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 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, usually asking you to weigh up "two views, A and B" or to "evaluate the extent".

Changes from 2022 to 2026:

• The format of both papers has not changed in any session in this period.
• In Paper 1, since June 2023 Q4 and Q5 of Section B have both been nationhood (1947–99) questions. Since Oct/Nov 2023 the order has been fixed: Q2 covers the background (1700s–1900s) and Q3 the emergence of Pakistan (1906–47). In 2022 the emergence period had two questions and nationhood had less space. In June 2023 both Q2 and Q3 were on the emergence period, and the background was tested only through Question 1.
• The Q1(d) wording changed in 2025: both 2025 papers asked you to "assess the significance" of three bulleted factors. June 2026 went back to an "assess the extent" question.
• The June 2026 grade thresholds list a new route, "component 50" (out of 90), alongside the usual Paper 1 + Paper 2 route. No paper for this component 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 nine 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 nine 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: 8.8% / 6
• Constitutional proposals and the Pakistan idea 1927–35 (Simon, Delhi Proposals, Nehru Report, 14 Points, Round Table Conferences, Communal Award, 1935 Act, Iqbal): 7.9% / 6
• Zulfikar Ali Bhutto 1971–77: 6.6% / 4
• Early years of Pakistan 1947–58 (Jinnah as Governor-General, Kashmir, canal waters, Objectives Resolution, 1956 Constitution, One Unit): 6.1% / 8
• Road to independence 1940–47: 5.8% / 4
• Civilian governments and Musharraf 1988–99: 5.8% / 6
• Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and the Aligarh Movement: 5.6% / 5
• Foreign relations, all strands combined: 12.3% / 8

Paper 2: Environment of Pakistan

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

• Solar, wind and other renewables: 5.2% / 6
• Population growth and structure (the demographic transition model and population pyramids): 4.5% / 5
• Employment and unemployment: 4.1% / 5
• Tourism: 4.0% / 3
• Coal, oil and natural gas: 3.7% / 6
• Energy supply and demand: 2.9% / 7

Bankers

These come up in almost every session. Expect them again.

Paper 1

• Every session tests all three syllabus sections somewhere on the paper, through Question 1 or Section B, so you cannot drop a whole period. Section B always has at least one nationhood question, and since 2023 it has had two.
• "Pakistan has had good relations with … since 1947" (14 marks). It was set in six of nine sessions, with a different country or body each time: Bangladesh, USSR/Russia, China, Afghanistan, the UK, and world organisations. Prepare all of these, plus the USA and India.
• Early years of Pakistan 1947–58 (8 of 9 sessions). The 1956 Constitution came up twice, One Unit twice, and Kashmir, canal waters, the Objectives Resolution and the instability of the 1950s once each.
• British expansion and the East India Company (6 sessions): Plassey, Mir Jafar and Mir Qasim, Shah Alam II, the laws of 1784–1850, and how Britain extended its control.
• Religious revival movements (6 sessions): Shah Waliullah, Syed Ahmad Barelvi and Balakot, Haji Shariatullah, Titu Mir.
• Constitutional proposals of 1927–35 (6 sessions). The Round Table Conferences alone appeared in three sessions, and the 14 Points in three.
• Reforms and protest 1909–19 (6 sessions): Morley–Minto, the Lucknow Pact (twice), Montagu–Chelmsford, the Rowlatt Act, the Hunter Committee.
• Civilian governments 1988–99 (6 sessions). Why Musharraf took power in 1999 came up in three sessions. The dismissal of Benazir Bhutto's government in 1990 came up twice.

Paper 2

• The land of Pakistan (9 of 9). Deserts, mountains and rivers are usually tested through map reading.
• Industrial development (9 of 9): large-scale against cottage industry, the informal sector, EPZs and SEZs, and tourism.
• Power resources (8 of 9). Renewables (solar, wind, hydel, tidal, geothermal, biofuels) and fossil fuels appear almost every time.
• Water resources (8 of 9): irrigation methods, dams and barrages, water supply and pollution, waterlogging and salinity.
• Population and employment and Agriculture (7 of 9 each).

Rarely tested

These topics are not safe to skip, but they have earned few marks so far.

