The Cambridge IGCSE Accounting (0452) May/June 2026 papers and mark schemes are out, and they’re free. Paper 1 (0452/12) and Paper 2 (0452/22) can be downloaded and printed on the Tutopiya Learning Portal. Below is a breakdown of what each paper tested and how the mark scheme gave marks, taken from the papers themselves.

Key points from the 2026 0452 papers

• Correcting errors featured on both papers. Paper 1 had a trial balance with items on the wrong side, a corrected profit and a suspense account question. Paper 2 Question 3 was six errors, a suspense account and an updated cash book.
• Control accounts and incomplete records went together. A sales ledger control account on Paper 2 Question 1, a trade payables control account to find purchases returns in Question 5, and credit sales from receivables on Paper 1.
• Inventory valuation came up twice. Lower of cost and net realisable value on Paper 1, and on Paper 2 a set of items needing repacking or written off as damaged.
• Ratios needed exact rounding. Gross margin, rate of inventory turnover and ROCE all appeared, and the mark scheme withheld marks for one decimal place or a missing % sign.
• Three questions ended with a 5-mark “advise” part. Each needed points for and against plus a recommendation.

All May/June 2026 0452 papers

Paper	Code	Duration	Marks	What it tests
Paper 1 Multiple Choice	0452/12	1 hour 15 minutes	35	35 questions across the whole syllabus
Paper 2 Structured Written Paper	0452/22	1 hour 45 minutes	100	Five 20-mark questions: ledger work, financial statements, calculations and advice

Timings and marks are taken from the front cover of each 2026 paper. Each paper comes with its official Cambridge mark scheme. For the full list of syllabus content, see the Cambridge IGCSE Accounting 0452 syllabus.

Which variant is this? Cambridge sets different versions of each paper (variants) for different time zones. The papers here are variant 2: 0452/12 and 0452/22. 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 0452 May/June 2026 papers →

What came up in 0452 Paper 2 (Structured Written Paper), May/June 2026?

Paper 2 had five questions worth 20 marks each. You answer all of them.

Question	Business	Topic	Marks
1	Saleh, a sole trader	Sales account and sales returns account with transfers to the income statement (5); sales ledger control account with a credit balance, discount allowed, irrecoverable debts and a contra (9); the concept behind a contra (1); advise on raising cash discount from 3% to 5% and charging interest on overdue accounts (5)	20
2	Bennu, a clothing factory	Manufacturing account with raw materials, factory overheads, apportioned rent and insurance, reducing balance depreciation and work in progress (10); trading section of the income statement (5); gross margin and rate of inventory turnover (5)	20
3	Xavier	Journal-style corrections for five errors, including an overcast purchases journal, omitted bank charges and a transposed figure (11); naming the type of error (1); suspense account (4); updated bank column of the cash book (4)	20
4	Jay KL Limited, a retail company	Reasons for straight-line depreciation and for having no provision for doubtful debts (2); statement of financial position with debentures and preference shares (8); working capital, capital employed and ROCE (5); advise on issuing ordinary shares to fund new shop fixtures (5)	20
5	Amber, a new retailer with incomplete records	Purchases returns from a trade payables control account (3); inventory valuation at lower of cost and net realisable value (4); income statement with weekly cash sales and a prepaid insurance adjustment (8); advise on offering an employee a partnership (5)	20

What made it hard: Question 4(c)(iii) built on the statement of financial position. To get ROCE right you had to add back both the loan interest due and the debenture interest to the profit for the year before dividing by capital employed. The answer was 10.98%. In Question 5(b), one line of inventory needed its repacking cost deducted and another was worth nil.

What came up in 0452 Paper 1 (Multiple Choice)?

Paper 1 had 35 questions, one mark each. Many were short calculations. Grouped by syllabus area:

• The fundamentals of accounting: what a bookkeeper does not do, the matching principle (wages due but unpaid), and relevance as an objective when choosing accounting policies.
• Sources and recording of data: total liabilities from a list of balances, a depreciation expense ledger account, a credit note after trade discount, goods taken for own use in the general journal, restoring the petty cash imprest.
• Verification of accounting records: what a trial balance shows, correcting a trial balance with items on the wrong side, correcting draft profit, what a remaining suspense balance means, updating the cash book, a bank statement balance, and items not found in a sales ledger control account.
• Accounting procedures: capital expenditure on a new machine, why depreciation is charged, profit or loss on disposal with reducing balance depreciation, prepaid rent and insurance, an irrecoverable debt in a customer’s account, inventory at lower of cost and net realisable value.
• Preparation of financial statements: a service business (accountancy firm), cost of sales, a partnership appropriation account and current accounts, limited liability and changes in a company’s equity, a sports club’s income and expenditure account and subscriptions, prime cost, credit sales from incomplete records.
• Analysis and interpretation: the liquid (acid test) ratio, what improves gross margin, and comparing two businesses’ profit and margins.

