Cambridge A Level Information Technology 9626 Past Papers 2026
Download free Cambridge AS & A Level Information Technology 9626 past papers, mark schemes, examiner reports & grade thresholds. 30 exam sessions from 2017–2026.
2026 March
Latest Session
30
Sessions
2017–2026
177
Question Papers
179
Mark Schemes
101% coverage
25
Examiner Reports
83% of sessions
27
Grade Thresholds
Components & time pressure
Marks per minute shows how fast you have to work — the higher the number, the tighter the time pressure in that paper.
| Paper | Component | Marks | Duration | Marks / min | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Theory (AS Level) | 70 | 1h 45m | 0.67 | Steady |
| Paper 2 | Practical (AS Level) | 110 | 2h 30m | 0.73 | Moderate |
| Paper 3 | Advanced Theory (A2) | 70 | 2h 30m | 0.47 | Steady |
| Paper 4 | Advanced Practical (A2) | 110 | 2h 30m | 0.73 | Moderate |
Component structure extracted from 1 official Cambridge documents (2025). Timings and mark totals are taken from the papers themselves.
Yearly Exam Sessions
Topical Past Papers
Questions organized by syllabus topic — perfect for targeted revision. 1 topics available.
How is Cambridge AS & A Level Information Technology 9626 examined?
Cambridge AS & A Level Information Technology is examined through 4 paper components. Understanding each component helps you allocate revision time effectively.
Paper 1
70 marksTheory (AS Level)
Duration: 1h 45m
Paper 2
110 marksPractical (AS Level)
Duration: 2h 30m
Paper 3
70 marksAdvanced Theory (A2)
Duration: 2h 30m
Paper 4
110 marksAdvanced Practical (A2)
Duration: 2h 30m
What Cambridge examiners say about Information Technology
Verbatim quotes from 1 official Cambridge examiner reports (2025). Every quote is attributable to a specific paper and session — these are the things Cambridge markers flag year after year.
Insufficient technical detail and use of slang or vague…
Candidates are also reminded that this examination is intended to assess their knowledge of Information Technology to a high level of understanding. Therefore, it is a reasonable expectation that candidates will be able to use technical terms from across the syllabus accurately and employ suitably technical terms in their answers. In a small number of cases, candidates use slang terms as part of their answer.
Ignoring the question scenario / context
Typically, candidates focused on the use of microprocessors in general and did not address the issue of the use of microprocessors to control devices in a smart home.
Listing features instead of giving advantages
Therefore, simply stating that a spreadsheet could, for example, create a graph from the data input was a statement of fact, rather than a comparison. Unfortunately, this answer typifies the answers that were given, and, only in a small number of cases did candidates provide comparative statements.
Most Common Mistakes — Information Technology (9626)
Based on analysis of 1 official Cambridge examiner reports (2025). Avoid these errors to maximise your marks.
Insufficient technical detail and use of slang or vague terminology
Paper 1, Paper 3 · Flagged across Papers 11, 12, 13 and all three Paper 3 variants in 2025
Ignoring the question scenario / context — answering generically
Paper 1, Paper 3 · Flagged across multiple questions in Papers 11, 12, 31, 32, 33
Listing features instead of giving advantages, drawbacks or comparisons
Paper 1, Paper 3 · Spreadsheet/database, off-the-shelf, OCR vs proofreading questions across Papers 11, 12, 13
Misreading 'discuss', 'analyse', 'evaluate' and 'justify' command words
Paper 3 · Paper 3 — flagged in every variant (31, 32, 33) for 2025
Bulleted lists, tables and short statements on extended-response questions
Paper 3 · Flagged on Paper 31, 32, 33 'discuss', 'evaluate', 'analyse' questions
Topics Students Struggle With Most
Indexed sequential access — how the index speeds up record retrieval
The 2025 Paper 12 report stated bluntly: 'this question assessed candidates' understanding of the concept of indexed sequential access. Unfortunately, it showed that very few candidates indeed had any real understanding of this term.'
