Can I take both O Level Islamiyat and IGCSE Islamiyat?

No. Cambridge does not allow 2058 to be combined in the same series with IGCSE Islamiyat 0493 or with O Level Islamic Studies 2068.

Does the marking assume answers in English?

Yes. All candidates answer in English, although the set passages are printed in Arabic and English and candidates are expected to know the original text as well as the translation.

Which passages are set?

The syllabus lists the passages in its appendices and says they are reviewed periodically. Teachers should check the appendix for the series being sat.

Is this official Cambridge marking?

No. Cambridge International Education marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for 2058. 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 O Level Islamiyat (2058): syllabus, papers and marking

Name: Cambridge O Level Islamiyat (2058) — exam-style papers and marking
Price: 5000 PKR

Compulsory for IBCC equivalence, so almost every O Level candidate in Pakistan sits it. The 14-mark answers are marked in levels; the rubric for the two 8-mark passage questions is in testing now.

Syllabus for examination in 2026 and 2027 (2028 syllabus published separately) · June and November series · grades A*–E

Islamiyat 2058: where the marks go

O Level Islamiyat 2058 is the subject almost every Pakistani O Level candidate sits, because it counts towards IBCC equivalence. There are two 1 hour 30 minute papers of 50 marks, built the same way. Question 1 is compulsory: Paper 1 asks about set Qur’an passages (8 marks), and Paper 2 about set Hadith passages (8 marks). Question 2 is also compulsory and asks about the history and importance of the Qur’an or the Hadiths (14 marks); candidates then pick two more 14-mark questions from the remaining topics. Each long question has a knowledge part worth 10 marks and an understanding part worth 4.

The marking is in levels, not points: a well-structured, developed answer that quotes the Qur’an or Hadith reaches the top level, and a list of undeveloped facts stays low. We write original questions across the syllabus themes and mark each part at the level it reaches, naming what a student would add to move up. The marking rubric is still being built, so the page is listed as opening soon.

How we mark a real script

Paper structure and what we mark

Paper	Time	Marks	Weight	Questions
Paper 1 — Paper 1	1 h 30 min	50	50%	Five questions: Q1 (Qur’an passages, two of three, 8 marks) and Q2 (14 marks) compulsory, plus two of the remaining 14-mark questions
Paper 2 — Paper 2	1 h 30 min	50	50%	Same format: Q1 (Hadith passages, two of four, 8 marks) and Q2 compulsory, plus two of the remaining 14-mark questions

Syllabus outline

Paper 1: Major themes of the Qur’an (set passages in Arabic and English: God in himself, God’s relationship with the created world, God’s Messengers)
Paper 1: The history and importance of the Qur’an (revelation, compilation, use in law)
Paper 1: The life and importance of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
Paper 1: The first Islamic community (wives, descendants, leading Companions)
Paper 2: Major teachings in the Hadiths (set passages on individual conduct and life in the community)
Paper 2: The history and importance of the Hadiths (compilation, collections, tests of reliability)
Paper 2: The period of rule of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and their importance as leaders
Paper 2: The Articles of Faith and the Pillars of Islam

How each paper is marked here

Part (a) knowledge answers are placed in one of four levels, using the syllabus descriptors for structure, accuracy, detail and use of quotation, and the report states why the next level was not reached.
Part (b) understanding answers are marked on the two-level scale: some understanding with description, or clear understanding with the student’s own reasoning.
Set Qur’an and Hadith passage questions are marked against the themes and teachings of the passages named in the syllabus appendix for the series being sat.

Where Islamiyat 2058 candidates lose marks

Narrating where the question asks for importance — The knowledge part of a 14-mark question wants developed points. A chronological retelling of the Prophet’s life or a caliph’s reign, without saying why it mattered, tends to sit in the middle levels.
No quotation to support a point — The top-level descriptor expects Qur’an verses, Hadiths or other relevant quotations. Strong students who know the content still stay a level lower when the points are unsupported.
The understanding part answered with facts only — The four-mark part asks the student to engage and give a reasoned view of the significance, for example for Muslims today. Restating the facts from the first part earns only the lower level.
Passage questions answered in generalities — For the 8-mark passage question, marks go to the theme that actually appears in the set passage and to a link with Muslim life. Writing everything known about the surah without anchoring it to the printed lines loses marks.
Mixing up the names, dates or order — On the Caliphs and the first community, a wrong order or a confused Companion keeps an otherwise sound answer in the lower levels because the “accurate” descriptor fails.

Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for 2058

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

Questions teachers ask

Can I take both O Level Islamiyat and IGCSE Islamiyat?: No. Cambridge does not allow 2058 to be combined in the same series with IGCSE Islamiyat 0493 or with O Level Islamic Studies 2068.
Does the marking assume answers in English?: Yes. All candidates answer in English, although the set passages are printed in Arabic and English and candidates are expected to know the original text as well as the translation.
Which passages are set?: The syllabus lists the passages in its appendices and says they are reviewed periodically. Teachers should check the appendix for the series being sat.
Is this official Cambridge marking?: No. Cambridge International Education marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for 2058. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
Do you reproduce past-paper questions?: No. Every 2058 paper here is original and written to the syllabus for examination in 2026 and 2027 (2028 syllabus published separately), 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.

Other Cambridge O Level courses

Start marking Islamiyat scripts · See a real marked script