IGCSE Economics 0455 from 2027: what changes?
From 2027, Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 keeps its code and its two papers, but both papers change size: Paper 1 grows to 40 multiple-choice marks in 1 hour, and Paper 2 shrinks to 80 marks in 2 hours. The biggest shift for marking is that AO3 Evaluation falls from 20% to 10% of the qualification. The 2027–2029 syllabus also removes some content, such as fixed exchange rates and the role of government, and adds a new topic on changes in globalisation, with environmental sustainability running through the course.
The new syllabus is used for exams in 2027, 2028 and 2029. The 2026 syllabus covers the remaining 2026 exams. If your current Year 11 (Grade 10) class sits 0455 in 2027, their mocks this year should follow the new format.
When does the new 0455 syllabus start?
The 2027–2029 syllabus applies from the first 2027 exam series. For most schools that is June 2027. Schools in India can also enter candidates in the March series, so their first exams on the new syllabus are in March 2027.
| Item | 2026 syllabus | 2027–2029 syllabus |
|---|---|---|
| Exam years | 2026 | 2027, 2028, 2029 |
| Series | June and November (plus March in India only) | June and November (plus March in India only) |
| Syllabus code | 0455 | 0455 (unchanged) |
| Grades | A* to G | A* to G |
| Last old-syllabus series | November 2026 | — |
Cambridge O Level Economics 2281 has its own 2027–2029 syllabus, with exams in June and November. Check that syllabus separately if you teach both.
What changes in Paper 1?
Paper 1 gets longer and bigger: 40 questions in 1 hour, up from 30 questions in 45 minutes. It is still multiple choice, still worth 30% of the qualification, and still tests AO1 and AO2 only, at 50% each.
| Paper 1 Multiple Choice | 2026 | From 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Questions / marks | 30 | 40 |
| Duration | 45 minutes | 1 hour |
| Weighting | 30% | 30% |
| AOs assessed | AO1 50%, AO2 50% | AO1 50%, AO2 50% |
The time per question stays at 1.5 minutes. The main practical difference is stamina and coverage: ten more questions means more of the syllabus is sampled in each paper.
What changes in Paper 2?
Paper 2 drops from 90 marks in 2 hours 15 minutes to 80 marks in 2 hours, and all of the reduction comes from Section A. Question 1 falls from 30 marks to 20 marks. Section B is unchanged in shape: students answer three questions from a choice of four, each worth 20 marks.
| Paper 2 Structured Questions | 2026 | From 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Total marks | 90 | 80 |
| Duration | 2 hours 15 minutes | 2 hours |
| Weighting | 70% | 70% |
| Section A | 1 compulsory question, 30 marks | 1 compulsory question, 20 marks, parts (a)–(f) |
| Section B | 3 from 4 questions, 20 marks each | 3 from 4 questions, 20 marks each, parts (a)–(d) |
To see what this looks like in practice, compare a recent live paper with the 2027 specimen:
- June 2024 Paper 21, Question 1 had eight parts, (a) to (h), worth 1, 2, 2, 4, 4, 5, 6 and 6 marks. Two of them were 6-mark "Discuss" questions.
- The 2027 specimen Paper 2, Question 1 has six parts, (a) to (f), worth 2, 2, 2, 4, 4 and 6 marks. Only the last part is a "Discuss" question.
- Section B is the same in both: (a) 2 marks, (b) 4, (c) 6 and (d) 8.
Section A is still based on unseen information about a real economic situation, and students must use that information in their answers.
How have the assessment objective weightings changed?
Evaluation (AO3) is halved, from 20% to 10% of the qualification, and the marks move to knowledge and analysis. Paper 1 is unchanged at 50/50 AO1 and AO2. The shift happens in Paper 2.
| Assessment objective | Whole IGCSE 2026 | Whole IGCSE 2027–2029 | Paper 2 2026 | Paper 2 2027–2029 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AO1 Knowledge and understanding | 40% | 43% | 35% | 40% |
| AO2 Analysis | 40% | 47% | 35% | 45% |
| AO3 Evaluation | 20% | 10% | 30% | 15% |
The AO wording has also been tightened. Cambridge says the new wording tests most of the same knowledge and skills as before.
Has the Paper 2 mark scheme changed?
The layout and wording of the Paper 2 mark scheme have changed, but Cambridge says "the marking criteria stay largely the same". Comparing the June 2024 Paper 21 mark scheme with the 2027 specimen Paper 2 mark scheme shows what that means:
- The levels table moves to the front. The 2027 specimen calls it Table A and places it before Section A. In 2024 it was a "Guidance table" at the end of the document.
- The bands are the same. Section B part (d) is still marked in three levels: 6–8, 3–5 and 1–2 marks, with 0 for no creditable content.
- Level 1 is worded differently. It now describes relevant definitions or statements that are not developed.
- Section A "Discuss" is still point-marked. In the specimen, Question 1(f) gives up to 4 marks for each side of the argument, to a maximum of 6.
- The specimen mark scheme has been revised twice. Version 3 (June 2025) updated the scheme for Question 3(b), and version 2 (February 2025) updated Questions 1(a) and 5(a). Make sure you download the current version.
The syllabus says part (d) questions in Section B reward clear, logical analysis and a reasoned discussion that considers two sides of an argument. That expectation hasn't changed. If your department uses shorthand on scripts, our guide to IGCSE mark scheme abbreviations covers the common ones.
What content has been removed from 0455?
