Exam guide

Paper structure

Paper 1 mark pattern (the same in every session):

• Question 1: (a) 3 marks, from Source A · (b) 5 marks, what you can learn from Source B (often a photograph or cartoon) · (c) 7 marks, explain · (d) 10 marks, an evaluation essay.
• Questions 2–5: (a) 4 marks, describe · (b) 7 marks, explain · (c) 14 marks, an evaluation essay.

Paper 2 mark pattern: each question is a 25-mark mix:

• several short 1–4 mark items (reading a map, graph or photograph; definitions; tick boxes; completing a graph, table or diagram)
• one or two "Explain two … You should develop your answer" items worth 4 marks
• a final (d) worth 6 marks, marked in levels, asking you to weigh up "two views" or to "evaluate the extent".

Changes from 2022 to 2026:

• The format of both papers did not change in any session.
• In Paper 1 Section B, the usual order since 2024 is: Q2 the background period (1700s–1900s), Q3 the emergence of Pakistan (1906–47), Q4 and Q5 nationhood (1947–99). In 2022 the questions mixed periods more, and in 2023 Q2 and Q3 were both on the emergence period.
• The Q1(d) wording changed in June 2025, which asked you to weigh the significance of three listed factors. June 2026 went back to an "assess the extent" question.
• From June 2025 the grade threshold sheets list a second entry route, component 50 (out of 90), next to the usual Paper 1 + Paper 2 route. No paper for it was in the sample, so it is not analysed here. Check with your school which route you are entered for.

Topic weights

Shares are a percentage of that paper's marks, averaged over the five June sessions. Each paper is half the qualification, so halve a figure to get its share of the whole exam. "Sessions" means how many of the five sessions examined the topic at all.

Paper 1: History and Culture of Pakistan

Most-tested sub-themes in Paper 1 (share of Paper 1 / sessions):

• British expansion and the East India Company: 12.5% / 4
• Constitutional proposals and the Pakistan idea 1927–35 (Nehru Report, 14 Points, Round Table Conferences, 1935 Act, Iqbal): 8.9% / 4
• Early years of Pakistan 1947–58: 8.4% / 5
• Road to independence 1940–47: 8.0% / 2
• Yahya Khan and the separation of East Pakistan: 6.8% / 3
• Civilian governments and Musharraf 1988–99: 6.7% / 4
• Foreign relations, all strands combined (India, China, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, USA, USSR/Russia, UK, the UN, foreign policy of a government): 12.7% / 5

Paper 2: Environment of Pakistan

Most-tested sub-themes in Paper 2 (share of Paper 2 / sessions):

• Major crops: 5.9% / 4
• Employment and unemployment: 5.4% / 3
• Water supply, shortage and pollution: 4.8% / 3
• Urbanisation and living conditions: 4.2% / 3
• Distribution and uses of minerals: 4.2% / 3
• Coal, oil and natural gas: 4.0% / 4
• Solar, wind and other renewables: 4.0% / 3
• Energy supply and demand: 3.0% / 4

Bankers

These came up in almost every June session. Expect them again.

Paper 1

• All three periods are tested every time, through Question 1 or Section B, so you cannot drop a whole period.
• Foreign relations (5 of 5). Three sessions set the 14-mark "Pakistan has had good relations with … since 1947" essay, each time with a different country (Bangladesh, China, the UK). The others asked about the USA, the UN, India, or the effectiveness of foreign policy under one government (1977–88 in 2026).
• Early years of Pakistan 1947–58 (5 of 5): Jinnah as Governor-General, Kashmir and the UN, the new state's problems, constitutions.
• British expansion and the East India Company (4 of 5): why the Company came, how Britain extended control, how far Indian rulers could resist.
• Constitutional proposals of 1927–35 (4 of 5). The Round Table Conferences came up in 2023 and 2025.
• Religious revival movements (4 of 5): Shah Waliullah, Syed Ahmad Barelvi and Balakot, Haji Shariatullah, Titu Mir.
• Civilian governments 1988–99 (4 of 5): Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and why Musharraf took over.

Paper 2

• Population and employment (5 of 5). It had its own full question in every session, usually Question 5.
• Power resources (5 of 5): renewables, fossil fuels, and the gap between supply and demand.
• The land of Pakistan (5 of 5). Deserts, mountains and rivers are usually tested through map reading, often inside a question on another topic.
• Industrial development (5 of 5), but often only a few marks inside another question.
• Agriculture (4 of 5): major crops, farming types and systems, and links with irrigation.

