Cambridge 9609 · Paper 1 Business Concepts 1
A Level Business 9609 Paper 1 Past Papers
Cambridge 9609 Paper 1 (Business Concepts 1) is 40 marks in 1h 15m, set as 3 timetable variants (11, 12, 13). Quanta has mapped 18 sittings from 2024 to 2026, every part tagged to the assessment objective it tests — so the breakdown below is what Paper 1 has actually asked, summed across 18 papers, rather than a guess from the syllabus.
Every sitting has its own page, listed by series below, with its Cambridge code in both forms (9609/12/F/M/26 and 9609_m26_qp_12).
Updated 28 September 2026
At a glance
- Paper
- Paper 1 Business Concepts 1
- Subject
- Cambridge A Level Business 9609
- Marks
- 40
- Time
- 1h 15m
- Questions
- 5 (9 parts)
- Variants
- 11, 12, 13
- Sittings mapped
- 18 (2024–2026)
What Paper 1 tests, by assessment objective
Summing the assessment-objective grids of every question across all 18 sittings gives the split below. How the grids work →
Every sitting sets the same question sizes, and the size fixes the grid — so the technique for each one carries from paper to paper:
- 1 × 12-mark12-mark 'evaluate' questions →
- 1 × 8-mark8-mark 'analyse' questions →
- 1 × 5-markShort-answer questions (2, 3 and 5 marks) →
- 3 × 3-markShort-answer questions (2, 3 and 5 marks) →
- 3 × 2-markShort-answer questions (2, 3 and 5 marks) →
Revision guides for Paper 1
9609 Paper 1 grade boundaries, every session
The raw mark each variant of Paper 1 needed for each grade, for every session Cambridge has published. Grades stop at A: Cambridge sets A* only on the overall qualification. Work out what you need overall.
| Session | Paper | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May/June 2026 | 9609/11 / 40 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 23 |
| 9609/12 / 40 | 36 | 33 | 30 | 27 | 25 | |
| 9609/13 / 40 | 35 | 33 | 30 | 27 | 25 | |
| Feb/March 2026 | 9609/12 / 40 | 37 | 33 | 30 | 27 | 25 |
| Oct/Nov 2025 | 9609/11 / 40 | 36 | 33 | 30 | 27 | 25 |
| 9609/12 / 40 | 36 | 33 | 30 | 27 | 25 | |
| 9609/13 / 40 | 35 | 33 | 30 | 27 | 24 | |
| May/June 2025 | 9609/11 / 40 | 35 | 32 | 28 | 25 | 22 |
| 9609/12 / 40 | 35 | 33 | 30 | 27 | 25 | |
| 9609/13 / 40 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 24 | |
| Feb/March 2025 | 9609/12 / 40 | 37 | 33 | 30 | 27 | 25 |
| Oct/Nov 2024 | 9609/11 / 40 | 33 | 30 | 27 | 24 | 22 |
| 9609/12 / 40 | 33 | 29 | 26 | 24 | 22 | |
| 9609/13 / 40 | 36 | 34 | 31 | 28 | 25 | |
| May/June 2024 | 9609/11 / 40 | 35 | 33 | 30 | 28 | 26 |
| 9609/12 / 40 | 36 | 34 | 31 | 28 | 25 | |
| 9609/13 / 40 | 35 | 33 | 30 | 28 | 26 | |
| Feb/March 2024 | 9609/12 / 40 | 36 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 24 |
| Oct/Nov 2023 | 9609/11 / 40 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 23 |
| 9609/12 / 40 | 35 | 33 | 30 | 28 | 26 | |
| 9609/13 / 40 | 34 | 30 | 27 | 24 | 22 | |
| May/June 2023 | 9609/11 / 40 | 34 | 31 | 28 | 25 | 23 |
| 9609/12 / 40 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 24 | |
| 9609/13 / 40 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 24 | |
| Feb/March 2023 | 9609/12 / 40 | 34 | 30 | 27 | 24 | 22 |
All 9609 Paper 1 sittings
February/March 2026
February/March 2025
May/June 2025
February/March 2024
May/June 2024
Practise A Level Business 9609 Paper 1 against real mark schemes
Quanta has real Cambridge A Level Business 9609 past-paper questions, with the case study beside the answer boxes, every answer marked automatically against the published mark scheme objective by objective, and the reasoning shown — and it tracks which skills you’re missing. Free for individual students.
Start practising freeCommon questions
What grade is 29 out of 40 on 9609 Paper 1?
In May/June 2026, 29/40 was a C on 9609/11 and a D on 9609/12 and 9609/13. Across the 11 sessions Cambridge has published for this paper out of 40, the same mark ranged from a D to a B — boundaries move every series. The table above has every session.
How many marks for an A on 9609 Paper 1?
In May/June 2026, an A needed between 34 and 36 out of 40, depending on the variant you sat. It is set again after every series.
What is Cambridge 9609 Paper 1?
Paper 1 of Cambridge A Level Business 9609 — Business Concepts 1. It is 40 marks in 1h 15m, with 5 questions, and it is set as variants 11, 12, 13 for different time zones — same syllabus, same structure, different questions. Quanta has mapped 18 sittings from 2024 to 2026.
How long is 9609 Paper 1?
1h 15m for 40 marks — about 1.9 minutes per mark, which is the pacing to hold.
Where can I get 9609 Paper 1 past papers?
Cambridge publishes past papers and mark schemes through its own site and through schools; they are © Cambridge University Press & Assessment, so the pages here describe each paper rather than reproduce it. Inside Quanta, every sitting listed above is practised online question by question and marked per assessment objective against the published scheme.