances: it arises when public expenditure exceeds tax revenue, and sits within the domain of fiscal policy. The current account, by contrast, is concerned with a country's international transactions — broadly, whether the value of exports covers the value of imports. One is about what a government spends; the other is about what a country sells to the rest of the world. Muddling the two in an answer signals a fundamental misunderstanding that examiners will penalise.
4. Calculation errors and missing units
Candidates often carry out the correct method but still lose marks through carelessness at the final step. The most common culprits are dropping the unit — writing a bare number when the data clearly expresses values in billions or millions — and inverting formula components, particularly in PED calculations.
On units: always read the column headers or axis labels in the data carefully before writing your answer. If figures are given in $billions, your answer must reflect that. On PED: the formula places the percentage change in quantity demanded in the numerator and the percentage change in price in the denominator — not the other way around. A correct method with an inverted formula will cost you marks that are entirely avoidable.
5. Misunderstanding the inflation rate versus the price level
This is a conceptual error that comes up repeatedly. Candidates see a headline saying inflation has fallen and conclude that prices are falling — but this is not what a falling inflation rate means.
As long as the inflation rate remains positive, prices are still rising. A fall in the inflation rate simply means they are rising more slowly than before. Prices only actually fall when the inflation rate turns negative — that is, when an economy experiences deflation. The distinction matters enormously in analysis questions: confusing the rate of change with the direction of change will undermine an otherwise solid answer.
6. Skipping steps in a chain of reasoning
In longer analyse or discuss questions, a very common pattern is the "leap" — jumping from a cause directly to a conclusion without explaining the steps in between. An answer that states "inflation reduces profits" and moves on has asserted something rather than demonstrated it, and examiners will not award marks for reasoning that hasn't actually been shown.
Build your analysis link by link. Take that same example: you might explain that rising inflation tends to generate pressure for higher wages; higher wages increase a firm's costs of production; if those costs rise faster than the firm's revenue, profit margins will be squeezed. That is a chain of reasoning — each step follows logically from the last. The more consistently you write this way, the more you signal to the examiner that you understand why something happens, not just that it does.
7. Confusing shifts with movements along a curve
This is one of the most consistent errors in answers involving demand and supply diagrams. Candidates draw the right kind of diagram but then describe — or worse, draw — the wrong kind of change.
The rule is straightforward: a change in the price of the good itself produces a movement along the curve, either an extension or a contraction of demand or supply. Everything else — a change in consumer income, tastes, the price of a related good, production costs, and so on — causes the entire curve to shift to a new position. If you find yourself explaining why demand has changed due to something other than price, the curve must shift. If price is changing and everything else is held constant, you move along it. Keeping this distinction clear will prevent a significant number of diagram errors.
8. Confusing monetary and fiscal policy
Cambridge IGCSE Candidates frequently assign the wrong tools to the wrong institution — attributing interest rate changes to the government, for instance, or crediting the central bank with decisions about taxation. These are not interchangeable.
Monetary policy is the responsibility of the central bank. Its instruments include interest rates, the money supply, and in some contexts the exchange rate. Fiscal policy belongs to the government, and its tools are taxation and public expenditure. When a question asks you to recommend or evaluate a policy response, be precise about who is doing what and with which instrument. Conflating the two suggests a weak grasp of how macroeconomic policy actually operates, which will limit your marks on any question that touches on policy.
9. Lack of balance in "discuss" questions
Eight-mark discuss questions are specifically designed to reward candidates who can see more than one side of an argument. An answer that builds a strong case in one direction but never acknowledges the counter-argument will be capped at the lower mark levels, regardless of how well that one side is written.
To reach Level 3, you need to engage genuinely with both perspectives — not just tag on a single weak sentence at the end as a token gesture. Develop each side with reasoning and, where possible, support it with evidence or examples. In practice, signposting helps here: words and phrases like "however," "on the other hand," or "in contrast" signal to the examiner that you are consciously shifting to the opposing view rather than simply contradicting yourself. A well-structured discuss answer reads like a genuinely balanced evaluation, not a one-sided essay with a disclaimer.
10. Diagram inaccuracies and mislabelling
Diagrams are an opportunity to pick up marks efficiently — but only if they are drawn correctly. The most common errors are unlabelled or incorrectly labelled axes, curves marked the wrong way around, and a failure to show what has actually changed, leaving the examiner to guess at the new equilibrium.
Every diagram should have its axes clearly labelled (Price on the vertical, Quantity on the horizontal), its curves identified (D and S), and both the original and new equilibrium positions marked — typically P1, Q1 moving to P2, Q2. If the shift is the result of a change you are analysing, the diagram needs to show that change explicitly, with an arrow or a clearly distinguishable new curve.
One final point worth remembering: if a question instructs you only to draw a diagram, you are not expected to provide a written explanation alongside it. Adding one wastes time without gaining you any marks.
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