Cambridge IGCSE Enterprise (0454): syllabus, papers and marking

The written paper is built on a pre-released case study. Answers are marked in levels for application and for explaining the impact on the enterprise.

Syllabus for examination in 2027 (a separate 2028 syllabus has the same structure; Component 1 is called Paper 1 from 2028) · June and November series · grades A*–G

Enterprise 0454: where the marks go

Enterprise 0454 is a 100-mark Written Paper (1 h 30 min) on a pre-released case study, plus coursework on the candidate’s own enterprise project. Marks in the written paper go on naming the right model, applying it to the case and explaining the impact on the enterprise.

We can set and mark the Written Paper with an original pre-release case. The coursework portfolio is internally assessed and is not marked here.

How we mark a real script

Paper structure and what we mark

PaperTimeMarksWeightQuestions
Component 1 — Written Paper1 h 30 min10050%Short-answer, structured and open-ended questions on a pre-released case study; all compulsory
Component 2 — Coursework—6050%Portfolio of tasks based on the candidate’s own enterprise project; internally assessed, externally moderated

Syllabus outline

  1. Introduction to enterprise
  2. Setting up a new enterprise
  3. Enterprise skills
  4. Enterprise opportunities, risk, legal obligations and ethical considerations
  5. Negotiation
  6. Finance
  7. Business planning
  8. Markets and customers
  9. Help and support for enterprise
  10. Communication

How each paper is marked here

Where Enterprise 0454 candidates lose marks

  1. General skills named instead of enterprise skills — Decision making, negotiation and communication were the common wrong answers.
  2. Sources of help confused with methods of finance — A repeated slip.
  3. Stakeholders written as shareholders — The weakest answers made this swap.
  4. The key word in the question missed — An answer on “impact” that only describes sources of finance.
  5. Impact left unexplained — A method is identified but its effect on the enterprise is not, which holds the answer at Level 2.

Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for 0454

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

Questions teachers ask

Can it mark the coursework?
No. Component 2 is internally assessed and externally moderated.
Is the case study original?
Yes.
Which syllabus applies?
2027 here; a 2028 syllabus has the same structure.
Is this official Cambridge marking?
No. Cambridge International Education marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for 0454. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
Do you reproduce past-paper questions?
No. Every 0454 paper here is original and written to the syllabus for examination in 2027 (a separate 2028 syllabus has the same structure; component 1 is called paper 1 from 2028), 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

Start marking Enterprise scripts · See a real marked script