Checked 25 October 2026. The format, the learning-outcome weightings and the edition dates were read on the CII’s IF1 unit page, syllabus and examination guide on 25 October 2026. This syllabus applies to exams from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026; check the unit page before relying on a figure.
The CII IF1 exam is 100 multiple-choice questions in two hours, each with four options and only one correct response. IF1, Insurance, legal and regulatory, is a Level 3 unit worth 15 CII credits which, in the CII’s words, “counts towards achieving a Certificate in Insurance” and “may also count towards the Diploma in Insurance and the Advanced Diploma in Insurance.” The syllabus now in force is examined from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026. This page sets out how the questions work, how many questions the syllabus gives each of its fourteen learning outcomes as a guide, the pass mark and how the CII adjusts marks, and the official practice material. ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not affiliated with the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), and nothing here is official. Every format fact below is quoted or summarised from the CII’s own pages and documents, read on 25 October 2026.
CII IF1 unit page, syllabus and examination guide for exams from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026, read 25 October 2026.
How each question works
The examination guide says: “A multiple choice question consists of a problem followed by four options, labelled A, B, C and D, from which the candidate is asked to choose the correct response. Each question will contain only one correct response to the problem posed.” One mark is awarded for each correct response, and “No marks are deducted for candidates choosing an incorrect response.” A question answered with more than one response, or left blank, gains no mark.
The guide also says no question involves complex calculations, but you may use a silent, battery or solar-powered non-programmable calculator, including a financial or scientific one that meets those rules, and you may make rough notes. IF1 has no multiple response questions: every question has one correct option.
The syllabus: fourteen learning outcomes
The syllabus gives a number of questions for each learning outcome. It calls this a guide: the test specification “has an in-built element of flexibility”, is “not a statement of actual number of questions that will appear in every exam”, and the number testing each outcome “will generally be within the range plus or minus 2 of the number indicated.” Learning outcome 11, the main regulatory and legal requirements, is given the most, 15 of the 100 questions, followed by outcome 4, the structure of the insurance market, with 14.
| Learning outcome | Questions (2026 syllabus) | What it covers (our summary) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Understand the nature and main features of risk within the insurance environment | 9 | Risk and uncertainty, risk management, categories of risk, what can and cannot be insured, peril and hazard, frequency and severity. |
| 2. Know how to apply the main features of risk and risk management to a given set of circumstances | 2 | Applying risk, physical and moral hazard and risk management to home, motor, commercial and pet insurance scenarios. |
| 3. Understand the main features of insurance | 8 | Risk transfer and pooling, the benefits of insurance, co-insurance, excesses and franchises, dual and self-insurance, the classes of insurance, Insurance Premium Tax. |
| 4. Know the structure and main features of the insurance market | 14 | Buyers, insurers, intermediaries, aggregators and reinsurers; types of insurer; Lloyd’s and the London Market; distribution; reinsurance; insurance professionals and trade bodies. |
| 5. Understand contract and agency | 9 | The elements of a valid contract, acceptance, consideration, ending a contract, how agency arises, the duties of agent and principal, authority, Terms of Business Agreements. |
| 6. Understand the principle of insurable interest | 5 | What insurable interest is, when it must exist, how it arises (common law, contract, statute), joint owners, agents and bailees. |
| 7. Understand the principle of good faith | 11 | Good faith, the duty of fair presentation, material circumstances, physical and moral hazard, what need not be disclosed, and the remedies for a breach. |
| 8. Understand the doctrine of proximate cause and its application to non-complex claims | 2 | What proximate cause means and how it applies to simple claims. |
| 9. Understand the principle of indemnity and how this is applied to contracts of insurance | 7 | Indemnity, the settlement options, indemnity and benefit policies, agreed value, first loss and new for old cover, underinsurance and average. |
| 10. Understand the principles of contribution and subrogation | 4 | When contribution applies and how it is calculated; subrogation, why it may not be pursued, and when it does not apply. |
| 11. Understand the main regulatory and legal requirements applicable to the transaction of insurance business | 15 | Compulsory insurance, the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999, the PRA and FCA, the Consumer Duty, enforcement, reporting, records and competence, ICOBS, solvency. |
| 12. Understand consumer protection and dispute resolution | 6 | Data protection law, and the money laundering legislation as it applies to insurers and intermediaries. |
| 13. Know the main methods of preventing, handling and resolving consumer complaints | 4 | The FCA’s complaints rules (DISP), the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. |
| 14. Understand the CII Code of Ethics and be able to apply the principles to non-complex scenarios | 4 | The five main principles in the CII Code of Ethics and applying them to non-complex scenarios. |
Learning outcomes and question numbers from the IF1 syllabus examined from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026; the summaries are ours, from the CII’s supporting information for the 2026 syllabus. Read the syllabus and supporting information themselves for the full list.
