9694 Past Paper AS & A LEVEL Thinking Skills Examiner Report 2023

The 9694 AS & A Level Thinking Skills Examiner Report 2023 is an official Cambridge assessment resource produced by the Principal Examiner after reviewing candidate performance in the June 2023 examination series. It is designed to help students, teachers, tutors, and schools understand how candidates performed and how examination responses can be improved.

The report covers the Thinking Skills 9694 examination and provides examiner commentary on the quality of candidate responses, highlighting successful approaches as well as areas where candidates commonly lost marks.

Key Examiner Feedback

The 2023 report emphasises the importance of showing working rather than giving only final answers. Many questions allow partial credit for correct intermediate steps even when the final answer is incorrect. Clear and tidy presentation also makes it easier for examiners to follow a candidate’s reasoning and award available marks.

For numerical questions, the report particularly recommends that when an explanation is requested, candidates should make the numbers provided in the question central to their explanation, rather than giving a general statement.

Skills Assessed

The examiner report relates to the key skills developed through the qualification, including:

• Problem solving
• Critical thinking
• Logical reasoning
• Analysis
• Evaluation of evidence
• Decision making
• Constructing reasoned arguments

These skills are central to the Cambridge Thinking Skills qualification and are designed to help students tackle unfamiliar problems and make evidence-based decisions.

Examination Components

The 2023 examination series included:

• Paper 1 – Problem Solving
• Paper 2 – Critical Thinking
• Paper 3 – Problem Analysis and Solution
• Paper 4 – Applied Reasoning

The May/June 2023 series included multiple paper variants, with an examiner report covering candidate performance across the examination.

How Students Can Use the Report

Students can use the 9694 Examiner Report 2023 to:

• Understand common examination mistakes.
• Learn what examiners expect from high-quality answers.
• Improve presentation and reasoning.
• Understand how partial marks can be earned.
• Improve problem-solving technique.
• Identify weaknesses after completing past papers.
• Prepare more effectively for future examinations.

Teachers and tutors can use the report to identify common misconceptions, improve classroom instruction, and design revision activities based on actual candidate performance.

For the best preparation, students should study the 9694 AS & A Level Thinking Skills Examiner Report 2023 alongside the corresponding Question Papers, Mark Schemes, and Grade Thresholds. The 2023 May/June resources include 12 question papers, 12 mark schemes, one examiner report, and one grade-threshold document.