Cambridge IGCSE Accounting 0452/22 is the May/June 2026 Paper 2 (Structured Written Paper), variant 2. It lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, is worth 100 marks and is sat by every 0452 candidate. It had five compulsory questions of 20 marks each, and the biggest single task was the 11-mark table of corrections in Question 3. This guide goes through the paper question by question and shows the figures and labels the official mark scheme gave marks for. The paper and its mark scheme are free on the Tutopiya Learning Portal.

For an overview of both 0452 papers from this series, see IGCSE Accounting 0452 May/June 2026 past papers: what came up and how it was marked.

0452/22 at a glance

Question	Business and topic	Marks	Main tasks
1	Saleh, a sole trader: sales, sales returns and the sales ledger control account	20	Prepare ledger accounts, state a concept, advise
2	Bennu, a clothing factory: manufacturing account and trading section	20	Prepare statements, calculate ratios
3	Xavier: correction of errors and the suspense account	20	Complete a correction table, prepare accounts
4	Jay KL Limited, a retail company: statement of financial position	20	State, prepare, calculate, advise
5	Amber, a new retailer with incomplete records	20	Calculate, prepare an income statement, advise
	Total	100

Answer all five questions. The paper asks you to show your workings.

Question-by-question walkthrough

Question 1: Saleh’s sales and sales ledger control account (20 marks)

Saleh’s financial year ends on 31 March. You were given his sales and sales returns balances at 1 March 2026 and the month’s credit sales, cash sales and returns.

• Sales account (3 marks): the credit side holds the balance brought down ($82 095), the credit sales for the month ($5750, 1 mark) and the cash sales paid into the bank ($1285, 1 mark). The transfer to the income statement, $89 130, goes on the debit side (1 mark, own figure). The label matters: “credit sales for the month”, “sales for the month” or “sales journal” were accepted, but “credit sales”, “sales”, “total” or “trade receivables” were not. The scheme gave no marks at all if you added items that do not belong in the account.
• Sales returns account (2 marks): the balance brought down ($3460) and the returns for the month ($319, 1 mark) sit on the debit side, and the transfer to the income statement, $3779, goes on the credit side (1 mark, own figure). “Sales returns” or “returns in” on their own were not accepted as the label for the month’s returns.
• Sales ledger control account (9 marks): the debit side has the opening debit balance ($6145), credit sales ($5750) and the credit balance carried down ($250). The credit side has the opening credit balance ($250), sales returns ($319), bank ($3755), discount allowed ($48), irrecoverable debts ($465), the contra ($926) and the debit balance carried down. Both sides total $12 145, and the debit balance brought down at 1 April is $6382. There was one mark for each of the six March entries, one for the two opening balances together, one for the closing balances (own figure) and one for the dates.
• The concept behind a contra (1 mark): duality.
• Advise on discount and interest (5 marks): Saleh was thinking of raising his cash discount from 3% to 5% for payment within 7 days and charging 2% a month interest on debts over 28 days. Points for included customers paying sooner, fewer irrecoverable debts, interest income adding to profit and the low take-up of the current discount. Points against included customers moving to a supplier that charges no interest, customers who cannot pay being unlikely to pay interest either, the extra discount cutting profit and worse customer relations. The marks were up to 3 for, up to 3 against, a maximum of 4 for comments, and 1 for a recommendation.

Question 2: Bennu’s manufacturing account (20 marks)

Bennu runs a clothing factory with a 30 April year end. Rent and insurance and cleaning and maintenance were split three quarters to the factory and one quarter to the office, $250 of cleaning was outstanding, and equipment was depreciated at 20% reducing balance.

• Manufacturing account (10 marks):
  • Cost of raw materials consumed: opening inventory $9375 + purchases $106 345 + carriage inwards $4300 − closing inventory $9120 = $110 900 (own figure, but none if purchases or closing inventory were left out).
  • Prime cost: add direct wages (factory operatives, $58 400) to give $169 300.
  • Factory overheads: rent and insurance $16 000 × ¾ = $12 000; factory power $8890; cleaning and maintenance ($7250 + $250) × ¾ = $5625; factory supervisor’s wages $21 000; depreciation 20% × ($95 000 − $34 200) = $12 160. Total $59 675, giving $228 975. No own-figure mark was given for this total if power and the supervisor’s wages were missing.
  • Work in progress: add opening $8260 and deduct closing $8295 (1 mark for both) to reach a cost of production of $228 940.
  • Office staff wages do not belong in the manufacturing account.
• Trading section (5 marks): revenue $382 640, less cost of sales: opening finished goods $12 450 + cost of production $228 940 + purchases of finished goods $1721 − closing finished goods $13 200 = $229 911. Gross profit is $152 729. One mark covered both finished goods inventories.
• Gross margin (2 marks): $152 729 ÷ $382 640 × 100 = 39.91%. You only got 1 mark if you gave one decimal place or left out the % sign.
• Rate of inventory turnover (3 marks): cost of sales ÷ average finished goods inventory, $229 911 ÷ [($12 450 + $13 200) ÷ 2] = 17.93 times. Using closing inventory only (17.42) earned 2 marks. Averaging all three inventories, as a manufacturer might, was also accepted: 7.58 times, or 7.51 using closing inventories only for 2 marks.

