The Cambridge AS Level English General Paper (8021) May/June 2026 papers and mark schemes are out, and they’re free. Both papers, 8021/12 and 8021/22, and the Paper 2 insert can be downloaded and printed on the Tutopiya Learning Portal. Below are all ten essay titles, every comprehension question and how the mark scheme gave marks, taken from the papers themselves.

Key points from the 2026 8021 papers

• The essay titles covered science, society and the arts. Nuclear weapons, health research, natural disasters and AI sat alongside storytelling, painting and fatherhood.
• Every essay title expects a judgement. The mark scheme for all ten says answers are likely to “make a judgement” based on the evidence.
• Paper 2 Section A is a logic puzzle, not a reading test. Most marks came from matching details in the insert (timetables, contestant profiles, warnings) to each question.
• The “do not refer to…” instructions really matter. Several Section A questions told you to leave out the other contestants or routes, and the mark scheme rejected points that did not fit the question’s focus.
• Word limits are policed. On Section B summary-style questions, examiners draw a line after the word limit and stop crediting.

All May/June 2026 8021 papers

Paper	Code	Duration	Marks	What it tests
Paper 1 Essay	8021/12	1 hour 15 minutes	30	One essay from ten titles, about 600 to 700 words
Paper 2 Comprehension	8021/22	1 hour 45 minutes	50	Two sections of questions on material in the insert

Timings and marks are taken from the front cover of each 2026 paper. Dictionaries are not allowed in either paper. For the full syllabus content, see the Cambridge International AS Level English General Paper 8021 syllabus.

Which variant is this? Cambridge sets different versions of each paper (variants) for different time zones. The papers here are variant 2: 8021/12 and 8021/22. All variants cover the same syllabus at the same difficulty, so variant 2 is just as good for practice as the one your school sat.

Download the 8021 May/June 2026 papers →

What came up in 8021 Paper 1 (Essay), May/June 2026?

You answer one question. The paper advises an essay of 600 to 700 words, supported with examples. Every question is worth 30 marks.

Question	Title (summarised)	Command
1	Wealthy nations should always help developing countries	Discuss
2	Reading and telling stories to young children is very important	Examine
3	Nuclear weapons are the best way for a country to avoid war	Evaluate
4	A painting captures life less successfully than a photograph	Discuss
5	The only purpose of education is good qualifications	Evaluate
6	Men’s role in bringing up children is essential today	Discuss
7	Human activity has made natural disasters more severe	To what extent
8	Health research should face no restrictions	Discuss
9	Advertising has a very negative impact on society	Evaluate
10	AI is changing people’s lives for the better	To what extent

Watch for: absolute words. “Always” (Question 1), “the best way” (Question 3), “the only purpose” (Question 5) and “any restrictions” (Question 8) are where the argument lives. Test them directly.

What came up in 8021 Paper 2 (Comprehension)?

You answer all questions, on the question paper. Each section is worth 25 marks.

Section A: the travel race (25 marks)

The insert sets up the final stage of a TV race. Three contestants (a sports coach, a maths graduate and a retired teacher who speaks four languages) must choose between a ferry route and a land route to a town square in another country. You get a map, timetables, three job offers and ten pieces of additional information.

Question	Task	Marks
1(a)	Why Miriam may have an advantage at the final destination	2
1(b)	Why Carmen may have an advantage on the land route	2
1(c)(i)	Why Lars suits the bus station cleaning job	2
1(c)(ii)	Why Miriam suits the late-night restaurant job	2
1(d)	Why Carmen would most likely take the ferry route (continuous prose)	10
1(e)	The potential problem with the bus to the final destination	1
1(f)	Three disadvantages of the route through Beko and New Boisin	6

Section B: Vienna’s social housing (25 marks)

The insert is an article on how Vienna keeps city-centre rents low by owning about 220,000 social housing flats, mixing people on different incomes, and what residents like and dislike about the system.

Question	Task	Marks
2(a)	Why young professionals dream of a home like Max Schranz’s	1
2(b)	Four reasons his friends in other cities are jealous	4
2(c)	How Vienna’s inner-city housing differs from other cities’	2
2(d)	Three words from the text matching given meanings	3
2(e)	The philosophy behind “communal buildings” (about 20 words)	2
2(f)	Why Schranz couldn’t get social housing in the UK (about 10 words)	1
2(g)	How the deputy mayor keeps a mix of residents (about 20 words)	2
2(h)	Why a long-term resident feels positive, then negative	4
2(i)	One problem with the Vienna model	1
2(j)	Meanings of five words or phrases, in your own words	5

What made it hard: Question 1(d), worth 10 marks, had to be built from scattered details: TV on the ferry, the onboard restaurant, Carmen’s teaching background, the reading support job and the timings. You also had to avoid comparing with the other route.

