The Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457) May/June 2026 written paper and mark scheme are out, and they’re free. Paper 1 (0457/12) and its source insert can be downloaded and printed on the Tutopiya Learning Portal. Below is a breakdown of what the paper tested and how the mark scheme gave marks, taken from the paper itself.

Key points from the 2026 0457 paper

• One topic, start to finish. Every question was about vehicle crime, from global theft figures to how a government should respond.
• Only 4 of the 70 marks came from short questions. The rest were for analysing, evaluating, designing research and arguing.
• Research skills were worth 16 marks. Question 2 asked you to evaluate a weak piece of student research, then design a better way to test its claim.
• The two big questions were worth 36 marks together. Comparing two blog arguments (16) and recommending a government action (20) make up over half the paper.
• Everything is AO1. The mark scheme assesses one objective, research, analysis and evaluation, across every question.

The May/June 2026 0457 paper

Paper	Code	Duration	Marks	What it tests
Paper 1 Written Exam	0457/12	1 hour 25 minutes	70	Four compulsory questions based on four sources in a separate insert

The timing and marks are taken from the front cover of the 2026 paper, which comes with its official Cambridge mark scheme. For the full syllabus, including the coursework components, see the Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives 0457 syllabus.

Which variant is this? Cambridge sets different versions of each paper (variants) for different time zones. The paper here is variant 2: 0457/12. 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 0457 May/June 2026 paper →

What came up in 0457 Paper 1 (Written Exam), May/June 2026?

The sources: Source 1 gave global figures on the value of stolen vehicles in 2020 and a short list of causes of vehicle theft. Source 2 came from an international police organisation’s website and set out the costs of vehicle crime, its links to wider organised crime and what the organisation does about it. Source 3 was a student’s account of interviewing one manager at a building firm. Source 4 was a blog in which a police volunteer blames careless owners, and someone from the motor industry argues that profit-driven, international crime is the real problem.

The paper had four questions worth 70 marks.

Question	Source(s)	Task	Marks
1(a)	1	Identify the average loss per vehicle theft in 2020	1
1(b)(i)	2	Identify a generalisation	1
1(b)(ii)	2	Explain why it is a generalisation	2
1(c)	2	Describe the police organisation’s perspective on vehicle crime	6
1(d)	1 and 2	Choose the most significant cause of vehicle crime and explain why	8
2(a)	3	Strengths and weaknesses of the student’s research	8
2(b)	3	How to test the claim that vehicle crime is increasing nationally	8
3	4	Which blog argument is more convincing?	16
4	All, plus your own ideas	Recommend one of three government actions: more police, a national awareness campaign, or pushing manufacturers to improve security	20

What made it hard: Source 3 had many weaknesses to spot, such as one interview, a manager new to the job, a noisy café and a national conclusion drawn from one local theft. But Question 2(a) also asked for strengths, and the top level needs both. The student did get permission, agree confidentiality and record the interview, and those count.

How the 0457 May/June 2026 mark scheme gives marks

Global Perspectives is marked differently from most IGCSE subjects. Knowing how the grids work tells you what to write.

1. Most questions are marked holistically, not by points. The scheme says marks depend on the overall quality of the answer, not on adding up points. Examiners start at the top level and work down until the description fits. Then they place you within the level: at the top if you consistently meet it, at the bottom if you are on the borderline with the level below.

2. The short questions are exact. Question 1(a) had 1 mark for the average loss, but only with the unit ($ or dollars). In 1(b)(ii), 2 marks went to a clear explanation of why your example was a generalisation, meaning it treats something as always true when it is only sometimes true. If you showed you knew what a generalisation is but didn’t link it to your example, you got 1.

3. “Describe a perspective” means more than the facts. Question 1(c) used three levels (1–2, 3–4, 5–6). The top level needed a wide range of elements of the perspective and frequent use of material from Source 2. The scheme breaks a perspective into the issue, values, causes, consequences and actions. The police organisation’s values, such as believing everyone has to work together, counted alongside its database and conferences.

