Cambridge IGCSE Economics Tutors Online

Cambridge IGCSE Economics is syllabus 0455. This page works from the syllabus for exams in 2026, version 2, published December 2025. 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 split in Economics, so every student sits the same two papers and is graded on the full A* to G range. That removes one of the biggest planning risks in the sciences, but it also means there is no easier paper to fall back on.

Paper 1 is Multiple Choice. It lasts 45 minutes, carries 30 marks and is worth 30% of the qualification. Candidates answer all 30 questions.

Paper 2 is Structured Questions. It lasts 2 hours 15 minutes, carries 90 marks and is worth 70% of the qualification. Candidates answer one compulsory question and three questions from a choice of four.

That split matters more than the numbers suggest. Paper 2 is worth more than twice Paper 1 and it lasts three times as long, so the qualification is decided by extended writing, not by multiple choice. A student who is quick on definitions but slow at building an argument will find Paper 2 the harder paper and should practise it first, not last.

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

The subject content is organised into six topics: The basic economic problem, The allocation of resources, Microeconomic decision makers, Government and the macroeconomy, Economic development, and International trade and globalisation.

Within those six topics the syllabus names the content precisely, and it is worth knowing what is actually in each. Topic 1 covers the nature of the economic problem, the factors of production, opportunity cost and production possibility curve diagrams. Topic 2 is the largest, running from microeconomics and macroeconomics through the role of markets, demand, supply, price determination and price changes, price elasticity of demand and of supply, the market economic system, market failure and the mixed economic system.

Topic 3 covers money and banking, households, workers, trade unions, firms, firms and production, firms' costs, revenue and objectives, and market structure. Topic 4 covers the role of government, the macroeconomic aims of government, fiscal policy, monetary policy, supply-side policy, economic growth, employment and unemployment, and inflation and deflation.

Topic 5 covers living standards, poverty, population, and the differences in economic development between countries. Topic 6 covers international specialisation, globalisation and free trade and protection, foreign exchange rates, and the current account of the balance of payments.

The syllabus also asks teachers and students to focus that content around real and current economic events, giving examples such as how large immigration movements may affect economic growth or living standards in the countries affected, how changes in oil prices and the effect of drilling and fracking may affect world trade, how a significant recession in one country may affect its trading partners, and how differences in corporation tax between countries may affect where multinational companies locate their head office. These are examples rather than a fixed list, so the habit of applying theory to current events is part of the course.

The assessment objectives are three. AO1 is knowledge and understanding, covering economic definitions, formulas, concepts and theories, and the use of economic terminology. AO2 is analysis, covering selecting, organising and interpreting data, using economic information to recognise patterns and deduce relationships, applying economic analysis to written, numerical, diagrammatic and graphical data, and analysing economic issues while identifying and developing links. AO3 is evaluation, covering evaluating economic information and data, distinguishing between economic analysis and unreasoned statements, recognising the uncertainties in the outcomes of economic decisions and events, and communicating economic thinking in a logical manner.

The overall weightings are AO1 at 40 per cent, AO2 at 40 per cent and AO3 at 20 per cent. The per paper picture is where the useful detail sits. Paper 1 is 50 per cent AO1, 50 per cent AO2 and nothing on AO3. Paper 2 is 35 per cent AO1, 35 per cent AO2 and 30 per cent AO3.

So every mark for evaluation in this qualification comes from Paper 2. Evaluation is the skill of weighing up, judging and reaching a supported conclusion, and a student who only practises definitions and diagrams can score well on Paper 1 and still lose the whole of that fifth of the qualification.

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.