Cambridge O Level Mathematics (Syllabus D) (4024) Past Papers: Grade Thresholds and Examiner Report Notes

This page is a guide to Cambridge O Level Mathematics (Syllabus D) (4024) past papers for the seven series from June 2023 to June 2026. For each series you get the grade thresholds and a short summary of where candidates lost marks. The thresholds are copied from Cambridge’s grade-threshold documents, and the examiner notes are our own summaries of Cambridge’s Principal Examiner Reports for Teachers. We do not host any papers: every paper, mark scheme and report comes from Cambridge.

Where to get the official papers

• Cambridge O Level Mathematics (Syllabus D) (4024) syllabus page
• Cambridge O Level Mathematics (Syllabus D) (4024) past papers page

Cambridge publishes recent papers, mark schemes, examiner reports and grade thresholds on the syllabus’s past-papers page; older series are available to schools through the School Support Hub.

Use the three documents together. Sit the paper under timed conditions first. Then mark it with the mark scheme, which shows how the marks were awarded. Finally, read the examiner report (or our notes below) to see why other candidates lost marks on the same questions.

Our syllabus record is the 2025-2027 syllabus, first examined in 2025. The June 2025 report calls that series the first sitting of the new syllabus and mentions new content such as surds. The June 2023 to November 2024 papers were set before it, so check the syllabus version on the paper’s front cover against the current syllabus before you rely on a question.

The reports treat the Paper 1 components (11, 12, 13) as non-calculator papers. From June 2025 they also label the Paper 2 components (21, 22, 23) as calculator papers.

Series index

Series	Papers (components) examined	Examiner report notes	Grade thresholds
June 2026	12, 13, 22, 23	Yes	Yes
November 2025	11, 12, 21, 22	Yes	Yes
June 2025	12, 13, 22, 23	Yes	Yes
November 2024	11, 12, 21, 22	Yes	Yes
June 2024	11, 12, 21, 22	Yes	Yes
November 2023	11, 12, 21, 22	Yes	Yes
June 2023	11, 12, 21, 22	Yes	Yes

Earlier series are on Cambridge’s past-papers page and are not summarised here.

What examiners keep saying

These are the mistakes that come up again and again, grouped by the syllabus’s own topics.

Number

• Bounds: pairing the wrong upper and lower bounds for a difference or a quotient, or rounding after subtracting. (June 2023, June 2024, November 2024, June 2025, November 2025, June 2026)
• Percentages and interest: giving the interest when the total was asked for (or the reverse), treating growth as the same amount each year, and reverse percentages done by changing the new value. (November 2023, June 2024, November 2024, June 2025, November 2025, June 2026)

Algebra and graphs

• Algebraic fractions: cancelling single terms instead of common factors, and dropping the brackets round a numerator. (November 2023, November 2024, June 2025, June 2026)
• Indices II: negative and fractional powers handled only in part, and index equations not rewritten with a common base. (June 2024, November 2025, June 2026)
• Functions: an inverse given as a reciprocal, functions multiplied instead of composed, or composed in the wrong order. (June 2023, November 2023, June 2025, November 2025)
• Proportion: the wrong type of variation, or the square, cube or root left out of the equation. (June 2023, November 2023, November 2024, June 2026)
• Graphs: distance found by dividing instead of using the area under a speed–time graph, and solving algebraically when “use your graph” was the instruction. (November 2023, June 2024, November 2024, November 2025)

Coordinate geometry

• Using the original gradient, its reciprocal or its negative instead of the negative reciprocal, and drawing the perpendicular through the midpoint instead of the given point. (June 2023, November 2023, June 2024, November 2024, November 2025)

Geometry

• Reasons in loose words (“F angles”, “because they are parallel”) instead of the syllabus wording, circle theorems not spotted, and facts read off diagrams marked not to scale. (June 2023, November 2023, June 2024, November 2024, June 2025, November 2025, June 2026)

Mensuration

• Similar shapes: using the length scale factor for areas or volumes, or not square-rooting or cube-rooting a ratio to get back to lengths. (June 2024, November 2024, November 2025, June 2026)
• Sectors and cones: mixing up arc length and sector area, using the minor sector instead of the major one, or vertical height instead of slant height. (June 2023, November 2023, November 2024, June 2025, June 2026)