Paper 1

• Indian National Congress 1885: once (2024).
• Foreign policy of a named government: twice. Benazir Bhutto 1988–90 was set in Oct/Nov 2023, and the period 1977–88 in June 2026.
• Language, education and culture since 1947: three times, worth only 7-mark parts.
• UN and the Muslim world (Palestine, UN membership, world organisations): three times.
• Zia-ul-Haq: three sessions only (Islamisation, the "Afghan Miracle", his challenges, the Eighth Amendment). He has not had his own question since 2025.
• Ayub Khan: only two sessions. When he appears he can carry a whole Question 1, as in Oct/Nov 2022.

Paper 2

• Fishing: two sessions (Oct/Nov 2023 and Oct/Nov 2025).
• Trade: three sessions (Oct/Nov 2022, June 2024, June 2026).
• Single sub-themes so far: thermal power, hydel power, telecommunications and the internet, and seaports and dry ports. Each has been tested in only one session.

Trends

• Paper 1 Question 1 rotates through the three periods. The sources have covered:
  • 1940s talks (June 2022)
  • Ayub Khan (Oct/Nov 2022)
  • Indian rulers 1750–1840 (June 2023)
  • Khilafat (Oct/Nov 2023)
  • the East India Company (June 2024)
  • Z. A. Bhutto (Oct/Nov 2024)
  • Jinnah 1947 (June 2025)
  • Sir Syed (Oct/Nov 2025)
  • Yahya Khan (June 2026)

Leaders and individuals are now a favourite focus (Bhutto, Jinnah, Sir Syed, Yahya). Q1(b) has asked about Pakistan–USA relations twice (Oct/Nov 2022 and June 2026).

• Paper 1 is moving towards later topics. Nationhood has taken two of the four Section B questions since 2023, and Yahya Khan and the separation of East Pakistan has appeared in four of the last seven sessions.
• The partition of Bengal and the 1906 Muslim League came up in every session from 2022 to 2024, then not at all in 2025–26. Over the same period the 1937 elections and Congress Rule have grown. They came up in June 2023, June 2024 and Oct/Nov 2025, and in two parts of June 2026.
• In Paper 2, natural resources are rising. Mineral resources appeared in three June sessions in a row (2024, 2025 and 2026) after being absent in 2022–23. Forestry appeared four times from Oct/Nov 2023 onwards after being absent before that.
• Paper 2 population questions have shifted. In 2022–24 they were mostly about growth, birth and death rates, and population pyramids. Since late 2024 the focus has been employment, unemployment and migration (including emigration and its link to development).
• Industrial-growth policy (EPZs, SEZs and industrial estates) and telecommunications are new in 2025–26. Climate was missing from June 2024, Oct/Nov 2024 and June 2026.
• Grade thresholds rose sharply up to Oct/Nov 2025 (an A needed 102/150) and dropped back in June 2026 (93/150). Paper 2 thresholds are now usually higher than Paper 1.

Question styles

Paper 1

• Source (a), 3 marks: "According to Source A … identify three …". Take three points from the source only. Do not add your own knowledge.
• Source (b), 5 marks: "What can we learn from Source B …" or "What message did Source B intend …". 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 (the terms of an Act, the features of a constitution, what happened in a battle).
• 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.
  • In 2025 the 10-mark question listed three factors for you to compare.

Paper 2

• Skills items:
  • "Using Fig. X only, describe the location/distribution …". Use compass directions, named places from the map's key, and figures from the map.
  • Measure a distance, give a compass direction, calculate a difference, complete a pie chart, bar graph or diagram, or tick the correct statements.
• Define/State/Name, 1–3 marks. Key terms that have come up include renewable, balance of trade, death rate, cash crop farming, dry port, drought, deforestation, seasonal migration and export processing zone.
• "Explain two … You should develop your answer", 4 marks. It is marked as 1 mark for each point plus 1 mark for developing it, so each point needs a "because" or "which leads to".
• (d), 6 marks, levels-marked. It takes one of two forms: "Read the following two views … Which view 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, Oct/Nov 2022 and June 2023.