Question 3: Xavier’s correction of errors (20 marks)

Xavier’s trial balance did not agree, so the difference went to a suspense account. Error 1, rent wrongly debited to wages, was done for you.

Correction table (11 marks): the marks were for the correct account names and amounts.

Error	Debit	Credit
2: purchases journal overcast by $50	Suspense $50	Purchases $50
3: bank charges of $49 omitted	Bank charges $49	Bank $49
4: sales returns of $36 credited to purchases returns	Sales returns $36 and purchases returns $36	Suspense $72
5: $215 bank payment for purchases recorded the wrong way round	Purchases $430	Bank $430
6: $525 cash sale entered in the bank account as $252	Bank $273	Suspense $273

Errors 4 and 5 both involve double the original amount, because the wrong entry has to be undone as well as the right one made. For error 4, two credit entries of $36 each to suspense were accepted for 1 mark.

• Type of error (1 mark): error 5 is an error of complete reversal.
• Suspense account (4 marks): the debit side has purchases ($50) and the balancing figure, the difference on the trial balance of $295 (own figure, on either side). The credit side has sales returns and purchases returns ($36 each, 1 mark together) and bank ($273). Both sides total $345. Errors 3 and 5 do not go through suspense.
• Updated cash book (4 marks): the bank started with a credit balance of $410, so the account was overdrawn. Debit suspense $273; credit bank charges $49 and purchases $430. The account balances at $889, and the balance brought down at 1 May is $616 credit (own figure, on either side).

Question 4: Jay KL Limited’s statement of financial position (20 marks)

A retail company with a 28 February year end. The debenture interest had been paid, the bank loan interest ($375) had not, the profit for the year was $11 870, and no dividends had been paid.

• Straight-line depreciation (1 mark): any one reason, such as consistency with previous years, it is easy to calculate, or the fixtures are used up evenly over their life.
• No provision for doubtful debts (1 mark): any one reason, such as most shop sales being for cash, customers paying on time, low trade receivables or no irrecoverable debts.
• Statement of financial position (8 marks): non-current assets of shop property $108 000 and fixtures $11 420 = $119 420. Current assets of inventory $6350, trade receivables $575 and other receivables (insurance prepaid) $260 = $7185. Total assets $126 605. Equity of ordinary shares $65 000, preference shares $10 000, general reserve $6500 and retained earnings $24 170 = $105 670. Non-current liabilities of the bank loan $5000 and 10% debentures $10 000 = $15 000. Current liabilities of trade payables $3820, other payables (loan interest due) $375 and bank overdraft $1740 = $5935. The own-figure totals for current assets and current liabilities needed at least two items and nothing that did not belong.
• Working capital (1 mark): $7185 − $5935 = $1250.
• Capital employed (1 mark): $105 670 + $15 000 = $120 670 (or total assets less current liabilities).
• ROCE to two decimal places (3 marks): debenture interest is 10% × $10 000 = $1000. Add both interest figures back to profit: $11 870 + $375 + $1000 = $13 245. Then $13 245 ÷ $120 670 × 100 = 10.98%. The scheme gave no answer marks for one decimal place or a missing % sign.
• Advise on issuing ordinary shares for new shop fixtures (5 marks): the directors wanted to buy new fixtures, including a large sign at the front of the shop. Points for: a large sum can be raised, it never has to be repaid, no interest is payable, dividends are not compulsory, and the sign may attract customers and lift sales. Points against: control is diluted because more shareholders can vote, shareholders will expect dividends, the shares may not all sell, and the new fixtures may not raise profit. The split was the same as 1(c).

Question 5: Amber’s incomplete records (20 marks)

Amber started trading on 1 April 2025, sells only for cash and does not keep full double-entry records. Purchases returns were 10% of total credit purchases.

