Cambridge IGCSE

Accounting 0452

Double entry, verification, accounting procedures and financial statements, with ratio analysis and accounting principles.

Exam year

Syllabus version: 2027–2029 syllabusChecked against the Cambridge syllabusExam year 2027 is covered by the 2027–2029 syllabus.

Subject review complete (20 Oct 2026). All 40 Accounting questions were re-solved and checked against the syllabus and Cambridge mark-scheme conventions, and their auto-marking was tested with correct and incorrect answers: 23 approved as written, 17 corrected.

Paper 1 Multiple Choice30%
Paper 2 Structured Written Paper70%

Original questions40

Topics covered7/7

Papers2

Mock papers2

What is assessed

2 components. Question formats: multiple choice, structured, data response.

Paper 1 Multiple Choice

1 h 30 min40 marksWeighting 30%

40 compulsory four-option multiple-choice questions based on all the subject content, some needing calculations.

What the paper looks like

All questions compulsory, one mark each, four options A–D (35 questions in 2026; 40 questions in 1 hour 30 minutes from 2027). Covers every topic; about a third need a short calculation (adjusting a cash book balance, depreciation, inventory value, ratios, missing figures). Options are often presented as small tables of debit/credit entries or 'increase/decrease' effects. Calculator allowed; no formula sheet, so ratio formulas must be learned.

Multiple choiceCalculator permitted

Checked against the Cambridge syllabus

Paper 2 Structured Written Paper

1 h 45 min100 marksWeighting 70%

Five compulsory 20-mark questions built on stimulus material: calculations, ledger accounts, journals and financial statements, plus explanation and advice.

What the paper looks like

Five compulsory 20-mark questions, each built around a short business scenario with data (trial balance extracts, lists of transactions, errors or year-end adjustments). Parts move from 1–3 mark 'State', 'Define' and 'Calculate' tasks, through 4–11 mark 'Prepare' tasks (journals, ledger accounts, cash book, suspense account, control account, statements of profit or loss, appropriation accounts, statements of financial position, manufacturing and club accounts), to 3–5 mark 'Advise', 'Explain' or 'Evaluate' parts needing points for and against and a recommendation. Answers are written in pre-ruled formats on the paper; calculator allowed. From 2027 parts can also test ethical principles and digital record keeping.

StructuredData responseCalculator permitted

Checked against the Cambridge syllabus

Assessment overview

From the 2027–2029 syllabus. Checked against the Cambridge syllabus

All candidates

Paper 1Paper 2

Untiered: every candidate takes Paper 1 and Paper 2 and is eligible for grades A* to G.

Assessment objective	IGCSE weighting
AO1 Knowledge and understanding	66%
AO2 Analysis	24%
AO3 Evaluation	10%

Changes in this syllabus version

Paper 1 grows from 35 to 40 questions/marks and from 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes; Paper 2 is unchanged (5 × 20 marks, 1 hour 45 minutes).
New content: 7.2 Ethical considerations (integrity, objectivity, professional competence and due care, confidentiality, professional behaviour) and 7.3 Technology and sustainability (digital records and safe, sustainable data storage).
Topic 7 renamed 'Accounting concepts and modern practice'; accounting policies objectives and the international standards terminology list removed.
Digital practice added across topics: digital ledgers and documents, manual vs digital original entry, and the impact of digital transactions on bank reconciliations and control accounts.
Content reordered and reworded for clarity, introductions added to each topic, and the accounting ratio list updated (now includes inventory turnover in days).
AO wording updated; qualification weightings rounded to AO1 66%, AO2 24%, AO3 10% (component weightings unchanged).

Command words used in Accounting papers (25)

Advise: recommend a course of action for the situation given
Analyse: examine closely to show meaning, the elements involved and how they relate
Assess: reach an informed judgement (2026 list)
Calculate: work out an answer from the facts or figures given
Comment: give an opinion backed by knowledge (2026 list)
Compare: point out similarities and/or differences
Consider: review the information given and respond to it (2026 list)
Contrast: point out differences (2026 list)
Define: give the precise meaning
Demonstrate: show how, or give an example
Describe: state the main points or characteristics
Develop: take given information further or build on it (2026 list)
Discuss: write in depth and in a structured way about an issue
Evaluate: judge, or calculate, the quality, importance, amount or value of something
Examine: investigate closely and in detail (2026 list)
Explain: give purposes or reasons, make relationships clear, and support with evidence
Give: produce an answer from a source or from memory
Identify: name, select or recognise
Justify: support a case with evidence or argument
Outline: set out the main points (2026 list)
Predict: suggest what may happen from the information available (2026 list)
Prepare: present information in a suitable format, such as an account or statement
State: express clearly and briefly
Suggest: apply knowledge to make proposals where several valid answers exist
Summarise: pick out and present the main points without detail (2026 list)

Examiner guidance from recent reports (14)

Sources and recording of data. A sales or purchases journal is a list (date, customer or supplier, net amount) totalled and posted to the sales or purchases account; do not write debit/credit columns in it, and always record goods at the price after trade discount.