Trigonometry

• Multi-step and 3D problems: assuming right angles, or that a perpendicular bisects a side, and rounding part-way through. (June 2023, November 2023, June 2025, November 2025, June 2026)

Transformations and vectors

• Vector routes with reversed directions, position vectors misunderstood, and a single transformation described as two. (June 2023, November 2023, June 2024, November 2024, June 2025, November 2025, June 2026)

Probability

• With and without replacement mixed up, adding along branches instead of multiplying, and missing the second order of outcomes. (June 2023, November 2023, June 2024, November 2024, June 2025, November 2025, June 2026)

Statistics

• Cumulative frequency and histograms: plotting at midpoints, reading the wrong height, and mixing up frequency with frequency density. (June 2023, November 2023, June 2024, November 2024, June 2025, November 2025, June 2026)

Exam technique the reports repeat

• Keep more figures than you need in working and round only the final answer. (June 2023, November 2023, June 2024, November 2024, June 2025, November 2025, June 2026)
• In “show that” questions, show every step and a more accurate value; never start from the given result. (June 2023, November 2023, June 2024, November 2024, June 2025, November 2025, June 2026)
• Use the method and form asked for: factorise when told to, read from your graph, round to one significant figure when estimating. (June 2023, November 2023, June 2025, November 2025, June 2026)
• For bounds, write down both bounds of every quantity before choosing which to combine. (June 2024, June 2025)
• Mark angles and points on the diagram, but never assume properties from a diagram that is not to scale. (June 2025, November 2025, June 2026)
• Cross out rejected work instead of writing over it, and rule straight lines in pencil. (June 2023, June 2024, June 2025, November 2025, June 2026)

June 2026

In June 2026 candidates generally coped with routine arithmetic, straightforward algebra, sequences, percentages and simultaneous equations. What separated scripts was the harder algebra (indices, surds, algebraic fractions, completing the square), along with circle theorems, histograms, bounds, vectors and 3D mensuration. Good answers showed each step, kept brackets and signs under control, named geometric reasons in syllabus terms and carried enough accuracy through long calculations. Weaker answers ignored the method or form set, read properties off diagrams marked not to scale, rounded early, and misunderstood terms such as relative frequency, term-to-term rule, position vector and asymptote.

Where marks were lost

• Paper 12: relative frequency given as a whole number, and fairness judged without using the data.
• Paper 12: index equations not rewritten with a common base; surds simplified using rules that do not hold.
• Paper 13: same-segment, alternate-segment and cyclic-quadrilateral angles missed; histogram bars drawn to frequency, not frequency density.
• Paper 22: proportion set up without the inverse or the square; negative values substituted without brackets.
• Paper 23: interquartile range taken from quarter positions instead of curve readings; frustum surface area missing the circular faces.
• Paper 23: reverse percentages divided by the wrong multiplier; compound growth treated as simple interest.

Grade thresholds – June 2026

Components	Max	A*	A	B	C	D	E
12, 22	200	173	147	104	62	49	37
13, 23	200	175	150	109	68	53	38

Not shown: 1 further route(s) in the official table (staged entries that carry marks from an earlier series, or other special routes). See the official document.

Official documents: past papers, mark schemes and examiner report

November 2025

November 2025 was the first November series on the new syllabus. Candidates were more at ease running routine methods in familiar settings than tackling unstructured problems. Arithmetic, simple algebra, standard form and calculator work were mostly sound. Weak areas included vectors, composite functions, negative and fractional indices, graphical solution, speed–time graphs, similar shapes, recurring decimals, curve sketching, exponential growth and decay, LCM and HCF from prime factors, and shortest-distance trigonometry. Strong scripts gave exact geometric reasons and followed method instructions. Weaker ones assumed change was linear, worked backwards from given answers or rounded too soon.

