Cambridge International AS & A Level Digital Media & Design 9481 - Guidance Notes - for 2029, 2030 and 2031

Oct 23, 2026

Guidance notes for Cambridge International AS & A Level Digital Media & Design (9481) explain administrative responsibilities for exam officers and supervisors managing the externally set assignment and examined coursework. The guidance covers exam series (June and November), download and distribution of early question papers, and scheduling within defined date windows. It sets clear component requirements, including supporting studies limits, portfolio and externally set assignment structures, and personal investigation written commentary word range.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Guidance Notes

Exams for 2029, 2030 and 2031

Submission deadlines (June and November)

Submission requirements and components

Accessing and distributing early question papers

Scheduling the externally set assignment

Preparing for the externally set assignment

Guidance Notes Cambridge International AS & A Level Digital Media & Design 9481 Use these guidance notes for exams in 2029, 2030 and 2031. Exams are available in the June and November series. Version 1 For the purposes of screen readers, any mention in this document of Cambridge IGCSE refers to Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment September 2026 Cambridge International Education is the name of our awarding body and a part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, which is a department of the University of Cambridge. Cambridge University Press & Assessment retains the copyright on all its publications. Registered centres are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use. However, we cannot give permission to centres to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within a centre. Cambridge International AS & A Level Digital Media & Design 9481 guidance notes for 2029, 2030 and 2031. This syllabus is not available to private candidates. These instructions are for exams officers or supervisors responsible for the administration of Cambridge Digital Media & Design Externally Set Assignment (component 2) . They also provide information relating to examined coursework, including dates for submission for Cambridge Digital Media & Design (component 1 and component 3) . This document should be read in conjunction with the syllabus and information published on the [samples database](samples database www.cambridgeinternational.org/samples)[ www.cambridgeinternational.org/samples](samples database www.cambridgeinternational.org/samples) When do we submit the work to Cambridge? | Paper | June submission deadline | November submission deadline | | --- | --- | --- | | 9481/1 | 30 April | 31 October | | 9481/2 | Test to be taken between 1 January–30 April.
Work should be submitted as soon as
possible after the test and no later than 5 May. | Test to be taken between 1 July–31 October.
Work should be submitted as soon as possible after the test and no later than
5 November. | | 9481/3 | 30 April | 31 October | What are the submission requirements for the supporting studies and final outcomes? All work must be submitted to Cambridge digitally via Submit for Assessment. You must ensure that you are submitting work for the correct component and for the correct candidate. Errors with submissions can mean that we are not able to mark the work until it has been re-submitted. Check the Administrative guide: Using Submit for Assessment [www.cambridgeinternational.org/exam-administration/cambridge-exams-officers-guide/](www.cambridgeinternational.org/exam-administration/cambridge-exams-officers-guide/)[ ](www.cambridgeinternational.org/exam-administration/cambridge-exams-officers-guide/)[Moving image work should be no more than 5 minutes](Moving image work should be no more than 5 minutes)’ duration and can be shorter. Component 1: Portfolio • Supporting studies: up to ten screens/slides • A proposal (e.g. pitch, proposal, presentation) . Component 2: Externally set assignment • Supporting studies: up to ten screens/slides • Final outcome: produced during a supervised test of 10 hours’ total duration. The work produced for this component must relate to one assignment from the question paper. Component 3: Personal Investigation • Final practical outcome and • Supporting studies including a written commentary of 1000–1500 words. [www.cambridgeinternational.org/alevel](www.cambridgeinternational.org/alevel) 3 Cambridge International AS & A Level Digital Media & Design 9481 guidance notes for 2029, 2030 and 2031. Component 2: Externally Set Assignment Important It is your responsibility to download the early question paper. You can do this in one of two ways: • School Support Hub (SSH) [https://schoolsupporthub.cambridge.org](https://schoolsuppo

FAQs

When are the June and November submission deadlines for papers 9481/1, 9481/2, and 9481/3?

June deadlines are 30 April for 9481/1 and 9481/3, while 9481/2 is taken between 1 January and 30 April with work submitted by 5 May. November deadlines are 31 October for 9481/1 and 9481/3, while 9481/2 is taken between 1 July and 31 October with work submitted by 5 November.

How should supporting studies and final outcomes be submitted for each component?

All work must be submitted to Cambridge digitally via Submit for Assessment. Component 1 requires supporting studies up to ten screens/slides plus a proposal. Component 2 requires supporting studies up to ten screens/slides and a final outcome produced during a supervised test of 10 hours total. Component 3 includes final practical outcome and supporting studies with a written commentary of 1000–1500 words.

What are the key requirements for administering the externally set assignment question paper?

It is the responsibility of the centre to download the early question paper and ensure the correct paper for the entered series is used. Early question papers are accessed either via School Support Hub (SSH) from the relevant syllabus page, or via Digital File Despatch (DFD) Cambridge Handbook after final entries; hard copies are not sent.

Oct 23, 2026

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