Cambridge lists several topics as removed or significantly reduced in the 2027–2029 syllabus. The most important ones for teaching and mock setting are:
| Removed or reduced (old reference) | Notes from the 2027–2029 syllabus |
|---|---|
| 3.4 Trade unions | Removed as a topic, but trade unions are still referenced in wage determination (3.3.2) |
| 3.5.3 Causes and forms of the growth of firms | Removed |
| 4.1 The role of government | Removed |
| 4.3.5 Principles of taxation | Removed |
| 4.7.2 Changing patterns and level of employment | Removed |
| 4.8 Content about deflation | Removed (deflation is still defined in 4.7.1) |
| 5.3.3 Interpreting population pyramids | Removed |
| 6.3.5 Fixed foreign exchange rates | Removed, including comparing floating and fixed systems |
| Claimant count | Removed from measuring unemployment (the labour force survey stays) |
| Mobility of capital, enterprise and land | Removed (mobility of labour stays, in 3.3.4) |
| PPC references for growth and recession | Removed |
What content has been added?
The main additions are a new topic on changes in globalisation and explicit environmental sustainability content throughout. Environmental sustainability is now one of the government's macroeconomic aims, and "economic growth and environmental sustainability" is listed as a possible conflict between aims.
Other additions Cambridge lists include:
- the concept of scarcity
- perfectly inelastic, unitary and perfectly elastic values for PED and PES
- monopoly as a term associated with market failure
- arguments for and against the mixed economic system
- age and culture as influences on household spending, saving and borrowing
- diagrams showing national minimum wages
- average total cost (ATC) diagrams for economies and diseconomies of scale
- characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of competitive markets
- causes and consequences of recession, and seasonal unemployment
- improved healthcare provision as a policy to reduce poverty
- reasons for trade restrictions, including promoting environmental sustainability
- reasons for buying and selling foreign currencies, and definitions of floating exchange rate, appreciation and depreciation
What this means for marking mocks this year
If your students sit 0455 in 2027, set and mark their mocks to the 2027 format, using past papers selectively and the specimen papers for anything that changed. Past papers are still the best source of high-quality questions. You just need to choose and adapt them.
| Past paper section | Still fits for 2027 mocks? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 questions | Mostly | Combine questions to make 40 in 1 hour. Skip any on removed content, such as fixed exchange rates or the claimant count |
| Paper 2 Section B questions | Yes, same 2/4/6/8 structure | Use as they are, after checking each topic is still in the syllabus |
| Paper 2 Section A (Question 1) | Not as it stands | Cut it to 20 marks, for example by dropping two parts, or use the 2027 specimen Question 1 |
| Old mark schemes, part (d) levels | Yes, same bands | Mark against Table A in the 2027 specimen mark scheme for consistent wording |
| Old grade thresholds | Only as a rough guide | They were set for 30 + 90 marks, so any conversion to the new totals is an estimate |
A few practical points for departments:
- Use the specimen papers for at least one full mock. The 2027 specimen Paper 1, Paper 2 and mark schemes are on the 0455 syllabus page and the School Support Hub. They are the only full papers in the new format until the first live 2027 papers are released.
- Time Paper 2 at 2 hours. Students used to 2 hours 15 minutes for 90 marks will now have 2 hours for 80 marks, so pacing practice matters.
- Rebalance feedback towards analysis. With AO3 down to 15% of Paper 2 and AO2 up to 45%, well-developed chains of analysis carry more of the marks. In the 2027 specimen, "Discuss" parts account for 30 of the 80 marks students answer (one 6-mark part plus three 8-mark parts). In June 2024 Paper 21 it was 36 of 90.
- Agree how you will convert marks to grades. Our guide to choosing grade boundaries for IGCSE mocks explains the method and why a mock grade is an estimate, especially in the first year of a new format.
- Check removed content in your question bank. Questions on fixed exchange rates, the qualities of a good tax or interpreting population pyramids no longer match the syllabus.
For every other Cambridge subject changing between 2027 and 2029, see our full list of Cambridge IGCSE syllabus changes. If you also teach Business, the 0450 to 0264 changes follow a similar timeline.
FAQ
When is the first exam for the new IGCSE Economics 0455 syllabus?
The 2027–2029 syllabus is used from the first 2027 series. For most schools that is June 2027, while schools in India can enter candidates for March 2027.
How long is IGCSE Economics Paper 2 from 2027?
Paper 2 is 2 hours and worth 80 marks, down from 2 hours 15 minutes and 90 marks. It is still worth 70% of the qualification.
How many marks is Question 1 in 0455 Paper 2 from 2027?
Question 1 in Section A is worth 20 marks, down from 30, and has six parts from (a) to (f). The 2027 specimen paper has only one 6-mark "Discuss" part in Question 1.
Can I still use 0455 past papers for 2027 mocks?
Yes, with care. Section B questions keep the same structure and Paper 1 questions can be combined into a 40-question paper, but Section A needs cutting to 20 marks and questions on removed content should be left out.
Has the 0455 Paper 2 mark scheme changed?
The layout and wording have changed, but Cambridge says the marking criteria stay largely the same. Section B part (d) is still marked in three levels worth 1–2, 3–5 and 6–8 marks.
Sources
- Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 syllabus for 2027, 2028 and 2029 (Cambridge International)
- Cambridge IGCSE Economics 0455 syllabus for 2026, version 2 (Cambridge International)
- 0455 specimen Paper 2 for examination from 2027 (Cambridge International)
- 0455 specimen Paper 2 mark scheme for examination from 2027, version 3 (Cambridge International)
- 0455 specimen materials update notice, June 2025 (Cambridge International)
- 0455 June 2024 Paper 21 question paper (Cambridge International)
- 0455 June 2024 Paper 21 mark scheme (Cambridge International)
- Cambridge O Level Economics 2281 syllabus for 2027, 2028 and 2029 (Cambridge International)