Choose the correct exam-year route
Compare the 2025–2027 and revised 2028–2030 assessment patterns and use the correct instructions when practising.
Original StudyForA teaching and fictional practice scenarios. Model responses illustrate reasoning; other well-supported answers are possible. These tasks do not award Cambridge marks or grades. A broad topic map is not a complete current-affairs reading programme. Full-length unseen-paper practice, an authenticated reading bank and calibrated human assessment remain outstanding.
Before you begin
- Read short English passages
- Distinguish a claim from its supporting reason
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
What should a reasoned answer do?
What you will learn
- Distinguish old and revised component rules
- Plan practice using the appropriate durations, section weights and writing instructions
The earlier paper and later component differ
For 2025–2027, Essay is 75 minutes and 30 marks; Comprehension is 105 minutes and 50 marks with two 25-mark sections. The unseen material is up to 900 words. Each paper contributes half of the AS result.
For 2028–2030, Essay remains 75 minutes with a suggested 600–700 words but has 40 marks: 20 across information/analysis and 20 for written English. Comprehension remains 105 minutes and 50 marks, with Section A 20 and Section B 30; unseen material is approximately at most 1600 words. A new Section B persuasive response is up to 150 words and worth 12 marks. Digital and paper-based exams are available.
Use the instructions, not a remembered total
Standalone AS Level, not a full A Level. June and November entries are available; March is available in India only. Confirm the exact series, zone and centre entry with your exams officer. Both components must be taken in the same series. Dictionaries are not permitted in the exams.
Both versions offer 10 essay questions with one chosen and require all comprehension questions. Do not add raw marks from the two components as if they have equal maximum marks: each contributes 50%. Use the official syllabus and specimen materials for the candidate’s year; the internal feedback here is not a Cambridge score.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
What is the revised 2028–2030 comprehension section split?
Worked example
For a fictional illustration only, what weighted percentage comes from 15/30 on the older Essay and 30/50 on Comprehension?
Show the worked solution
- Convert Essay to 50%.
- Convert Comprehension to 60%.
- Average because each contributes half.
Answer The weighted illustration is 55%: 0.5×50% + 0.5×60%. Adding 15 and 30 and dividing by 80 gives a different answer because that wrongly weights the components by their raw totals. This calculation is not a predicted Cambridge grade.
From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Guided: A learner takes the exam in 2027. Should they use the 40-mark Essay and 20/30 Comprehension split?
Give me a hint
Match the year to the version.
Compare my reasoning
- 2027 belongs to 2025–2027.
- Essay has 30 marks.
- Comprehension uses two 25-mark sections.
No. The 2027 learner uses the 2025–2027 syllabus: a 30-mark Essay and two 25-mark Comprehension sections. The 40-mark Essay and 20/30 split apply from 2028. Shared reasoning skills are useful, but the assessment instructions must match the year.
Look for these in your work
- Selects the version
- States essay marks
- States the section split
Independent: A 2029 learner scores a hypothetical 20/40 and 30/50. Calculate the equally weighted percentage without assigning a grade.
Give me a hint
Convert each component separately.
Compare my reasoning
- 20/40 is 50%.
- 30/50 is 60%.
- Half of each gives 55%.
The equally weighted illustration is 55%, because each component contributes half: 0.5×50 + 0.5×60 = 55. Dividing the raw sum 50 by 90 would give the wrong relative weights. No Cambridge grade can be inferred from this rehearsal calculation.
Look for these in your work
- Converts components
- Uses 50/50 weighting
- Avoids a grade prediction
Application: A school offers March entry outside India for this syllabus. What should the learner verify?
Give me a hint
Use the series and country restriction.
Compare my reasoning
- The published March route is India only.
- June and November are listed more generally.
- Ask the exams officer to confirm zone and authorised entry.
The learner should ask the exams officer to verify the authorised exam series and centre entry: the published March option is for India only, while June and November are listed generally. A school’s informal offer does not override the official entry restrictions or zone timetable.
Look for these in your work
- Recognises the India restriction
- Identifies alternatives
- Uses official entry verification
Common mistakes
- Applying 40 essay marks to 2027
- Using the older 25/25 section split in 2028
- Adding raw component marks without the qualification weighting
- Treating formative feedback as a Cambridge grade
What can you explain now?
What is the revised 2028–2030 comprehension section split?
Compare with the explanation
Section A 20 marks and Section B 30 marks
Use the candidate’s exam-year syllabus; the earlier split is 25 and 25.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
What is the revised 2028–2030 comprehension section split?
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.