Where marks were lost

• Paper 11: informal labels such as “F angles” instead of the proper reason; speed–time distance found by dividing.
• Paper 11: a volume ratio not cube-rooted to reach the length scale factor; functions multiplied instead of composed.
• Paper 12: open and closed circles on a number line misread; the length scale factor not squared for an area.
• Paper 21: percentage growth treated as a fixed amount each year; completing the square with a leading coefficient other than one.
• Paper 22: a median found without ordering the data; the LCM not built from the highest power of each prime.
• Paper 22: the magnitudes of two separate vectors simply added together.

Grade thresholds – November 2025

Components	Max	A*	A	B	C	D	E
11, 21	200	173	146	108	71	53	36
12, 22	200	171	142	105	68	51	35

Official documents: past papers, mark schemes and examiner report

June 2025

June 2025 was the first sitting of the 2025-2027 syllabus, and the Paper 12 report says candidates were well prepared, including for new content such as surds. The calculator papers mixed more short questions in with the longer multi-part ones. Number, simple algebra and basic geometry went well. Circle theorems, area unit conversions, multi-stage and 3D trigonometry, set notation, functions, graphical inequalities and probability gave most trouble. The best scripts laid out ordered steps, kept full accuracy, used notation correctly and obeyed instructions such as rounding to one significant figure. Weaker ones rounded early, assumed unstated facts and reversed vector directions.

Where marks were lost

• Paper 12: vectors added in the wrong direction; consistency compared using medians instead of interquartile ranges.
• Paper 13: the one-significant-figure instruction ignored when estimating; sector perimeter found with the area formula.
• Paper 13: surd products simplified wrongly after rationalising with the conjugate.
• Paper 22: square metres converted to square centimetres with the linear factor; both lower bounds used for a quotient.
• Paper 22: the alternate segment theorem missed, or a chord assumed to be a diameter.
• Paper 23: a with-replacement selection drawn as without; slant height used as a pyramid’s vertical height.

Grade thresholds – June 2025

Components	Max	A*	A	B	C	D	E
12, 22	200	175	150	109	68	54	40
13, 23	200	177	154	110	66	53	40

Official documents: past papers, mark schemes and examiner report

November 2024

November 2024 put weight on statistics (lines of best fit, cumulative frequency, histograms, grouped data), transformations, coordinate geometry, sequences, indices and standard form, bounds, similar shapes and circles, algebraic fractions and multi-step money problems. The Paper 12 report picks out polygon angles, similar volumes, perpendicular lines, set notation and vectors as hard areas. The Paper 22 report adds bounds, compound interest, surface area, graphical solution and geometric reasoning. Strong scripts did exactly what each instruction said and handled negatives accurately. Weaker ones made sign slips, misread scales, described two transformations instead of one and rounded too early.

Where marks were lost

• Paper 11: sign errors with negative numbers; lines of best fit that join the points or ignore the trend.
• Paper 11: a correct enlargement spoiled by adding a second movement.
• Paper 12: decimal places confused with significant figures; capacities scaled with the length factor, not the volume ratio.
• Paper 21: histogram frequencies found with one fixed multiplier instead of each class width.
• Paper 22: compound interest set equal to the interest alone; a grouped mean worked out with class widths, not midpoints.

Grade thresholds – November 2024

Components	Max	A*	A	B	C	D	E
11, 21	200	174	148	114	80	58	36
12, 22	200	174	148	112	77	56	36

Official documents: past papers, mark schemes and examiner report

June 2024

June 2024 spread its marks over statistics (cumulative frequency, histograms, grouped means), coordinate geometry, bounds, indices, graphical methods, transformations, vectors and multi-step number problems such as interest. The Paper 11 and 12 reports found routine algebra mostly secure, with cumulative frequency, inequality regions, fractional indices, bounds, graphical solution and vectors causing most trouble. Strong scripts answered the exact question, kept full accuracy and used fractions instead of rounded decimals without a calculator. Weaker ones answered a question they had assumed, rounded early, misread terms such as relative frequency, bearing and mixed number, and slipped with signs.

Where marks were lost

• Paper 11: cumulative frequency plotted at class midpoints; a “more than” reading not taken from the total.
• Paper 11: a perpendicular bisector drawn when the line had to pass through a given point.
• Paper 12: the wrong region shaded for inequalities; a fractional or negative power not applied to the coefficient.
• Paper 21: reverse percentages done by changing the new value; enlargements missing one of their three features.
• Paper 22: the cosine rule spoiled by the negative cosine of an obtuse angle; a scaled radius not squared as a whole.