How the 8021 May/June 2026 mark scheme gives marks

The two papers are marked very differently. Paper 1 is one levels grid. Paper 2 is mostly point-by-point, with one levelled question.

1. The essay is placed in one of five levels. Level 5 is 25 to 30, Level 4 is 19 to 24, Level 3 is 13 to 18, Level 2 is 7 to 12 and Level 1 is 1 to 6. Each level covers three AOs: selecting and applying information (AO1), analysis and evaluation (AO2) and communication in written English (AO3).

2. What separates Level 5 from Level 4. Level 4 “begins to evaluate” arguments and makes a well-reasoned case. Level 5 “analyses possible meanings of the question”, defines the scope of the answer, and evaluates a range of arguments to a supported conclusion. Its English is accurate, with errors only in ambitious vocabulary or structures. For Question 3 on nuclear weapons, the mark scheme expected you to weigh deterrence against alternatives such as sanctions and compromise, and against risks such as rogue groups, cost and storage.

3. Quality beats quantity. The mark scheme says examiners are guided more by careful selection, analysis and supported judgement “than by weight of facts”. Five well-used examples beat fifteen listed ones.

4. Paper 2 short answers are point-marked with strict rules. Many questions say “credit first response only”, so a wrong first answer can’t be rescued by a right second one. The mark scheme marks rejected answers “TV” (too vague) and “REP” (repetition). In Question 1(a), for example, saying that Miriam’s fiancé’s family could help her was rejected, because phones were banned.

5. Question 1(d) is levelled out of 10. Level 4 (9 to 10) presents relevant arguments with a strong focus, Level 3 (6 to 8) has a moderate range, Level 2 (3 to 5) is limited, and Level 1 (1 to 2) is simple and undeveloped. The mark scheme warned examiners not to over-reward several points taken from the same spot in the insert. So spread your evidence across the material.

6. Developed points earn more. Question 1(f) gave up to 2 marks per disadvantage. Saying the Beko hotels are expensive scored 1. Linking that to the contestants’ overspending and budget pressure scored the second.

7. Word limits are enforced with a red line. On Questions 2(e) and 2(g) (about 20 words), examiners draw a line after 20 words and only finish a point that ends within 23. For 2(f) (about 10 words) the limit is 11. Answers not in full sentences were capped at 1 mark.

8. Vocabulary questions need the exact form. In 2(d) you must copy the exact word from lines 19 to 30, with no extra words (“no run-ins or run-ons”). In 2(j), your own word should match the grammatical form: “fuelled” needs a past participle such as “driven”, and “supported” or “due to” were rejected.

Which papers should you sit?

8021 is an AS Level, and the May/June 2026 series had both papers. On Paper 1 you choose one title from ten. On Paper 2 there is no choice: you answer every question in both sections.

How to use the 2026 papers as a mock

1. Pick an unfamiliar essay title. You won’t always get your favourite topic. Choose a title you’d normally avoid and plan it in ten minutes.
2. Write to 600 to 700 words. Then check: did you define the question’s key terms and reach a clear conclusion?
3. Do Paper 2 Section A with a highlighter. Mark every timetable, warning and contestant detail in the insert before you answer.
4. Count your words on Section B. Cut each 20-word answer to 20 words, in full sentences, and check your point appears before the line.
5. Mark strictly. Use “first response only” and check the reject list. If your answer is on it, it scores nothing.

More AS English General Paper resources

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Frequently asked questions

Are the 8021 May/June 2026 past papers free? +

Yes. Both question papers (8021/12 and 8021/22), the Paper 2 insert and the official mark schemes are free to download and print on the Tutopiya Learning Portal.

What were the 8021 Paper 1 essay questions in May/June 2026? +

There were ten titles: aid to developing countries, reading stories to young children, nuclear weapons and war, painting versus photography, the purpose of education, men's role in raising children, human activity and natural disasters, limits on health research, the impact of advertising, and artificial intelligence. You answer one.

What was the 8021 Paper 2 comprehension about in 2026? +

Section A was a problem-solving task about three contestants choosing a route for the final stage of a TV travel race. Section B was an article on how Vienna keeps city-centre housing affordable through city-owned social housing.

How is the 8021 essay marked? +

The 30-mark essay is placed in one of five levels covering selection of information (AO1), analysis and evaluation (AO2) and written communication (AO3). Level 5 (25 to 30) needs a range of arguments evaluated to a supported conclusion, with accurate, well-controlled English.

Why can't I find 8021/11 or 8021/13 for 2026? +

Only variant 2 of the May/June 2026 papers is on the portal at the moment. Cambridge sets different variants for different time zones; variants 1 and 3 test the same syllabus in the same format, so variant 2 prepares you just as well.

When will the October/November 2026 8021 papers be available? +

Cambridge usually releases the October/November papers in the new year. We add them to the Learning Portal once they are published.

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