Cambridge International AS & A Level Cambridge International AS & A Level
LAW 9084/12
HISTORY 9489/12
Paper 1 English Legal System May/June 2026
Paper 1 Document Question May/June 2026
MARK SCHEME
1 hour 15 minutes
Maximum Mark: 75
You must answer on the enclosed answer booklet.
*
You will need: Answer booklet (enclosed)
Published
INSTRUCTIONS
● Answer one question from one section only.
Section A: European option
Section B: American option This mark scheme contains the instructions and marking guidance that our examiners used to mark
candidate responses for this component.
Section C: International option
*
● Follow the instructions on the front cover of the answer booklet. If you need additional answer paper, Before they start marking, examiners complete a standardisation process. They review a range of candidate
ask the invigilator for a continuation booklet. responses and discuss the mark scheme in detail to agree which answers can and cannot be accepted.
Examiners award marks where it is clear that candidate responses have met the requirements of the mark
scheme. These requirements may vary between different components or different versions of the same
INFORMATION component, depending on the exact requirements of the question and the candidate responses seen during
● The total mark for this paper is 40. the standardisation process.
● The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].
Sometimes, our mark schemes may allow marks to be awarded to responses which contain elements that
are factually incorrect or for content not covered by the syllabus. We do this in response to the demands of a
specific question to support candidates and make sure that our assessments are fair. However, these
allowances should not be used as a guide for teaching and learning.
We cannot discuss the mark scheme with schools, and we recommend that schools read the mark scheme
together with the assessment material and the Principal Examiner Report for Teachers.
This document has 12 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.
DC (SL/CT) 358669/5 This document consists of 17 printed pages.
Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2026 [Turn over
Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2026 [Turn over
, 9084/12 Cambridge International AS & A Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2026
2 PUBLISHED
Answer one question from one section only. General marking principles
Section A: European option All examiners must apply these marking principles when marking candidate responses.
The Russian Revolution, 1894–1921 1 Examiners must award marks for each response in line with:
1 Read the sources and then answer both parts of the question. • the specific content defined in the mark scheme
• the specific skills defined in the mark scheme or in the level descriptions
Source A
• the standard of response required as exemplified by the standardisation scripts.
In the summer of 1918, I heard about the so-called struggle between the poor peasants and rich 2 Examiners must award whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).
peasants, or kulaks, about the formation of the committees of the poor (the main power in the
village), and about raids on villages by worker detachments to confiscate excess grain. 3 Examiners must award marks positively. This means that:
Peasants were being de-kulakised. Anyone who expressed discontent with Bolshevik policy was • marks are not deducted for errors or omissions
a kulak. A household that had two cows, or a pair of horses, was considered kulak. Villages that • marks are awarded for correct/valid answers as defined in the mark scheme and also for
refused to give up excess grain or expose kulaks were raided by Soviet detachments. Therefore, other valid answers which go beyond the scope of the syllabus and mark scheme
peasants had special meetings to decide who was going to be a kulak. I was astonished but referring to your team leader as appropriate
the peasants explained: ‘We were ordered to uncover kulaks, so what else can we do?’ The • the quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar are judged only when the mark scheme
village elected kulaks the way they used to elect elders. To spare the children they usually chose indicates that these features are specifically assessed in the question. However, the
childless bachelors. meaning of all responses must be unambiguous.
From the memoirs of a woman who was a Socialist Revolutionary and a student in Petrograd 4 Examiners must consistently apply the requirements of the mark scheme and any rules for
in 1917. Her family were landowners near Kursk. Her memoirs were published after she was what to do when candidates have not followed instructions correctly.
released from a prison camp in 1960.
5 Examiners must use the full range of marks defined in the mark scheme, unless limited by
the quality of the candidate responses seen.
Source B
6 Examiners must award marks according to the mark scheme and must not award marks with
We shall carry out state purchases of grain and requisition grain surpluses. This is the only grade thresholds or grade descriptions in mind.
way to remove want and hunger. Most of the workers suffer hardship because of the incorrect
distribution of grain. To distribute it properly, the peasants must deliver their quotas to the state as
assessed and without fail. This is not a matter of the workers’ government fighting the peasants,
but an issue involving the very existence of socialism, the existence of Soviet power. Today we
cannot give the peasants any goods because there is a shortage of fuel and railway traffic is
being held up.
