Cambridge 0985 · 9 to 1

Cambridge 0985 grade guide

A revision notebook with tabbed practice pages and a calculator

Cambridge 0985 is graded 9 to 1, with 9 the highest. Below are the marks each grade needed in November 2025 and June 2026.

The scale and how it works

Grades 9 to 1.
9 is the highest grade and 1 is the lowest; Ungraded means the standard for grade 1 was not met.
Candidates who achieve grades 9 to 4 are well prepared to follow a wide range of courses including Cambridge International AS & A Level Accounting.

Sources: Cambridge IGCSE (9-1) Accounting 0985: syllabus 2027-2029 (Version 1), pages 5, 9, 27. See all sources.

Published thresholds: November 2025

Minimum raw mark on each paper

Cambridge 0985: component thresholds, November 2025
Paper	Maximum	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
Component 12: Paper 1 (Multiple Choice)	35	30	26	23	20	17	14	12	11	10
Component 22: Paper 2 (Structured Written)	100	78	69	59	49	40	31	23	14	6

Minimum weighted mark for each grade

Cambridge 0985: syllabus thresholds, November 2025
	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
Minimum weighted mark (out of 143)	115	101	87	74	61	48	38	28	18
Share of the weighted maximum (our arithmetic)	80%	71%	61%	52%	43%	34%	27%	20%	13%

Table from: Cambridge IGCSE (9-1) Accounting 0985 grade threshold table: November 2025 (November 2025 series), page 1. See all sources.

Published thresholds: June 2026

June is one of the two main series (June and November). Cambridge lists several component codes because different administrative zones sit different papers. Each Cambridge table covers one series only and does not predict any later one.

Cambridge 0985: component thresholds, June 2026
Paper	Maximum	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
Component 11: Paper 1 (Multiple Choice)	35	28	25	23	20	16	13	12	11	9
Component 12: Paper 1 (Multiple Choice)	35	29	27	24	20	17	14	12	11	9
Component 21: Paper 2 (Structured Written)	100	77	65	52	43	33	24	18	12	6
Component 22: Paper 2 (Structured Written)	100	80	70	58	48	36	25	19	13	6
Component 50	90	73	66	60	52	44	36	31	26	21

Cambridge 0985: minimum weighted mark for each grade by component combination, June 2026
Components	Maximum	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
11, 21	143	111	95	80	66	53	40	32	24	17
11, 84	143	108	93	79	66	53	40	32	24	17
11, 95	143	112	99	87	73	60	47	37	27	17
12, 22	143	116	102	88	72	57	42	33	25	17
12, 85	143	113	99	85	70	55	41	33	25	17
21, 81	143	113	96	80	66	53	40	32	24	17
21, 92	143	114	97	80	67	54	41	33	25	18
22, 82	143	116	101	86	71	56	41	33	25	17
50	90	73	66	60	52	44	36	31	26	21

Table from: Cambridge IGCSE (9-1) Accounting (0985) grade threshold table, June 2026 (June 2026 series), page 1. See all sources.

Reading the numbers

As with 0452, Cambridge combines the two papers into a single weighted total and compares it with the thresholds. In November 2025 the weighted maximum was 143. The minimum was 115 weighted marks for a 9, 87 for a 7, 61 for a 5 and 48 for a 4. Component thresholds are also published. On Paper 1 (out of 35) a 9 needed 30 and a 4 needed 14. On Paper 2 (out of 100) a 9 needed 78 and a 4 needed 31.

The 9 to 1 scale has more steps than A* to G, so the gaps between neighbouring grades are smaller. Our teachers use that to show students that a grade up is often within reach of a few extra marks in one question. That is more motivating than a vague aim to do better.

Planning from a target grade

Our teachers start from the grade the student needs for their next step. Cambridge notes that grades 9 to 4 prepare students well for AS and A Level. We treat a 4 as the working floor for that route and a 7 as a strong result, then plan marks by paper. The tables show that Paper 2 carries the larger share of the grade, so most weekly practice goes into full structured questions.

About 130 guided learning hours, according to the Cambridge syllabus. The syllabus adds that this is guidance only, and that the hours needed vary with the school and the learner's experience. Our teachers use it as a sense of scale when they set a weekly plan.

Unsure what target to set? A teacher can review your child's recent answers and turn the table above into a mark target for each paper. Book a trial class.

Cambridge 0985 grade questions

Is a 9 on 0985 the same as an A* on 0452?

The boards do not publish a conversion in the documents we have read, so each grade is read on its own board. Each grade is set from its own threshold table.

What is the maximum weighted mark?

In the November 2025 table it was 143, from the weighted components 12 and 22.

What is the lowest awarded grade?

Grade 1. A student who does not reach the grade 1 standard is Ungraded, which appears on the statement of results but not on the certificate.

Will 2027 thresholds look like these?

Each series has its own table, so check the latest one. Paper 1 becomes 40 marks from 2027 and every series has its own table.

Plan your Cambridge 0985 target grade with a teacher

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