Rarely tested

These topics are not safe to skip, but they earned few marks in June papers.

Paper 1

• Indian National Congress 1885: once (2024).
• Ayub Khan: once (2025, his domestic reforms).
• Zulfikar Ali Bhutto: two sessions (2022 and 2023), not since.
• Language, education and culture since 1947: once (2026).
• The UN and the Muslim world: once (2023).
• Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: only short parts (2022 and 2024).

Paper 2

• Fishing: not set in any June paper from 2022 to 2026. It has appeared in the matching O Level Oct/Nov papers, so keep basic notes.
• Trade: two sessions (2024 and 2026).
• Forestry: two sessions (2025 and 2026).
• Single sub-themes so far: tourism (never in June), cottage industry, the informal sector, hydel power, thermal power, livestock, seaports and dry ports, and waterlogging and salinity.

Trends

• Paper 1 Question 1 rotates through the periods. The sources covered the 1940s talks (2022), Indian rulers against British expansion (2023), the East India Company and 1857 (2024), Jinnah and the creation of Pakistan (2025) and Yahya Khan (2026). Leaders are a growing focus.
• Paper 1 is leaning towards later topics. Nationhood takes about 44% of the paper. Yahya Khan and the separation of East Pakistan came up in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
• The partition of Bengal and the 1906 Muslim League came up in 2022, 2023 and 2024, then not in 2025–26. The 1937 elections and Congress Rule came up in 2023, 2024 and 2026.
• In Paper 2, natural resources are rising. Mineral resources appeared in 2024, 2025 and 2026 after being absent in 2022–23. Forestry appeared in 2025 and 2026.
• Paper 2 population questions have shifted. In 2022–24 they were mostly about growth, urbanisation and living conditions. In 2025–26 the focus moved to employment, unemployment and migration.
• Industrial growth policy (EPZs, SEZs) is new in 2025–26. Climate was missing in 2024 and 2026.
• Grade thresholds rose in 2024 (an A needed 94/150), then eased slightly to 92 in 2025 and 93 in 2026. Paper 2 thresholds are now higher than Paper 1.

Question styles

Paper 1

• Source (a), 3 marks: identify three points from Source A. Use the source only, and give just three points.
• Source (b), 5 marks: what can we learn from Source B, or what message it gives. Make an inference, then support it with detail from the source and with your own contextual knowledge.
• Describe, 4 marks: a list of accurate facts, such as the terms of an Act or the main points of a plan.
• Explain why/how, 7 marks: give two or three reasons, each one explained. Narrative stays in the lower levels.
• Evaluation essays (10 marks in Q1, 14 marks in Section B):
  • The wording is "How far do you agree …", "To what extent …", "Assess the effectiveness/significance …", or "Pakistan has had good relations with X since 1947".
  • Top levels need explained points on both sides and a supported judgement.

Paper 2

• Skills items:
  • "Using Figure X only, describe the location/distribution …". Use compass directions, named places from the map or its key, and figures from the map.
  • Measure a distance with the scale, give a compass direction, calculate a change, read a climate graph, plot points, complete a pie chart or diagram, or tick the correct statements.
• Define/State/Name, 1–3 marks. Key terms that have come up include population distribution, renewable energy, drought, dry port, cash crop farming and deforestation.
• "Explain two … You should develop your answer", 4 marks: 1 mark for each point plus 1 for developing it, so each point needs a "because" or "which leads to".
• (d), 6 marks, levels-marked: either "Read the following two views … which do you agree with more?" or "Evaluate the extent to which …". Level 3 needs:
  • a developed point for each side
  • a named example
  • a judgement.

Common mistakes

These points come from the examiner reports for June 2022, June 2023 and June 2025 (there was no June 2024 report in the sample).

Paper 1

• Q1(a): using your own knowledge instead of the source, or writing far more than three points.
• Q1(b): describing surface features of the picture, or giving inferences with no support. The best answers back up an inference with a detail and with context (for example, recognising which 1947 meeting is shown).
• Narrative instead of explanation. Examiners repeatedly criticised answers that list causes or describe the content of a document (such as the 14 Points or the Allahabad address) without explaining why it mattered. Words like "therefore" and "as a result" help turn description into argument.
• Missing the focus of the question: writing about Aurangzeb instead of his successors, about Jinnah before 1947 when the question was about his time as Governor-General, about China after the 1970s when the question set a time period, or about foreign policy when the question asked about domestic reforms.
• One-sided essays. For example, giving only the failures of the Round Table Conferences or only the weaknesses of Bhutto's policies.
• Mixing up people: Titu Mir with Tipu Sultan, and Balakot with other battles.