4. Research evaluation must be balanced and tied to the purpose. Question 2(a) used four levels. Level 4 (7–8) needs reasoned explanation of a wide range of points, including both strengths and weaknesses, linked to what the research was trying to find out. “The sample was small” is a Level 2 point. “One manager at one building firm can’t show a national trend in vehicle crime” is the explained version.

5. Research design needs methods and evidence, each justified. For Question 2(b), Level 4 was a reasoned explanation of a wide range of methods and evidence, clearly related to testing the claim. Naming a survey and police statistics is a start. Explaining why national crime figures over several years would actually test “increasing nationally” is what moves you up.

6. Question 3 is marked on two separate grids. You get up to 8 for analysis and up to 8 for evaluation. For analysis, Level 4 needs a clear and explicit comparison of the two arguments. Writing about one blogger and then the other without linking them is “simple juxtaposition”, which the scheme places in Level 2. For evaluation, Level 4 needs both reasoning and evidence evaluated explicitly, and a clear judgement that matches your argument. A strong answer might weigh the police volunteer’s personal experience and unnamed magazine quote against the motor industry worker’s reference to a United Nations source and undated social media report.

7. Question 4 is marked on three grids: 8, 8 and 4. Up to 8 marks were for using evidence and reasons, up to 8 for a line of reasoning, and up to 4 for judgements. The top reasoning level needs well-structured and explicit consideration of different perspectives or actions. So explain why you rejected the other two options as well as why you chose yours. The scheme also says you should go beyond simply repeating the source material. Ideas like cost, timescale, barriers and who has the power to act all count.

8. You can use your own ideas, but you don’t have to. For Question 4 the scheme says other material may be introduced but is not needed for full marks. Well-interpreted evidence from Sources 1 to 4 can take you to the top.

Which papers should you sit?

Paper 1 is the only written exam in 0457, and all four questions are compulsory. The other components of the qualification are coursework completed through your school. The syllabus page explains how they fit together.

How to use the 2026 paper as a mock

1. Keep it for last. Use older 0457 papers to practise each question type, and save May/June 2026 for a full mock two to four weeks before your exam.
2. Read the insert first, with a pen. Mark generalisations, claims, evidence and anything that shows bias or a vested interest. You’ll use those notes in every question.
3. Time it by marks. You have 1 hour 25 minutes for 70 marks. Spend the most time on Questions 3 and 4, which are worth 36 marks together.
4. Self-mark with the grids, not just the indicative content. For each long answer, find your level first, then decide where you sit within it.
5. Rewrite Question 3 as a comparison. Put both bloggers in the same paragraph for each point (their evidence, their reasoning, their language), then add a one-line judgement.

More IGCSE Global Perspectives resources

• IGCSE past papers 2026: all subjects

🔍 Looking for a specific past paper? Use our free Past Paper Finder to search by subject, year and exam board.

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Frequently asked questions

Are the 0457 May/June 2026 past papers free? +

Yes. The 0457/12 question paper, its source insert and the official mark scheme are free to download and print on the Tutopiya Learning Portal.

What topic came up in 0457 Paper 1 May/June 2026? +

The whole paper was about vehicle crime. The four sources covered global vehicle theft figures and causes, an international police organisation's view, a student's research project, and a blog debate between two people with different views on who is to blame.

How is 0457 Paper 1 marked? +

Apart from three short questions worth 1 or 2 marks, it is marked holistically using levels of response. Examiners find the level that best matches the whole answer, then place it within that level. Question 3 is marked on two 8-mark grids and Question 4 on three grids worth 8, 8 and 4 marks.

What do you need for top marks on 0457 Question 3? +

Analyse a wide range of aspects of both arguments with an explicit comparison, evaluate both the reasoning and the evidence, and reach a clear judgement that fits your own argument. Simply describing each argument in turn stays in the lower levels.

Why can't I find 0457/11 or 0457/13 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 0457 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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