Cambridge AS & A Level Travel & Tourism (9395): syllabus, papers and marking

Applied, context-based answers where naming the example is half the mark. Stimulus material often draws on Gulf destinations such as Dubai, and ours is written the same way.

Syllabus for examination in 2027, 2028 and 2029 (2026 is the last series of the 2024–2026 syllabus) · June and November series · grades A*–E (A Level), a–e (AS)

Travel & Tourism 9395: where the marks go

Travel & Tourism 9395 has three written papers and one coursework paper. Paper 1 Themes and Concepts is 75 marks over three questions in four parts, with stimulus material; Papers 3 and 4 are 50 marks each on destination marketing and on destination development and management. The extended answers are credited for application as well as analysis and evaluation, and an applied answer must be about the destination or organisation in the question, not tourism in general.

Our papers use original stimulus material, including Gulf and South Asian destinations, and mark each part against the points on the scheme. Extended answers are marked on knowledge or application, analysis and evaluation, with the missing strand named. Paper 2 is an internally assessed event project and is not marked here.

How we mark a real script

Paper structure and what we mark

PaperTimeMarksWeightQuestions
Paper 1 — Themes and Concepts2 h7550% AS · 25% A LevelThree questions, each in four parts, which may use stimulus material (topics 1–4)
Paper 2 — Planning and Managing a Travel and Tourism Event—5050% AS · 25% A LevelCoursework: a team event project presented individually, internally assessed
Paper 3 — Destination Marketing1 h 30 min5025% A LevelTwo questions on stimulus material, each in three parts (topic 6)
Paper 4 — Destination Development and Management1 h 30 min5025% A LevelTwo questions on stimulus material, each in three parts (topic 7)

Syllabus outline

  1. The changing nature of travel and tourism: why people travel, types of tourism, industry structure
  2. Travel and tourism destinations: types, changing appeal, more sustainable travel choices
  3. Trends in travel and tourism: global tourism flows, the growth of sustainable tourism, sustainable tourism in practice
  4. Customer service: meeting needs, the importance of quality, assessing quality
  5. Planning and managing a travel and tourism event (coursework)
  6. Destination marketing: market research, building and communicating a destination brand, challenges and monitoring
  7. Destination development and management: organisations, developing and managing destinations, impacts of tourism

How each paper is marked here

Where Travel & Tourism 9395 candidates lose marks

  1. A method listed, not shown — A sustainability strategy such as using renewable energy gets only a start unless the answer says how it could be done or explains its effect.
  2. Applied answers that never use the context — Application marks need the named destination or organisation in the question, not tourism in general.
  3. No analysis or evaluation in extended answers — The extended questions are marked on a grid with marks for each of knowledge or application, analysis and evaluation; description alone caps them.
  4. Stimulus items misread — Examples taken from the insert that do not fit the category asked, for example a transport hub counted as a form of specialised tourism.
  5. Blank responses — A “no response” scores nothing; a partial attempt on any part can earn something.

Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for 9395

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

Questions teachers ask

Does it use real destinations?
Papers use original stimulus about real kinds of destination and organisation, including the Gulf, so the application mark is testable.
Is Paper 1 still 75 marks?
Yes: three questions, 75 marks. It was reduced from 100 marks in 2024.
When does it open?
After the grid test; ask to be told.
Is this official Cambridge marking?
No. Cambridge International Education marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for 9395. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
Do you reproduce past-paper questions?
No. Every 9395 paper here is original and written to the syllabus for examination in 2027, 2028 and 2029 (2026 is the last series of the 2024–2026 syllabus), 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 Travel & Tourism scripts · See a real marked script