CIE past paper codes explained: what 9709_s25_qp_12 means
By the Examaced team. , 5 min read
Cambridge International past papers come with names like 9709_s25_qp_12 and 9702_w24_ms_42. They look cryptic, but every part means something, and once you can read them you can find the right question paper, its mark scheme and its grade thresholds in seconds.
The four parts of a file name
Take 9709_s25_qp_12. Split at the underscores, it reads:
| Part | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Syllabus code | 9709 | Mathematics. 9231 is Further Mathematics, 9702 Physics, 9701 Chemistry, 9700 Biology. |
| Session and year | s25 | May / June 2025. The letter is the series, the number is the year. |
| Document type | qp | Question paper. See the table below for the others. |
| Component | 12 | Paper 1, variant 2. |
Session letters: m, s and w
- m is the February / March series. It's smaller, and not every subject sits it.
- s is May / June, the summer series.
- w is October / November, the winter series.
So w24 means October / November 2024, and m26 means February / March 2026.
Document types: qp, ms, er, gt and more
| Code | Document | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| qp | Question paper | Every time you practice. |
| ms | Mark scheme | Straight after you answer, to mark your work. Match the component number exactly. |
| er | Examiner report | After marking, to see the mistakes most candidates made on each question. |
| gt | Grade thresholds | After a timed mock, to turn your raw mark into a rough grade. |
| in | Insert | When a paper comes with extra material, like a data sheet or source. |
| ci | Confidential instructions | For practical papers: the setup the lab was given. |
Component numbers: paper, then variant
The last two digits are the most misread part. The first digit is the paper: 1 for Paper 1, 4 for Paper 4. The second digit is the variant. So 12 is Paper 1, variant 2, and 42 is Paper 4, variant 2.
Cambridge sets different variants of the same paper because candidates around the world sit exams in different time zones. Each variant follows the same syllabus and is meant to be equally hard, but the questions differ. For you, that's good news: every series gives you up to three different papers for each component, not one.
One catch: grade thresholds can differ between variants. If you use thresholds to grade a mock, read the row for the exact component you sat, like 12 rather than 11.
The slash form: 9709/12
On the front of a paper and in most question banks, the code is written with a slash: 9709/12 is syllabus 9709, component 12. It's the same paper as 9709_s25_qp_12, minus the session. That's why a paper reference usually adds the series: "9231/21, October / November 2025".
Three mix-ups that cost students time
- Marking with the wrong variant. The scheme for 41 doesn't fit paper 42. Always match all four parts.
- Thinking variants are repeats. They're different questions on the same syllabus, so they're all worth doing.
- Ignoring the examiner report. The
erfile explains, question by question, where candidates lost marks. It's the closest thing to a list of traps.
How Examaced labels questions
Every question in Examaced shows its component code and session, like "Question 3, 9231/21, October / November 2025", so you always know which paper it came from. You can filter a topic by year and session, and open the mark scheme beside the question instead of hunting for the matching ms file. To learn the codes inside a mark scheme, read M1, A1, B1 and DM1 explained.
Open the question bank and try it on a paper you know.