Paper 1

• Q1(a): answering from your own knowledge instead of the source, or copying out the whole extract.
• Q1(b): describing the picture, or giving inferences without support. The best answers add contextual knowledge.
• Narrative instead of explanation. Examples were listing the causes of 1857 without saying why they led to war, and describing the Nehru Report instead of explaining why the 14 Points were produced. These answers were capped at the middle levels.
• Misreading the focus of the question. Candidates wrote about why the war was lost when the question asked about its causes. They described Ayub Khan's achievements when the question asked why he came to power. They described the terms of the Cripps Mission instead of why it failed.
• One-sided essays. For example, giving only the weaknesses of Bhutto's domestic policies, or explaining only why the Round Table Conferences failed. Level 4 needs both sides.
• Mixing up people and events. Examples were confusing Balakot with other battles, and writing about the wrong reformer.

Paper 2

• Ignoring "using Fig. X only". You gain no marks for your own knowledge here, or for features that are not shown on the map or photograph.
• Weak location and distribution descriptions. Use north, south, east and west, not "above" or "left". Name places that are shown on the map.
• Describing a generic landscape instead of what the photograph actually shows. Saying what is absent ("there is no …") also earns nothing.
• Vague words such as "better", "proper", "facilities", "infrastructure" and "pollution". Name the specific thing, for example "schools", "metalled roads" or "oil spills in rivers".
• Undeveloped points in "develop your answer" items. Two separate simple points score less than one point that is developed.
• One-sided (d) answers, copying out the question, and examples with no detail all keep (d) answers at Level 1–2.
• Leaving graph or map completion items blank. Examples were the pie charts in June 2022 Q3(b)(iii) and Oct/Nov 2022 Q2(c)(i), and the map labels in June 2023 Q1(a).
• Not knowing key definitions. Population distribution, balance of trade and death rate were often missed.

Grade thresholds

These are raw marks out of 150 overall, and out of 75 for each paper.

June 2026 also lists a separate route, component 50 (out of 90): A* 78, A 69, B 60, C 51, D 42, E 33.

Roughly, an A needs about 59–68% and a C needs about 37–44%.

Revision priorities for Oct/Nov 2026 and 2027

Paper 1

1. Foreign relations since 1947. Have a balanced 14-mark answer ready for each of these: the USA, USSR/Russia, China, India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the UK, and the UN and world organisations. This is the most reliable essay on the paper.
2. Early years 1947–58: Jinnah's problems and successes, Kashmir, canal waters, the Objectives Resolution, the 1956 Constitution, One Unit, and why governments kept changing.
3. 1927–35 constitutional proposals and the 1937 elections and Congress Rule. The Round Table Conferences are the single most repeated topic. Know both their successes and their failures.
4. Leaders as Q1 themes.
   • Recent sources have covered Bhutto (2024), Jinnah (2025), Sir Syed (2025) and Yahya (2026).
   • Ayub Khan was a Q1 source in Oct/Nov 2022. Leaders not used as a Q1 source in this sample include Zia-ul-Haq, Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, Liaquat Ali Khan and Allama Iqbal.
   • Make sure you could handle a full source question on any of them.
5. Background bankers: British expansion, the religious reformers, the War of Independence (its causes, events and why it ended), and Sir Syed.
6. Due for a return: the partition of Bengal and the Muslim League, Khilafat and Non-Cooperation, and Zia-ul-Haq's domestic policies. None of these has been tested since 2024–25.

Paper 2

• You choose three questions out of five, but you cannot know the themes in advance. Prepare at least seven topics thoroughly.
• Revise first: power resources, especially every renewable type and how it generates electricity; population, employment and migration; industry, including EPZs and SEZs, cottage against large-scale industry, and tourism; agriculture together with irrigation and water.
• Then: the land of Pakistan, which is always present; minerals and forestry, which are rising; and climate, which was missing from three of the last six sessions.
• Lower priority, but keep notes: fishing, trade, and telecommunications.
• Practise skills as much as content:
  • map-based location and distribution answers
  • graph completion
  • learning the definitions listed under "Question styles"
  • the 6-mark two-views answer, with one developed point for each view, a named Pakistani example, and a clear final judgement.