We must start with the peasants lending the workers grain at fixed prices, not at profiteering
prices, so that the workers can revive production. Every peasant would agree to this policy if they
saw an individual worker dying from starvation before their eyes. But when millions of workers
are in question, they do not understand. They fall back on the old habit of hiding their grain to
profit from price rises.
From a speech written by Lenin and read out at the Conference on Party Work in the
Countryside, November 1919.
Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2026 9489/12/M/J/26
Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2026 Page 2 of 17
, 9084/12 Cambridge International AS & A Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2026
3 PUBLISHED
Source C Social Sciences-Specific Marking Principles
(for point-based marking)
1 Components using point-based marking:
• Point marking is often used to reward knowledge, understanding and application of skills.
We give credit where the candidate’s answer shows relevant knowledge, understanding
and application of skills in answering the question. We do not give credit where the answer
shows confusion.
From this it follows that we:
a DO credit answers which are worded differently from the mark scheme if they clearly
convey the same meaning (unless the mark scheme requires a specific term)
b DO credit alternative answers/examples which are not written in the mark scheme if they
are correct
c DO credit answers where candidates give more than one correct answer in one
prompt/numbered/scaffolded space where extended writing is required rather than list-type
answers. For example, questions that require n reasons (e.g. State two reasons …).
d DO NOT credit answers simply for using a ‘key term’ unless that is all that is required.
(Check for evidence it is understood and not used wrongly.)
e DO NOT credit answers which are obviously self-contradicting or trying to cover all
possibilities
f DO NOT give further credit for what is effectively repetition of a correct point already
credited unless the language itself is being tested. This applies equally to ‘mirror
statements’ (i.e. polluted/not polluted).
g DO NOT require spellings to be correct, unless this is part of the test. However spellings of
syllabus terms must allow for clear and unambiguous separation from other syllabus terms
with which they may be confused (e.g. corrasion/corrosion)
A White Army propaganda poster with the caption ‘How the Bolsheviks feel at home in 2 Presentation of mark scheme:
Cossack villages’, published in 1919. • Slashes (/) or the word ‘or’ separate alternative ways of making the same point.
• Semi colons (;) bullet points (•) or figures in brackets (1) separate different points.
• Content in the answer column in brackets is for examiner information/context to clarify the
Source D marking but is not required to earn the mark (except Accounting syllabuses where they
indicate negative numbers).
The proletariat can and must win over the masses – win them by satisfying their most urgent
economic needs in a revolutionary way. That is exactly how the Russian proletariat won the 3 Calculation questions:
peasantry from the Socialist Revolutionaries and won them literally a few hours after achieving • The mark scheme will show the steps in the most likely correct method(s), the mark for
state power. Only hours after the victory in Petrograd, the proletariat issued a ‘decree on land’ each step, the correct answer(s) and the mark for each answer
and in that decree entirely satisfied all the most urgent economic needs of most of the peasants. • If working/explanation is considered essential for full credit, this will be indicated in the
It confiscated land from the landowners and without compensation. question paper and in the mark scheme. In all other instances, the correct answer to a
calculation should be given full credit, even if no supporting working is shown.
To prove to the peasants that the proletarians did not want to force them, did not want to boss • Where the candidate uses a valid method which is not covered by the mark scheme,
them, but to help them and be their friends, the Bolsheviks did not put a word of their own into award equivalent marks for reaching equivalent stages.
that decree on land but copied it word for word from the peasant mandates which the Socialist • Where an answer makes use of a candidate’s own incorrect figure from previous working,
Revolutionaries had published. the ‘own figure rule’ applies: full marks will be given if a correct and complete method is
used. Further guidance will be included in the mark scheme where necessary and any
From an account by Lenin of the outcome of the Constituent Assembly elections, written in exceptions to this general principle will be noted.
December 1919. The Bolsheviks had won fewer seats than the Socialist Revolutionaries.
Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2026 9489/12/M/J/26 [Turn over
Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2026 Page 3 of 17
LAW 9084/12
HISTORY 9489/12
Paper 1 English Legal System May/June 2026
Paper 1 Document Question May/June 2026
MARK SCHEME
1 hour 15 minutes
Maximum Mark: 75
You must answer on the enclosed answer booklet.
*
You will need: Answer booklet (enclosed)
Published
INSTRUCTIONS
● Answer one question from one section only.
Section A: European option
Section B: American option This mark scheme contains the instructions and marking guidance that our examiners used to mark
candidate responses for this component.
Section C: International option
*
● Follow the instructions on the front cover of the answer booklet. If you need additional answer paper, Before they start marking, examiners complete a standardisation process. They review a range of candidate
ask the invigilator for a continuation booklet. responses and discuss the mark scheme in detail to agree which answers can and cannot be accepted.
Examiners award marks where it is clear that candidate responses have met the requirements of the mark
scheme. These requirements may vary between different components or different versions of the same
INFORMATION component, depending on the exact requirements of the question and the candidate responses seen during
● The total mark for this paper is 40. the standardisation process.
● The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].
Sometimes, our mark schemes may allow marks to be awarded to responses which contain elements that
are factually incorrect or for content not covered by the syllabus. We do this in response to the demands of a
specific question to support candidates and make sure that our assessments are fair. However, these
allowances should not be used as a guide for teaching and learning.
We cannot discuss the mark scheme with schools, and we recommend that schools read the mark scheme
together with the assessment material and the Principal Examiner Report for Teachers.
This document has 12 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.
DC (SL/CT) 358669/5 This document consists of 17 printed pages.
Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2026 [Turn over
Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2026 [Turn over
, 9084/12 Cambridge International AS & A Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2026
2 PUBLISHED
Answer one question from one section only. General marking principles
Section A: European option All examiners must apply these marking principles when marking candidate responses.
The Russian Revolution, 1894–1921 1 Examiners must award marks for each response in line with:
1 Read the sources and then answer both parts of the question. • the specific content defined in the mark scheme
• the specific skills defined in the mark scheme or in the level descriptions
Source A
• the standard of response required as exemplified by the standardisation scripts.
In the summer of 1918, I heard about the so-called struggle between the poor peasants and rich 2 Examiners must award whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).
peasants, or kulaks, about the formation of the committees of the poor (the main power in the
village), and about raids on villages by worker detachments to confiscate excess grain. 3 Examiners must award marks positively. This means that:
Peasants were being de-kulakised. Anyone who expressed discontent with Bolshevik policy was • marks are not deducted for errors or omissions
a kulak. A household that had two cows, or a pair of horses, was considered kulak. Villages that • marks are awarded for correct/valid answers as defined in the mark scheme and also for
refused to give up excess grain or expose kulaks were raided by Soviet detachments. Therefore, other valid answers which go beyond the scope of the syllabus and mark scheme
peasants had special meetings to decide who was going to be a kulak. I was astonished but referring to your team leader as appropriate
the peasants explained: ‘We were ordered to uncover kulaks, so what else can we do?’ The • the quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar are judged only when the mark scheme
village elected kulaks the way they used to elect elders. To spare the children they usually chose indicates that these features are specifically assessed in the question. However, the
childless bachelors. meaning of all responses must be unambiguous.
From the memoirs of a woman who was a Socialist Revolutionary and a student in Petrograd 4 Examiners must consistently apply the requirements of the mark scheme and any rules for
in 1917. Her family were landowners near Kursk. Her memoirs were published after she was what to do when candidates have not followed instructions correctly.
released from a prison camp in 1960.
5 Examiners must use the full range of marks defined in the mark scheme, unless limited by
the quality of the candidate responses seen.
Source B
6 Examiners must award marks according to the mark scheme and must not award marks with
We shall carry out state purchases of grain and requisition grain surpluses. This is the only grade thresholds or grade descriptions in mind.
way to remove want and hunger. Most of the workers suffer hardship because of the incorrect
distribution of grain. To distribute it properly, the peasants must deliver their quotas to the state as
assessed and without fail. This is not a matter of the workers’ government fighting the peasants,
but an issue involving the very existence of socialism, the existence of Soviet power. Today we
cannot give the peasants any goods because there is a shortage of fuel and railway traffic is
being held up.
