Cambridge IGCSE Economics (0455) is one of the most popular IGCSE choices in Malaysian international schools, and it is changing: a revised syllabus starts with the 2027 exams. Here is what the course covers, how the exam works now and from 2027, and how to prepare.
Which syllabus applies to your child
- Exams in June or November 2026: the 2026 syllabus.
- Exams in 2027, 2028 or 2029: the revised 2027–2029 syllabus.
IGCSE is usually a two-year course, so a student who starts Year 10 in 2026 sits the revised syllabus. Exams are held in the June and November series in Malaysia, and grades run from A* to G. Calculators are allowed and there are no tiers: every student sits the same two papers.
The six topics
The headline topics are the same in both syllabuses:
- The basic economic problem
- The allocation of resources
- Microeconomic decision-makers
- Government and the macroeconomy
- Economic development
- International trade and globalisation
The papers, now and from 2027
| 2026 exams | 2027 exams onwards | |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Multiple choice | 45 minutes · 30 questions · 30 marks · 30% | 1 hour · 40 questions · 40 marks · 30% |
| Paper 2: Structured questions | 2 hours 15 minutes · 90 marks · 70% | 2 hours · 80 marks · 70% |
| Paper 2, Section A | One compulsory 30-mark question on source material | One compulsory 20-mark question on unseen information about a real economic situation |
| Paper 2, Section B | Three of four 20-mark questions | Three of four 20-mark questions, ending in an evaluative part (d) |
What changes in 2027
The skills being tested shift too. Knowledge and analysis carry more weight (43% and 47%), and evaluation less (10%, down from 20%). Analysis — explaining why something happens, step by step and with diagrams — is where most marks now sit.
New or expanded content includes:
- Sustainability, woven through the whole course
- Scarcity, and monopoly as a market failure
- Minimum wage diagrams and average total cost (economies of scale) diagrams
- Types of mergers and competitive markets
- The causes and consequences of recession, and seasonal unemployment
- How globalisation is changing, reasons for trade restrictions, and why people buy and sell foreign currencies
Removed or reduced:
- Trade unions and the growth of firms
- The role of government and the principles of taxation
- Deflation, population pyramids and fixed exchange rates
- The claimant count, and the mobility of factors other than labour
How to prepare
- Draw diagrams fluently. Demand and supply, minimum wages and cost curves come up again and again; label every axis and curve.
- Practise chains of reasoning. A good answer links cause to effect in clear steps, not a list of points.
- Read the source question carefully. Section A rewards using the information given, not general knowledge alone.
- Use past papers with care. Papers before 2027 are good topic practice, but their timings, mark totals and some topics no longer match.
- Learn the definitions. Multiple-choice and short questions test precise terms.
A tutor who knows the 2027 changes can save your child from revising topics that have gone. Browse IGCSE Economics online tuition, see all IGCSE tuition, or read IGCSE vs SPM if you are still choosing a route.
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