Paper 1
Compound keys vs composite keys in databases
The 2025 Paper 13 report noted that compound and composite keys 'are both keys which candidates should have met in their practical work. Unfortunately, very few candidates were able to give clear definitions of these keys.'
Paper 1, Paper 4
Defragmentation — actual benefits and drawbacks
The 2025 Paper 13 report flagged a 'general inability to translate this understanding into a description of benefits or drawbacks. One common misapprehension was that defragmentation increased the storage capacity available, whilst other candidates stated that it improved security or refreshed the hard drive.'
Paper 1
OSI/TCP-IP layers — protocols at the internet layer vs other layers
The 2025 Paper 31 report noted 'considerable confusion between the functions of the internet layer and other layers' and that 'a common mistake was to identify a protocol that works at a different layer'.
Paper 3
Blockchains, distributed ledgers and smart contracts
The 2025 Paper 31 report stated 'the use of blockchains in smart contracts was not well understood' and Paper 32 noted 'distributed ledgers were often confused with, and assumed to be the same as, cryptocurrency'. Few candidates could name 'timestamps' as the third item of data in a blockchain.
Paper 3
Mobile networks vs Wi-Fi/wireless LANs
The 2025 Paper 32 report flagged that 'a significant number of candidates confused the term mobile networks with Wi-Fi/wireless LANs. The term mobile network refers to a telecommunications network that uses radio waves from base stations/towers to provide voice and data connectivity'.
Paper 3
JavaScript comparison operators — === vs !== vs == vs !=
The 2025 Paper 32 report noted 'few candidates could accurately describe the difference and most muddled the two or gave examples that were incorrect' regarding === and !==.
Paper 3
3rd Normal Form and linking tables in relational database design
The 2025 Paper 04 report flagged that with only Buyers/Cars/Trader tables 'only one record for each Trader or Buyer would be valid' — many candidates did not recognise the need for a linking 'Sales' table to enable many-to-many relationships.
Paper 4
Information Technology (9626) — Cambridge AS & A Level Full Archive 2017–2026
This page contains all 413 available papers for Cambridge A Level Information Technology (9626) — 30 exam sessions from 2017 to 2026. Each session includes question papers, mark schemes, and where available, examiner reports and grade threshold documents. All files are free to download as PDF — no account required.
Cambridge A Level Information Technology (9626) is examined through multiple paper components. Question papers are available in two or three variants per session (v1, v2, v3) — each variant is sat in a different time zone but covers the same syllabus content and is equivalent in difficulty. The paper number in the filename indicates which component: for example, 9626_qp_12 is Paper 1, Variant 2.
Mark schemes for 9626 show the exact marking points accepted by Cambridge examiners. Many questions have multiple acceptable phrasings — look for 'accept', 'allow', and 'credit' in the mark scheme to understand the full range of valid responses. Examiner reports (where available) reveal the most common errors made by the cohort and what top-band answers looked like, making them essential reading before the actual exam.
The most effective way to use this archive is to attempt past papers under timed exam conditions, then analyse your mark scheme results by component. Track which paper components and question types you score lowest on — this tells you exactly where to focus revision. Grade threshold documents show the minimum mark needed for each grade in that specific session, which helps calibrate how your practice scores translate to actual grades.
Questions, answered.
You can download all Cambridge Information Technology 9626 past papers right here on PapersDaddy. We have 30 exam sessions from 2017–2026 — including question papers, mark schemes, examiner reports, and grade thresholds for 9626. Click any session below to view and download PDFs.
Yes! Every Cambridge AS & A Level Information Technology (9626) exam session includes the corresponding mark scheme alongside the question paper. Mark schemes show exactly how marks are allocated, helping you understand what examiners look for in top-scoring answers.
Start with recent 9626 papers (2025–2023) to understand current trends. Practice under timed conditions, then mark yourself using the mark scheme. Read examiner reports to learn common mistakes. For targeted revision, use Information Technology 9626 topical past papers to focus on specific topics.
We have Cambridge AS & A Level Information Technology (9626) papers from May/June, October/November, and March sessions (where applicable), covering 2017–2026. That's 30 exam sessions in total.