Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457): syllabus, papers and marking
A skills course, not a content course. Only the source-based Written Exam can be marked here: every answer is checked for the evidence used and for whether the strength or weakness was explained.
Syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027 (2028 and 2029 published, structure unchanged; Component 1 is called Paper 1 from 2028) · June and November series · grades A*–G
Global Perspectives 0457: where the marks go
Global Perspectives 0457 assesses skills, not recalled content. The Written Exam (35%) is four compulsory source-based questions on one global issue: Question 1 analyses several sources (18 marks), Question 2 evaluates a piece of research (16), Question 3 judges arguments (16) and Question 4 assesses actions in response to the issue (20). The Individual Report and Team Project are coursework.
We can set and mark the Written Exam with original sources. Marking reports the evidence used, the strengths and weaknesses identified, and whether their significance to the argument was explained.
Paper structure and what we mark
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Component 1 — Written Exam | 1 h 25 min | 70 | 35% | Four compulsory source-based questions on one global issue (18 + 16 + 16 + 20 marks) |
| Component 2 — Individual Report | — | 60 | 30% | 1500–2000 word report on a global issue from the topic list; internally set, externally marked |
| Component 3 — Team Project | — | 70 | 35% | Team element (25 marks) and personal Reflective Paper (45 marks); internally assessed, externally moderated |
Syllabus outline
- Skills: researching, analysing and evaluating information
- Developing and justifying a line of reasoning
- Reflecting on processes and on own learning
- Communicating information and reasoning
- Collaborating to achieve a common outcome
- Topic list: arts in society, change in culture and communities, climate change, conflict and peace, development and aid, the digital world, education, employment, environment, globalisation, health, law and criminality, media, migration, political power, poverty, social identity, sport, technology, transport and tourism, values and beliefs, water and food
How each paper is marked here
- Written Exam answers marked for identification, analysis and evaluation as the scheme sets out.
- The Individual Report and Team Project are coursework and are not marked here.
- Opening soon: the source-evaluation rubric is still being built.
Where Global Perspectives 0457 candidates lose marks
- Strengths and weaknesses named but not explained — Candidates spot them; fewer say what difference each makes to the claim.
- Assertion in place of an argument — Opinion and description are not enough; reasons and evidence have to be tied to the point made.
- No plan, so no structure — Evidence is quoted but not organised to answer the issue in the question.
- Research designs not linked to the claim — A method is described without saying how it would test the claim.
- A list of actions where a judgement is wanted — Question 4 asks which action would work best and why.
Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for 0457
See a real handwritten script marked by eight examiners at admitportfolio.com/examiners.
Questions teachers ask
- Can it mark the report or the project?
- No. They are internally set and assessed at the school.
- Do students need topic knowledge?
- The Written Exam does not assess prior knowledge of the issue; the sources carry the content.
- Are the sources original?
- Yes.
- Is this official Cambridge marking?
- No. Cambridge International Education marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for 0457. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
- Do you reproduce past-paper questions?
- No. Every 0457 paper here is original and written to the syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027 (2028 and 2029 published, structure unchanged; 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
- Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics (0580)
- Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625)
- Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry (0620)
- Cambridge IGCSE Biology (0610)
- Cambridge IGCSE Additional Mathematics (0606)
- Cambridge IGCSE First Language English (0500)
- Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455)
- Cambridge IGCSE Business Studies (0450)
- Cambridge IGCSE Accounting (0452)
- Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science (0478)
- Cambridge IGCSE Geography (0460)
- Cambridge IGCSE History (0470)
- Cambridge IGCSE Pakistan Studies (0448)
- Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language (0510 / 0511)
- Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English (0475)
- Cambridge IGCSE Islamiyat (0493)
- Cambridge IGCSE Sociology (0495)
- Cambridge IGCSE Urdu as a Second Language (0539)
- Cambridge IGCSE International Mathematics (0607)
- Cambridge IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award) (0654)
- Cambridge IGCSE Combined Science (0653)
- Cambridge IGCSE Business (0264)
- Cambridge IGCSE Information and Communication Technology (0417)
- Cambridge IGCSE Environmental Management (0680)
- Cambridge IGCSE Travel and Tourism (0471)
- Cambridge IGCSE Enterprise (0454)
- Cambridge IGCSE Physical Education (0413)
- Cambridge IGCSE Arabic as a Foreign Language (0544)
- Cambridge IGCSE Arabic as a First Language (0508)
- Cambridge IGCSE French as a Foreign Language (0520)
Start marking Global Perspectives scripts · See a real marked script