Cambridge IGCSE Accounting Tutors Online

Cambridge IGCSE Accounting is syllabus 0452. This page works from the syllabus for exams in 2026. Exams are available in the June and November series, and also in the March series in India.

All candidates take two components, and all candidates are eligible for grades A* to G. There is no Core and Extended tier, so every student sits the same papers.

Paper 1 is Multiple Choice. It lasts 1 hour 15 minutes, carries 35 marks and is worth 30% of the qualification, and the questions are based on all syllabus content.

Paper 2 is the Structured Written Paper. It lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, carries 100 marks and is worth 70% of the qualification, and its questions are also based on all syllabus content.

There is no coursework and no practical assessment. Both components are externally assessed written papers.

This qualification is unusual in how heavily it rewards knowledge. The assessment objectives are AO1 knowledge and understanding, AO2 analysis and AO3 evaluation, and their overall weightings are AO1 at 65 per cent, AO2 at 25 per cent and AO3 at 10 per cent.

The per paper picture is where the useful detail sits. Paper 1 is 80 per cent AO1, 20 per cent AO2 and nothing on AO3. Paper 2 is 60 per cent AO1, 25 per cent AO2 and 15 per cent AO3.

So every mark for evaluation in this qualification comes from Paper 2, and the multiple choice paper cannot award a single one. A student who can prepare accounts accurately has most of the qualification covered, but a student who cannot interpret them numerically cannot reach the top grades.

The subject content is organised into seven topics: The fundamentals of accounting, Sources and recording of data, Verification of accounting records, Accounting procedures, Preparation of financial statements, Analysis and interpretation, and Accounting principles and policies.

Topic 1 introduces the subject by explaining the difference between book-keeping and accounting, the role of accounting in providing information, the purposes of measuring business profit and loss, basic accounting terms, and the accounting equation.

Topic 2 covers the double entry system of book-keeping and how it is applied in the preparation of ledger accounts, the division of the ledger, business documents and their use as sources of information, and the procedures for processing information in books of prime entry.

Topic 3 concentrates on verifying accounting records through trial balances, bank reconciliation statements and control accounts, and on the procedures for the correction of errors.

Topic 4 covers accounting procedures, including the distinction between capital and revenue expenditure and receipts, accounting for depreciation and the disposal of non-current assets, recording adjustments for accruals and prepayments, other payables and other receivables, irrecoverable debts and provisions for doubtful debts, the recovery of debts written off, and inventory valuation and its impact on financial statements.

Topic 5 is the biggest in practice. It covers the preparation of financial statements, including year-end adjustments, for sole traders, partnerships and limited companies. It also covers the financial statements of clubs and societies and of manufacturing businesses, and the procedures used when only incomplete records are available.

Topic 6 introduces the calculation and interpretation of the main accounting ratios, the use of ratios in inter-firm comparison, the uses of accounting information by interested parties, and the limitations of accounting statements.

Topic 7 covers the main accounting principles and how they are applied in accounting records and statements, and the influence of international accounting standards and the development of accounting policies. The syllabus names the principles candidates must be able to explain and recognise: matching, business entity, consistency, duality, going concern, historic cost, materiality, money measurement, prudence and realisation.

That list of ten principles is worth knowing word for word, because a question can simply ask a candidate to name and apply one. They are also the reason some accounting treatments are the way they are, so learning them as rules to recite misses the point.

The syllabus asks candidates to apply their understanding to a variety of accounting scenarios, and to make simple decisions based upon the analysis and evaluation of information provided. That is the part that separates a student who can prepare a set of accounts from one who can say what the numbers mean.

The qualification is graded A*, A, B, C, D, E, F or G, with A* the highest and G the lowest. A candidate whose performance does not meet the standard required for grade G is ungraded, which is reported on the statement of results but not on the certificate.