We must start with the peasants lending the workers grain at fixed prices, not at profiteering
prices, so that the workers can revive production. Every peasant would agree to this policy if they
saw an individual worker dying from starvation before their eyes. But when millions of workers
are in question, they do not understand. They fall back on the old habit of hiding their grain to
profit from price rises.
From a speech written by Lenin and read out at the Conference on Party Work in the
Countryside, November 1919.
Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2026 9489/12/M/J/26
Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2026 Page 2 of 17
, 9084/12 Cambridge International AS & A Level – Mark Scheme May/June 2026
3 PUBLISHED
Source C Social Sciences-Specific Marking Principles
(for point-based marking)
1 Components using point-based marking:
• Point marking is often used to reward knowledge, understanding and application of skills.
We give credit where the candidate’s answer shows relevant knowledge, understanding
and application of skills in answering the question. We do not give credit where the answer
shows confusion.
From this it follows that we:
a DO credit answers which are worded differently from the mark scheme if they clearly
convey the same meaning (unless the mark scheme requires a specific term)
b DO credit alternative answers/examples which are not written in the mark scheme if they
are correct
c DO credit answers where candidates give more than one correct answer in one
prompt/numbered/scaffolded space where extended writing is required rather than list-type
answers. For example, questions that require n reasons (e.g. State two reasons …).
d DO NOT credit answers simply for using a ‘key term’ unless that is all that is required.
(Check for evidence it is understood and not used wrongly.)
e DO NOT credit answers which are obviously self-contradicting or trying to cover all
possibilities
f DO NOT give further credit for what is effectively repetition of a correct point already
credited unless the language itself is being tested. This applies equally to ‘mirror
statements’ (i.e. polluted/not polluted).
g DO NOT require spellings to be correct, unless this is part of the test. However spellings of
syllabus terms must allow for clear and unambiguous separation from other syllabus terms
with which they may be confused (e.g. corrasion/corrosion)
A White Army propaganda poster with the caption ‘How the Bolsheviks feel at home in 2 Presentation of mark scheme:
Cossack villages’, published in 1919. • Slashes (/) or the word ‘or’ separate alternative ways of making the same point.
• Semi colons (;) bullet points (•) or figures in brackets (1) separate different points.
• Content in the answer column in brackets is for examiner information/context to clarify the
Source D marking but is not required to earn the mark (except Accounting syllabuses where they
indicate negative numbers).
The proletariat can and must win over the masses – win them by satisfying their most urgent
economic needs in a revolutionary way. That is exactly how the Russian proletariat won the 3 Calculation questions:
peasantry from the Socialist Revolutionaries and won them literally a few hours after achieving • The mark scheme will show the steps in the most likely correct method(s), the mark for
state power. Only hours after the victory in Petrograd, the proletariat issued a ‘decree on land’ each step, the correct answer(s) and the mark for each answer
and in that decree entirely satisfied all the most urgent economic needs of most of the peasants. • If working/explanation is considered essential for full credit, this will be indicated in the
It confiscated land from the landowners and without compensation. question paper and in the mark scheme. In all other instances, the correct answer to a
calculation should be given full credit, even if no supporting working is shown.
To prove to the peasants that the proletarians did not want to force them, did not want to boss • Where the candidate uses a valid method which is not covered by the mark scheme,
them, but to help them and be their friends, the Bolsheviks did not put a word of their own into award equivalent marks for reaching equivalent stages.
that decree on land but copied it word for word from the peasant mandates which the Socialist • Where an answer makes use of a candidate’s own incorrect figure from previous working,
Revolutionaries had published. the ‘own figure rule’ applies: full marks will be given if a correct and complete method is
used. Further guidance will be included in the mark scheme where necessary and any
From an account by Lenin of the outcome of the Constituent Assembly elections, written in exceptions to this general principle will be noted.
December 1919. The Bolsheviks had won fewer seats than the Socialist Revolutionaries.
Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2026 9489/12/M/J/26 [Turn over
Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2026 Page 3 of 17