Sources and recording of data. For the imprest system the restoring amount equals the net amount spent in the period, not the cash left in the box. Read whether any money was received into petty cash before you calculate.

Verification of accounting records. Only errors that make the two sides of the trial balance disagree go through the suspense account. Start the suspense account with the trial balance difference and label it clearly; use account names (Sales, not 'sales journal') in journal entries and add a narrative.

Verification of accounting records. When asked for a corrected profit or bank balance, start from the figure given and show each adjustment with a clear + or − sign. Leave out items that do not affect that figure; including them loses marks.

Verification of accounting records. A control account contains only totals from the books of prime entry. Cash sales, trade discount and the allowance for irrecoverable debts never appear in a sales ledger control account.

Accounting procedures. Reducing balance depreciation is charged on net book value, so each year's charge falls; many candidates wrongly apply the rate to cost every year. On disposal, transfer the full accumulated depreciation to the disposal account and name the profit or loss transfer properly.

Accounting procedures. In expense and income accounts, date and label every balance (Balance b/d, Balance c/d, Income statement). Work out the period each payment covers before apportioning, and check which side an accrual or prepayment sits on.

Accounting procedures. Value each line of inventory separately at the lower of cost and net realisable value; cost includes carriage inwards. A change in the allowance for irrecoverable debts affects profit only by the increase or decrease, not by the full allowance.

Preparation of financial statements. Use full titles in statements: 'Gross profit' and 'Profit for the year', never GP or NP. Show cost, accumulated depreciation and net book value columns, total current assets and current liabilities, and include every adjustment once only.

Preparation of financial statements. In a manufacturing account, direct costs make prime cost; supervisors' and indirect factory wages are overheads, and sales staff wages belong in the income statement. Work in progress adjusts cost of production, finished goods adjust cost of sales.

Preparation of financial statements. In incomplete records questions, use a total trade payables or receivables account and remember to add cash purchases or cash sales afterwards. With a mark-up, gross profit is a percentage of cost of sales; with a margin, it is a percentage of revenue.

Analysis and interpretation. Use the syllabus formulas only, round to two decimal places as instructed, show liquidity ratios as ':1', percentages with %, and inventory turnover in times without a % sign. Show workings so follow-through marks can be given.

Analysis and interpretation. When asked for effects or problems (for example of slower inventory turnover), give consequences such as storage costs, obsolescence or cash tied up, not causes. For 'Advise' questions give points for and against and finish with a clear recommendation.

Accounting concepts and modern practice. Realisation means revenue is recognised when goods or services pass to the customer, not when cash is received. Materiality explains why small items such as a stapler are treated as revenue expenditure; do not confuse it with prudence.

Topic map

Practice types

Free sample questions

Which activity is part of accounting rather than book-keeping?

Which activity is part of accounting rather than book-keeping?

Using the financial statements to judge whether the business should open a second shop
Entering credit sales invoices in the sales journal
Posting the totals of the cash book to the ledger
Balancing the account of each credit supplier at the month end

Answer: A. Using the financial statements to judge whether the business should open a second shop

Book-keeping is the recording of transactions (journals, posting, balancing). Accounting uses those records to prepare, analyse and interpret statements so that the owner can monitor progress and make decisions, such as whether to expand. Key A.

A business has total assets of $58 400 and total liabilities of $13 900. The owner then pays $5000 of her…

A business has total assets of $58 400 and total liabilities of $13 900. The owner then pays $5000 of her savings into the business bank account, and the business buys equipment for $3200 on credit.
What is the owner's capital after these transactions?

$44 500
$46 300
$49 500
$52 700

Answer: C. $49 500

Capital = assets − liabilities = 58 400 − 13 900 = 44 500 before the transactions. Capital introduced raises it to 49 500. The credit purchase of equipment adds $3200 to both assets and liabilities, so capital is unchanged: $49 500 (C). 44 500 ignores the capital introduced; 46 300 wrongly deducts the equipment; 52 700 wrongly adds it.

FAQs

Are these official 0452 past-paper questions?

No. They are original questions written to match the Accounting syllabus topics. Official past papers are available to schools through Cambridge.

Why choose an exam year?

Cambridge updates syllabuses periodically. Your exam year selects the matching configuration so topics and components follow the right version.

Is a calculator allowed?

In this configuration a scientific calculator is permitted for the listed papers. Check your syllabus for the exact rule.