How to read a CIE A Level mark scheme: M1, A1, B1, DM1 and AG explained
By the Examaced team. , 8 min read
A Cambridge mark scheme is written for examiners, not students. The letters down the side, M1, A1, B1, DM1, AG, decide which of your marks count. Once you can read them, you can mark your own past papers as strictly as an examiner would, and see exactly where marks go.
The codes at a glance
| Code | Name | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| M1 | Method mark | For a correct method applied to the problem. You can earn it even if you slip on the arithmetic. |
| A1 | Accuracy mark | For a correct answer or step. It depends on the method mark before it: no M, no A. |
| B1 | Independent mark | For a correct result or statement on its own, whatever method you used. |
| *M1, DM1 | Dependent method | DM1 can only be awarded if you earned the method mark marked with a star. |
| FT | Follow through | A later mark you can still earn using your own earlier wrong answer, if the method is right. |
| AG | Answer given | The answer is printed in the question, so every step to it must be shown. |
| CAO | Correct answer only | No follow through: only the exact correct answer scores. |
| oe, awrt | Or equivalent, answers which round to | Equivalent forms are fine; a decimal that rounds to the stated value is fine. |
| ISW | Ignore subsequent working | Once the correct answer is written, extra working after it isn't penalized. |
| SC | Special case | A specific partial-credit route the examiners decided on in advance. |
A real example: 9231/21, October / November 2025, Question 3
This Further Pure Mathematics 2 question defines In = ∫01 (1 + x²)n dx. Part (a) asks you to show that (2n + 1)In = 2n + 2nIn−1 for 5 marks. Part (b) asks for the exact value of I−2 for 4 marks. Here's how the scheme splits those 9 marks.
Part (a), 5 marks
| Mark | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| M1 A1 | Using the product rule to differentiate x(1 + x²)ⁿ, and getting it right |
| *M1 | Using x² = x² + 1 − 1 to rewrite the result in terms of (1 + x²) |
| DM1 | Integrating both sides using the limits given. Depends on *M1 |
| A1 | Substituting limits and rearranging to the given result. AG |
Notice the chain. Suppose you differentiate correctly but don't spot the x² = x² + 1 − 1 trick. You keep M1 A1, lose *M1, and because DM1 depends on it, you lose that too, even if you integrate correctly. The final A1 needs the full route to the printed answer. That's 2 out of 5, even though most of your working is right.
AG matters here as well. The answer is in the question, so writing it down earns nothing. An examiner checks that every line before it is genuinely there.
Part (b), 4 marks
| Mark | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| B1 | I−1 = [tan⁻¹ x]01 = ¼π |
| M1 A1 | Applying the reduction formula with n = −1, and getting it right |
| A1 | I−2 = ¼ + ⅛π |
The B1 stands alone: you get it for evaluating I−1 whether or not you finish the question. Part (b) also shows why part (a) is worth attempting even if you can't prove it: you can use a given result in a later part.
Physics schemes look different
Physics 9702 structured questions mostly use B and A marks, with guidance like "any two, 1 mark each". In 9702/24 May / June 2025 Question 7(a), naming two different leptons earns B2. In 7(c), stating the proton's quark composition, uud, earns B1, and using the quark charges to reach +1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C earns A1. Multiple choice in Paper 1 is simpler: one mark, one letter.
How to mark your own past papers fairly
- Finish the question before you look. Opening the scheme early turns a test into a reading exercise.
- Mark line by line. Go down the scheme's rows and find each step in your working. If you can't point to it, you don't get it.
- Respect dependencies. No A without its M, no DM without its starred M.
- Be strict on AG. If you jumped to the printed answer, take the final mark off.
- Use follow through honestly. If an earlier slip carried forward and the scheme says FT, you can still earn the later marks.
- Write down the score and why. "2 / 5, missed the x² + 1 − 1 step" is what tells you what to practice next.
Doing this in Examaced
In Examaced the mark scheme opens beside the original question in a split view, so you can go down the rows next to your working instead of flipping between two PDFs. Enter your marks and save them, and they show up in Review, where your question history and error log sit together, ready to revisit. Multiple choice in Physics, Chemistry and Biology is marked automatically.
Want to try it on this exact question? Open the workspace, or see every Further Mathematics 9231 topic.