From the March 2020 exam series, we are making some changes to the front covers of all our question papers. These changes will affect the wording and layout, and will make sure the instructions for candidates are clear and the layout is consistent. We are not changing what the candidate needs to do, or how many questions they need to answer – this will remain the same as on our published specimen materials.
When will the changes take place?
You will be able to see these changes on live question papers from the March 2020 series. We have also changed the specimen materials for syllabuses revised for 2020 and 2021. These are available on our specimen materials page.
Key changes
- The wording speaks to candidates directly, e.g. ‘you must answer on the question paper’ instead of ‘candidates must answer on the question paper.’
- The total number of questions to answer is clearly stated. The instructions may have been re-worded too – if there is a choice of questions to answer, it should be clear which ones need to be answered from which section.
- Additional materials are now listed under a heading called ‘you will need’
- There is less variation in standard instructions between syllabuses.
- All instructions are listed as separate bullet points, and are now listed under one of two headings: Instructions state what candidates must do; Information provides useful guidance for candidates.
- Our logo has moved to the top of the page.
- Answer booklets and inserts are listed under what the candidate will need (and are no longer included in the page details at the end of the page).
- The total number of marks is always given.
- The black box logos for qualifications have been removed, and instead the short qualification name is used, e.g. Cambridge IGCSE.
- We have moved statements that advise how much time to spend on which sections or that remind candidates of how many words to write to inside the question paper next to the relevant section or question, where appropriate.
What do the changes look like?
Examples of the question paper and answer booklet are shown below. (Click on the image to enlarge).
This image shows what the front cover looks like when the candidate answers on the question paper.
This image shows what the front cover looks like when the candidate answers on the answer booklet.