CIE AS and A Level papers explained: which components you sit
By the Examaced team. , 6 min read
A Cambridge International A Level is built from separate papers, called components. Some belong to AS Level, some only to the full A Level, and in Mathematics you choose between routes. Knowing which papers you'll sit tells you which past papers to practice, and which to leave alone.
AS and A Level in one minute
- AS Level is roughly the first half of the course. It's a qualification on its own, and it also counts toward the full A Level.
- A Level adds the second half. You sit the AS papers plus the A Level papers, either all in one series at the end, or AS first and the rest in a later series. Your school decides which.
Exact paper combinations can change between syllabus years, so check the syllabus for your exam year on the Cambridge website. The pattern below is how the current syllabuses are set out.
Physics, Chemistry and Biology: Papers 1–3, then 4–5
The three sciences share one structure. AS Level is Papers 1, 2 and 3: multiple choice, structured questions and a practical. The full A Level adds Paper 4, longer structured questions on the A Level topics, and Paper 5, planning, analysis and evaluation.
Physics 9702
| Paper | Name | Level | Questions on Examaced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multiple Choice | AS | 1,400 |
| 2 | AS Level Structured Questions | AS | 237 |
| 3 | Advanced Practical Skills | AS | 112 |
| 4 | A Level Structured Questions | A Level | 353 |
| 5 | Planning, Analysis and Evaluation | A Level | 70 |
Chemistry 9701
| Paper | Name | Level | Questions on Examaced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multiple Choice | AS | 1,400 |
| 2 | AS Level Structured Questions | AS | 164 |
| 3 | Advanced Practical Skills | AS | 166 |
| 4 | A Level Structured Questions | A Level | 292 |
| 5 | Planning, Analysis and Evaluation | A Level | 74 |
Biology 9700
| Paper | Name | Level | Questions on Examaced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multiple Choice | AS | 1,400 |
| 2 | AS Level Structured Questions | AS | 210 |
| 3 | Advanced Practical Skills | AS | 112 |
| 4 | A Level Structured Questions | A Level | 350 |
| 5 | Planning, Analysis and Evaluation | A Level | 77 |
Two things follow for practice. Paper 1 has the most questions by far, and because it's multiple choice you can work through a lot of them quickly. And Paper 5 has no lab: it asks you to plan an experiment and analyze data on paper, so it's worth practicing on its own rather than leaving to the practical.
Mathematics 9709: choose your route
| Paper | Name | Questions on Examaced |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pure Mathematics 1 | 535 |
| 2 | Pure Mathematics 2 | 359 |
| 3 | Pure Mathematics 3 | 522 |
| 4 | Mechanics | 341 |
| 5 | Probability & Statistics 1 | 326 |
| 6 | Probability & Statistics 2 | 333 |
Every 9709 student sits Paper 1, Pure Mathematics 1. After that, the routes differ:
- AS Level is Paper 1 plus one more: Paper 2 (Pure Mathematics 2), Paper 4 (Mechanics) or Paper 5 (Probability & Statistics 1).
- A Level is Paper 1 and Paper 3 (Pure Mathematics 3), plus either Papers 4 and 5, or Papers 5 and 6.
Paper 2 is for the AS route only. Pure Mathematics 3 covers its topics at greater depth, so A Level students practicing Paper 2 questions are rehearsing material they'll meet again, harder, in Paper 3. Check with your school which applied papers you're entered for before spending time on Mechanics or Statistics 2.
Further Mathematics 9231
| Paper | Name | Questions on Examaced |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Further Pure Mathematics 1 | 294 |
| 2 | Further Pure Mathematics 2 | 337 |
| 3 | Further Mechanics | 292 |
| 4 | Further Probability & Statistics | 255 |
Further Mathematics is taken as a full A Level with all four papers: two pure, one mechanics and one statistics. With 42 past papers per component in the question bank, it has fewer questions than Mathematics, so it pays to use every one.
What this means for your practice
- Write down your exact papers. For example: 9709 Papers 1, 3, 4 and 5; 9702 Papers 1 to 5.
- Practice the components you'll sit. The paper code in each file name tells you which one it is: 9709_s25_qp_42 is Paper 4.
- Do the AS papers early. Their topics are the base for the A Level papers, and their question banks are the biggest.
Practicing by paper in Examaced
Examaced lists every component for its five subjects with its own question count and topics. Choose a paper, then a topic, or start a timed mock of a whole component. Choose your first paper, or see every paper and topic for Maths 9709, Further Maths 9231, Physics 9702, Chemistry 9701 and Biology 9700.