Grade thresholds – June 2024

Components	Max	A*	A	B	C	D	E
11, 21	200	173	146	105	65	51	38
12, 22	200	172	145	105	66	52	39

Official documents: past papers, mark schemes and examiner report

November 2023

November 2023 rewarded secure non-calculator arithmetic, accurate algebra and careful reading. Fractions, ordering numbers, simple equations, plotting graphs, pie charts, histograms and routine function work were mostly done well. Harder areas were vectors (position vectors and parallel vectors in particular), transformations, speed–time graphs, set notation, area unit conversions, arc length, quadratic sequences, perpendicular lines, multi-step trigonometry, cones and bounds. Better scripts worked to a clear plan, used the method the question named, kept full accuracy and gave reasons in proper geometric language. Weaker ones made sign slips, cancelled terms instead of factors and rounded too soon.

Where marks were lost

• Paper 11: speed–time questions answered by dividing instead of finding the area under the graph.
• Paper 11: algebraic fractions cancelled term by term before factorising.
• Paper 12: an enlargement drawn with the wrong scale factor or centre; a quadratic sequence treated as linear.
• Paper 21: reverse percentages done by changing the given value; congruence proofs without a condition and reason for each pair.
• Paper 22: the quadratic formula used where factorisation was required; vertical height used for a cone’s curved surface.

Grade thresholds – November 2023

Components	Max	A*	A	B	C	D	E
11, 21	200	175	150	111	73	54	36
12, 22	200	176	152	112	73	52	31

Official documents: past papers, mark schemes and examiner report

June 2023

June 2023 rewarded clear, logical working and accurate mathematical language. Routine algebra (expanding brackets, simultaneous equations, simple inequalities) and plotting curves were generally secure. Weaker areas were standard form with different powers of ten, bounds, proportion linking more than two variables, probability from tables or without replacement, vector reasoning, perpendicular lines and geometric proofs that need stated reasons. On the longer papers, early rounding, answers not in the form asked for and thin working in “show that” questions were costly. The Paper 12 report also warns that familiar topics may be tested in unfamiliar ways.

Where marks were lost

• Paper 11: standard-form values subtracted without a common power; the inequality sign not reversed after dividing by a negative.
• Paper 11: collinearity explained in words instead of with vectors, or without a shared point.
• Paper 12: two proportional relationships not combined; “without replacement” ignored in probability.
• Paper 21: decimal hours read as hours and minutes; angle chains given without geometric reasons.
• Paper 22: both upper bounds used for a quotient; a sector made into a cone without linking arc length to the base circumference.

Grade thresholds – June 2023

Components	Max	A*	A	B	C	D	E
11, 21	200	168	137	99	62	49	36
12, 22	200	169	139	100	62	49	36

Official documents: past papers, mark schemes and examiner report

How to use this page

1. Start with our free all-topics diagnostic to see which topics are weakest. Every free diagnostic is listed on the diagnostics page.
2. Sit one full past paper under timed conditions. Check the exam calendar so you know how long you have before your own exams.
3. Mark it strictly with the official mark scheme, then read that series’ notes above to see whether your errors match what examiners saw.
4. Tick off the topics you dropped marks on in the O Level Mathematics checklist, and learn what each command word asks for on our command words page.
5. Fix those topics using the notes and practice on the O Level Mathematics subject hub, then test yourself in the 4024 self-check question bank.
6. Sit a paper from a different series and compare your mark with that series’ thresholds. For June 2026 thresholds on our flagship syllabuses, see grade thresholds.
7. If you want a teacher to go through your working with you, book a trial lesson.

About these notes

The grade thresholds come from Cambridge’s grade-threshold tables, and the examiner notes are our own summaries of Cambridge’s Principal Examiner Reports for Teachers for the seven series from June 2023 to June 2026. Everything is written in our own words. Thresholds change every series and must never be used to predict future ones. If you spot an error, please report a correction.