Paper 2

• Ignoring "using Figure X only". Own knowledge earns nothing there, and neither does describing a desert climate when asked about the landscape in a photograph.
• Weak map language. Use north, south, east and west, not "left", "above" or "upper". Learn what "location" and "distribution" mean, and describe a pattern rather than listing every place.
• Saying what is missing from a photograph ("no vegetation") instead of what is shown.
• Misreading graphs: reading the temperature line instead of the rainfall bars, and wrong units when measuring with a scale.
• Vague words such as "better", "proper", "facilities", "infrastructure", "resources" and "pollution". Name the specific thing.
• Repeating similar factors (flat land, large land, cheap land) when the question wants different ones.
• Undeveloped points in "develop your answer" items, and one-sided (d) answers. Many candidates stayed at Level 2 because only one view was developed.
• Not knowing key definitions: population distribution, drought (it needs a time period and a lack of rain), and dry port (it is an inland port).
• Leaving completion items blank, such as the pie chart in June 2022 Paper 2.

Grade thresholds

These are raw marks out of 150 overall, and out of 75 for each paper. IGCSE uses grades A* to G.

June 2025 and June 2026 also list the separate route, component 50 (out of 90): A* 78, A 69, B 60, C 51, D 42, E 33, F 24, G 15.

Roughly, an A needs about 60–63% and a C needs about 37–41%.

Comparison with O Level 2059

• Same papers. For every June session from 2022 to 2026, the 0448 question papers, inserts and mark schemes match the 2059 O Level ones word for word. Only the printed code, barcodes and page layout differ. The June 2022, 2023 and 2025 examiner reports are also the same text.
• Same A* to E thresholds. The A, A, B, C, D and E boundaries are identical to 2059 in every June session. IGCSE adds two extra grades, F and G*, below E.
• What differs: 0448 has no Oct/Nov papers in this sample, while 2059 also sits in Oct/Nov. The 2059 analysis covers nine sessions (with Oct/Nov), so its topic shares are slightly different. For example, fishing and tourism appear there but never in the June papers used here.
• Component 50 appears on the 0448 threshold sheet from June 2025, one year before it appears for 2059.
• Practical tip: past papers labelled 2059 (including Oct/Nov ones) are excellent extra practice for 0448.

Revision priorities for Oct/Nov 2026 and 2027

Paper 1

1. Foreign relations since 1947. Have a balanced 14-mark answer ready for the USA, USSR/Russia, China, India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the UK, and the UN and world organisations. Be ready to judge the foreign policy of a named government too.
2. Early years 1947–58: Jinnah's problems and successes, Kashmir, canal waters, refugees, the Objectives Resolution, the 1956 Constitution, One Unit.
3. 1927–35 constitutional proposals, and the 1937 elections and Congress Rule. Know both the successes and the failures of the Round Table Conferences.
4. Leaders as Q1 themes. Recent sources used Jinnah (2025) and Yahya Khan (2026). Zia-ul-Haq, Ayub Khan, Z. A. Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, Liaquat Ali Khan, Sir Syed and Allama Iqbal have not had a June Q1 in this sample, so make sure you could handle a source question on any of them.
5. Background bankers: British expansion, the religious reformers, Mughal decline, and the War of Independence (causes, events and why it failed).
6. Due for a return: the partition of Bengal and the 1906 Muslim League, Khilafat and Non-Cooperation, Bhutto's domestic and foreign policies, and Sir Syed's work.

Paper 2

• You choose three of five questions but cannot know the themes in advance. Prepare at least seven topics thoroughly.
• Revise first: population, employment and migration (a full question every June); power resources, including how each renewable type makes electricity; agriculture with irrigation and water; the land of Pakistan, which is always present.
• Then: mineral resources and forestry (rising), transport, and climate (missing in 2024 and 2026, so it may return).
• Lower priority, but keep notes: fishing, tourism, trade and telecommunications.
• Practise skills as much as content:
  • map-based location and distribution answers
  • reading and completing graphs
  • learning the definitions listed under "Question styles"
  • the 6-mark (d) answer, with one developed point for each view, a named Pakistani example, and a clear final judgement.