• Purchases returns (3 marks): payments to suppliers $43 190 + closing trade payables $3610 = $46 800 (1 mark). That is the 90% left after returns, so divide by 9 (1 mark) to get returns of $5200 (1 mark), and total credit purchases of $52 000. Taking 10% of $46 800 ($4680) scored 2 marks.
• Inventory valuation (4 marks): item X at cost, 76 × $47 = $3572. Item Y at net realisable value less repacking, (12 × $28) − $96 = $240, which is below its cost of $252. Item Z was damaged and unsaleable, so it is nil. Total $3812. If you showed no value for Z, you scored only 1 mark.
• Income statement (8 marks):
  • Revenue: ($2500 + $1800) × 26 weeks = $111 800.
  • Cost of sales: purchases ($13 000 cash + $52 000 credit) $65 000 − returns $5200 − closing inventory $3812 = $55 988. There was no opening inventory because the business was new.
  • Gross profit $55 812.
  • Expenses: wages $14 300, general expenses $2750, and rent and insurance $7767 − $378 = $7389 (2 marks). The $945 insurance covered 15 months, and 6 of them (April to September 2026) belong to next year: $945 × 6 ÷ 15 = $378.
  • Profit for the year $31 373. Drawings are not an expense. Leaving out general expenses cost the own-figure profit mark.
• Advise on offering Jasper a partnership (5 marks): Jasper, an employee with ideas for growth, would expect half the profit. Advantages included his ideas raising profit, sales having fallen in the second half of the year, extra capital, and sharing risks, workload and losses. Disadvantages included disagreement over his ideas, conflict, Amber losing control, sharing profit, and the fact that half the current profit is more than Jasper’s current wage. Two marks were available on each side and 1 for the recommendation.

Where the marks are on 0452/22

Skill	Parts	Marks
Preparing ledger accounts and financial statements	1(a), 1(b)(i), 2(a), 2(b), 3(c), 3(d), 4(b), 5(c)	53
Correcting errors in a table	3(a)	11
Calculations and ratios	2(c), 4(c), 5(a), 5(b)	17
Advise with points for and against	1(c), 4(d), 5(d)	15
Short “state” answers	1(b)(ii), 3(b), 4(a)	4
Total		100

• More than half the paper is layout work. Ledger accounts, a manufacturing account, a statement of financial position and an income statement carried 53 marks, so a remembered format is worth more than any single topic.
• The ratio and capital calculations in 2(c) and 4(c) carried 10 marks, and the gross margin, inventory turnover and ROCE answers each depended on accurate rounding.
• The three advise questions are 15 marks together. They follow the same structure every time, so they are the easiest marks to practise.

How to self-mark 0452/22 with the mark scheme

1. Learn the annotations first. OF means own figure: a later mark can still be given for a correct method on your wrong figure. “Aliens” are items that do not belong in an account or statement, and they can cost marks for the whole layout.
2. Mark each line, not the total. Ledger and statement marks are for the right item, with an acceptable label, on the right side or in the right section. A correct total does not score if the items above it are wrong.
3. Check where OF is not allowed. In 2(a), no own figure was given for raw materials consumed if purchases or closing inventory were missing, or for $228 975 if power and the supervisor’s wages were missing.
4. Apply the rounding rules strictly. Two decimal places and a % sign for gross margin and ROCE; ROCE scored no answer marks without them.
5. For the advise questions, count separate points. A point and its reverse (“customers pay sooner” and “customers will not pay later”) earn 1 mark, not 2. No recommendation mark without at least one point on each side.
6. Log each lost mark as layout, label, calculation or missing knowledge, and redo that part from a blank page.

Sit 0452/22 as a timed mock

The paper allows 105 minutes for 100 marks, about one minute per mark. A workable plan:

Block	Marks	Time
Question 1	20	20 minutes
Question 2	20	20 minutes
Question 3	20	19 minutes
Question 4	20	20 minutes
Question 5	20	20 minutes
Check totals, labels and % signs	–	6 minutes

Draft each advise answer as two lines for, two lines against and a one-line recommendation, so it does not eat into the time for the next question.

Other May/June 2026 0452 papers

• 0452 Paper 12 (Multiple Choice)

Practise and download

• Download 0452/22 and its mark scheme on the Learning Portal →
• All 0452 May/June 2026 papers: overview and marking patterns
• Try a free IGCSE Accounting quiz

Need help with a 0452 topic? Book a free trial lesson with an IGCSE Accounting tutor →

Frequently asked questions

What topics were on 0452 Paper 22 May/June 2026? +

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 and cash book; a limited company's statement of financial position and ratios; and incomplete records with inventory valuation and an income statement.

How many marks is 0452/22 and how long is it? +

It is out of 100 marks and lasts 1 hour 45 minutes. There are five compulsory questions worth 20 marks each, and you may use a calculator.

What was the ROCE answer on 0452/22 2026? +

10.98%. Add the bank loan interest due ($375) and the debenture interest ($1000) back to the profit for the year of $11 870, giving $13 245, then divide by capital employed of $120 670 and multiply by 100. No answer marks were given for one decimal place or a missing % sign.

How were the advise questions on 0452/22 marked? +

Each was worth 5 marks. 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 and 1 for a recommendation. Question 5(d) asked for two advantages and two disadvantages, so it allowed 2 on each side. The recommendation mark needed at least one point on each side.

What was the cost of production in the 0452/22 manufacturing account? +

$228 940. Prime cost was $169 300 and factory overheads $59 675, giving $228 975, then opening work in progress of $8260 is added and closing work in progress of $8295 deducted.

Where can I download 0452/22 May/June 2026 and its mark scheme? +

Both are free to download and print on the Tutopiya Learning Portal, on the Cambridge IGCSE Accounting 0452 past papers page.

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