No. The syllabus expects percentages, ratio, mean, median and mode, and simple probability, but it assesses the reasoning, not algebra.

Does it change for 2028?

Yes: two assessment objectives replace three and Paper 3 becomes five compulsory questions. Papers are built to the syllabus that applies to the series.

Which papers are marked?

All four, question by question.

Is this official Cambridge marking?

No. Cambridge International Education marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for 9694. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.

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.

Cambridge AS & A Level Thinking Skills (9694): syllabus, papers and marking

Name: Cambridge AS & A Level Thinking Skills (9694) — exam-style papers and marking
Price: 5000 PKR

A scenario-and-evidence paper where marks follow the working, not just the answer. Each line of reasoning is credited or queried, with the step that broke named.

Syllabus for examination in 2026 and 2027 (revised syllabus for 2028, 2029 and 2030: two assessment objectives, Paper 3 restructured) · June and November series · grades A*–E (A Level), a–e (AS)

Thinking Skills 9694: where the marks go

Thinking Skills 9694 is four 50-mark papers: Problem Solving (1 h 30 min) and Critical Thinking (1 h 45 min) at AS, then Problem Analysis and Solution (2 h) and Applied Reasoning (1 h 45 min) at A Level. There is nothing to memorise, and only basic numeracy is assumed; marks come from the steps of the reasoning, which is why an answer line holding only a final figure loses the partial credit that was available.

Our papers use original scenarios and sources in the Cambridge style. Marking credits each step, flags the constraint in the stem that was missed, and for Critical Thinking checks that an evaluation names the weakness and says why it matters. The 2028–2030 syllabus drops from three assessment objectives to two and restructures Paper 3; we build to the version in force for the series.

How we mark a real script

Paper structure and what we mark

Paper	Time	Marks	Weight	Questions
Paper 1 — Problem Solving	1 h 30 min	50	50% AS · 25% A Level	Compulsory questions based on a variety of scenarios
Paper 2 — Critical Thinking	1 h 45 min	50	50% AS · 25% A Level	Five compulsory questions based on multiple sources of evidence
Paper 3 — Problem Analysis and Solution	2 h	50	25% A Level	Four compulsory questions, each based on a scenario (five from 2028)
Paper 4 — Applied Reasoning	1 h 45 min	50	25% A Level	Four compulsory questions based on multiple documents

Syllabus outline

Problem Solving: organise information; process information; analyse data; consider wider problems
Critical Thinking: evaluate and use evidence; analyse reasoning; evaluate reasoning; construct reasoning
AS and A Level share the same content; A Level differs in the demand of the tasks
Paper 3 (2028 onwards): five compulsory questions beginning with a 5-mark question and ending in harder 10- and 15-mark questions

How each paper is marked here

Problem-solving answers are credited step by step, with error carried forward where the later method is sound.
Critical-thinking answers are marked against the points the scheme sets for evidence, reasoning and evaluation.
Opening soon: step and evaluation rubric in testing.

Where Thinking Skills 9694 candidates lose marks

Final answer with no working — Most questions are worth more than one mark and credit exists for intermediate steps; a bare wrong figure earns nothing.
Ignoring a constraint in the stem — Breaks, the number of machines or time slots are easy to miss, so the count of options comes out wrong; the opening stem applies to every part.
Answering a nearby question — A part that asked for a range of distances answered with “yes, the new price makes less profit”, which never states the range.
Numeric explanations that avoid the numbers — When a Paper 1 question asks for an explanation and figures are given, the figures are the explanation.
Parts left blank — One part in the examiner report was skipped by over a third of candidates; a partial attempt can still earn credit.

Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for 9694

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

Questions teachers ask

Is it a maths paper?: No. The syllabus expects percentages, ratio, mean, median and mode, and simple probability, but it assesses the reasoning, not algebra.
Does it change for 2028?: Yes: two assessment objectives replace three and Paper 3 becomes five compulsory questions. Papers are built to the syllabus that applies to the series.
Which papers are marked?: All four, question by question.
Is this official Cambridge marking?: No. Cambridge International Education marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for 9694. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
Do you reproduce past-paper questions?: No. Every 9694 paper here is original and written to the syllabus for examination in 2026 and 2027 (revised syllabus for 2028, 2029 and 2030: two assessment objectives, paper 3 restructured), 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*–E (A Level), a–e (AS).

Other Cambridge AS & A Level courses

Start marking Thinking Skills scripts · See a real marked script