Cambridge IGCSE Business (0264): syllabus, papers and marking

The new Business code that takes over from Business Studies 0450 in 2027. Case-study answers are marked for application to the business in the insert, with each lost mark labelled knowledge, application, analysis or evaluation.

Syllabus for examination in 2027, 2028 and 2029 (successor to Business Studies 0450, last examined 2026) · June and November series · grades A*–G

Business 0264: where the marks go

Business 0264 is the new code and name for IGCSE Business Studies from the 2027 series. It keeps the two-paper structure, but each Paper 1 question now has four parts, every Paper 2 part (a) is applied to the case, and application carries more weight than before. Answers that could describe any business stay in the lower levels.

Our papers use original data responses and case studies in the new format. Marking reports knowledge, application, analysis and evaluation separately, so a student can see which of the four a part (e) answer never reached.

How we mark a real script

Paper structure and what we mark

PaperTimeMarksWeightQuestions
Paper 1 — Short Answer and Data Response1 h 30 min8050%Four compulsory questions mixing short answers and structured data responses
Paper 2 — Case Study1 h 30 min8050%Four compulsory questions on a case study supplied as an insert

Syllabus outline

  1. Understanding business activity: business activity, economic sectors, enterprise and growth, types of organisation, objectives and stakeholders
  2. People in business: human resource management, organisation and management, communication, motivating employees
  3. Marketing: the market, market research, the marketing mix, legal controls
  4. Operations management: production, technology, sustainable production, costs and break-even, quality, location
  5. Financial information and decisions: business finance, cash-flow forecast, profit and loss, statement of financial position, analysis of accounts
  6. External influences: economic issues, the international economy, the environment, ethics, pressure groups

How each paper is marked here

Where Business 0264 candidates lose marks

  1. Definitions that are not precise — A key term that is close but not exact earns nothing, and diseconomies of scale was often confused with economies.
  2. Application repeated or missing — The same context point can be credited once per answer, and an answer not tied to the business in the stem loses the application marks.
  3. Assuming profit simply rises or falls — A cost or price change moves the profit margin; the number of sales also matters.
  4. Evaluation that restates the analysis — A justified decision that follows from the points, and says why the alternative was rejected, is what moves an answer up.
  5. Accounts and finance answers — Analysis of company accounts and sources of finance were the least secure areas.

Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for 0264

See a real handwritten script marked by eight examiners at admitportfolio.com/examiners.

Questions teachers ask

Is 0264 the same as 0450?
It is the successor: the topics are reorganised, the question styles shift slightly and the weighting moves to application. 0450 was last examined in 2026.
Are the case studies original?
Yes. Nothing from the board is reproduced.
Is Paper 1 marked the same way as Paper 2?
Yes, both by knowledge, application, analysis and evaluation.
Is this official Cambridge marking?
No. Cambridge International Education marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for 0264. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
Do you reproduce past-paper questions?
No. Every 0264 paper here is original and written to the syllabus for examination in 2027, 2028 and 2029 (successor to business studies 0450, last examined 2026), in the same structure as the real papers shown above.
Which papers are marked?
None yet are marked question by question. Practical exams sat at the centre are not marked here.
How is the next paper chosen?
From the marks a student lost: the concepts behind them are ranked by marks dropped, and the new paper weights those topics. It is the same syllabus and structure, with new questions.
When are the exams?
June and November series. Grades A*–G.

Other Cambridge IGCSE courses

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