Watch for: several questions turned on one word, such as “not” in Questions 1 and 13, or “not” and “on its own” in Question 32. Underline those words before you choose an answer.

How the 0452 May/June 2026 mark scheme gives marks

Accounting marks are mostly for correct figures in the right place with the right label. The 2026 scheme shows exactly where marks were won and lost.

1. “OF” means own figure. If you make an early mistake and use your wrong figure correctly later, the marks labelled OF can still be awarded. In Question 2(c)(i), the gross margin mark was OF, so a wrong gross profit didn’t cost you the ratio marks. Some figures had no OF, though. The cost of raw materials consumed in 2(a) got no OF if purchases or closing inventory were left out.

2. Labels in ledger accounts must be precise. In Question 1(a)(i), “Credit sales for the month” or “Sales journal” were accepted, but “Credit sales”, “Sales” or “Total” were not. The transfer to the income statement had to be on the correct side, and the scheme gave no marks if you added items that don’t belong in the account (it calls these “aliens”).

3. Each correction is marked by account name and amount. In Question 3(a) the 11 marks were for the correct account names and figures on the correct side, for example debit suspense and credit purchases for the overcast journal. Error 5, a payment debited to the bank account and credited to purchases, was an error of complete reversal, worth 1 mark in 3(b).

4. Rounding and the % sign cost marks. For gross margin (39.91%), only 1 of the 2 marks was awarded if you rounded to one decimal place or left out the % sign. For ROCE in Question 4(c)(iii), the scheme gave no answer marks at all for one decimal place or a missing %. The question asked for two decimal places, so give two.

5. Alternative methods are credited. For the rate of inventory turnover in Question 2(c)(ii), the scheme accepted average finished goods inventory (17.93 times), closing inventory only (2 marks), or averaging all inventories for a manufacturer. Pick one method and show it clearly.

6. “Advise” questions have a fixed structure. Questions 1(c) and 4(d) gave up to 3 marks for points for, up to 3 for points against, a maximum of 4 for comments overall and 1 for the recommendation. Question 5(d) asked for exactly two advantages and two disadvantages, so it allowed 2 on each side. In every case the recommendation mark needed at least one point on each side.

7. A reversed point counts once. The scheme says converse comments get a maximum of 1 mark, not 2. “Customers may pay sooner” and “customers may not pay later” make one point. For 4(d), give genuinely different reasons, such as dilution of control and expected dividends, rather than mirrors of the points for.

8. Calculations score in stages. Question 5(a) gave 1 mark for adding the payments and balance, 1 for dividing by 9 (returns are 10% of total purchases, so net purchases are 90%) and 1 for the answer of $5200. A wrong final figure could still collect method marks, so write out every step.

Which papers should you sit?

There are no Core and Extended tiers in 0452. Every candidate sits Paper 1 and Paper 2, and both papers say to answer all questions. There are no optional questions.

How to use the 2026 papers as a mock

1. Keep them for last. Use older 0452 papers for topic practice and save May/June 2026 for a full mock two to four weeks before your exam.
2. Sit both papers timed. Paper 2 gives 1 hour 45 minutes for 100 marks, so aim for about 20 minutes per question and keep the rest for checking.
3. Mark strictly with the mark scheme. Check labels and sides as well as figures, and note where an OF mark saved you.
4. Redo Question 2 and Question 4(b) from a blank page. Manufacturing accounts and company statements of financial position reward a remembered layout.
5. Practise the advise questions. Write two points for, two against and a one-line recommendation for 1(c), 4(d) and 5(d), then compare them with the scheme.

More IGCSE Accounting resources

• IGCSE past papers 2026: all subjects

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Frequently asked questions

Are the 0452 May/June 2026 past papers free? +

Yes. Both question papers (0452/12 and 0452/22) and their official mark schemes are free to download and print on the Tutopiya Learning Portal.

What topics came up in 0452 Paper 2 May/June 2026? +

Paper 2 had five 20-mark questions: sales, sales returns and a sales ledger control account for a sole trader; a manufacturing account and trading section for a clothing factory; correction of errors with a suspense account; a limited company's statement of financial position with ratios; and incomplete records with inventory valuation and an income statement.

How are the advise questions on 0452 Paper 2 marked? +

Each was worth 5 marks: up to 3 for points for, up to 3 for points against, a maximum of 4 for comments overall, and 1 for a recommendation. You only get the recommendation mark if you have given at least one point on each side.

What does OF mean in the 0452 mark scheme? +

OF means own figure. If you made an earlier mistake but used your wrong figure correctly later, you can still earn the marks marked OF. Some answers have no OF allowed, for example the cost of raw materials consumed if purchases or closing inventory were left out.

Why can't I find 0452/21 or 0452/23 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 0452 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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