IGCSE Economics: hardest papers & score statistics

Across 1,236 attempts from 213 students, IGCSE Economics averages 84.4% with a median of 90%, and a typical timed sitting takes about 16.1 minutes. The median sitting above the mean tells you most students do well, with a tail of lower scores pulling the average down.

Economics is a single 30-question multiple-choice paper, and students move through it quickly. Scores are tightly bunched in the 80-100% range, so the difference between a good and a top result comes down to a small number of questions, usually the data-response and diagram-interpretation items on the lower-scoring variants below.

Every paper, ranked by difficulty

The table lists every IGCSE Economics paper with at least 30 recorded attempts, hardest first. The hardest is the 2023 Feb/Mar Paper 1 (Multiple Choice) (Variant 2) at 79.8%; the most comfortable is the 2024 Oct/Nov Paper 1 (Multiple Choice) (Variant 1) at 88.7%. Practising from the top of this list is the fastest way to expose weak spots.

How scores are distributed

About 79% of IGCSE Economics attempts land at 80% or above. That clustering near the top is why the harder papers above matter so much: when everyone is scoring well, a few dropped marks move you a long way down the pack.

Put it into practice

Read the IGCSE Economics revision guide for how to use these papers in a revision plan, or browse the other subject breakdowns in the Revision Hub. When you're ready, you can attempt any of these papers free on QuickMark.