From the IF1 syllabus for exams from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026. The syllabus calls these numbers a guide: each will generally be within plus or minus 2 in any one exam.
The learning outcomes begin with “know” or “understand”. The examination guide explains that a know outcome tests recall of facts (“What”, “When” or “Who”), while an understand outcome can also test whether you can link pieces of information in cause-and-effect relationships (“Why”).
What is the IF1 pass mark?
The CII’s IF1 unit page states: “The standard pass mark is 70%”, and “The 2025 pass rate for this unit was 79.65%”. The CII’s results information page lists 70% for “Certificate and Award multiple choice examination units”. The standard is not a fixed raw mark on every paper. The CII’s guide “Understanding your exam result” explains that it uses information about how difficult each exam version is and, “where necessary, automatically adjust the marks that every candidate receives on that exam version to compensate them for the degree of difficulty encountered”. The examination guide adds that “A pre-defined quota of passes to be awarded does not exist. If all candidates achieve a score of at least the pass mark, then all candidates will be awarded a pass grade.”
So the standard pass mark is 70%, but the raw mark needed on a given exam version can be a little higher or lower. The examination guide says your feedback shows the result and, for each syllabus learning outcome, the percentage of questions you answered correctly; the CII’s results page adds that these percentages cannot be averaged to give your score, because learning outcomes are weighted according to the test specification.
Which edition you sit
The 2026 IF1 syllabus is examined from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026, and candidates “will be examined on the basis of English law and practice unless otherwise stated”. The CII’s assessment information page says study for general insurance units is based on an enrolment period from 1 January to 31 December, and that multiple-choice exams “are available daily (subject to availability) at UK and non-UK online exam centres or via remote invigilation”. The unit page’s testing position adds the general rule that “legislative and industry changes will not be examined earlier than 3 months after they come into effect”.
| Change named on the CII’s IF1 unit page | In effect from | Examined from |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Ombudsman Service award limits | 1 April 2026 | 1 July 2026 |
From the “Qualification update” on the CII’s IF1 unit page, read 25 October 2026. On the same day the unit page listed two study text editions, the 2026 edition for exams sat from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 and a 2027 edition for exams sat from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027, but linked only 2026 syllabus documents: the syllabus, its supporting information and the examination guide.
How the exam is taken
You can sit IF1 at an exam centre or by remote invigilation. The examination guide points you to the CII’s familiarisation test for the exam layout, and says that once you have booked a remote-invigilation exam you can launch a tutorial from your MyCII/MyPFS dashboard, which “can only be accessed three times”. It also asks remote candidates to check that the equipment they plan to use is suitable.
Official practice from the CII
| Resource | What it holds | Where |
|---|---|---|
| IF1 examination guide | The syllabus, examination information and a specimen examination with its answer key and the learning outcome each question covers | On the IF1 unit page |
| Enrolment plus | The study text and revision aids (Key Facts Booklet, Knowledge Checker, E-learn) for 12 months, plus an exam voucher valid for 18 months | Bought from the CII |
| Revision Extra | A digital course with video support, self-test quizzes and mind maps; not part of Enrolment plus | Bought separately from the CII |
From the CII’s IF1 unit page and examination guide, read 25 October 2026. No unit prices were shown on the unit page we read.
For questions in the same format, our IF1 practice questions page works through three questions from the ProSyllabus CII IF1 practice test, an independent test of two full 100-question exams. Dates, credits and booking are covered in our IF1 alerts and updates page.
What we could not find
| Question | What we found |
|---|---|
| A 2027 IF1 syllabus | On 25 October 2026 the unit page listed a 2027 study text edition but linked only the 2026 syllabus, so we do not describe any 2027 changes. |
| How far marks are adjusted on a given exam version | The pages we read describe the method only, not the adjustment for any real exam version. |
| Past IF1 papers | None on the pages we read; the examination guide contains a specimen examination. |
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in the CII IF1 exam?
100 multiple-choice questions in two hours. Each has four options, A to D, and only one correct response.
What is the IF1 pass mark?
The CII’s IF1 unit page states that the standard pass mark is 70%. Where necessary the CII adjusts marks for the difficulty of each exam version. The page gives the 2025 pass rate as 79.65%.
Is there negative marking in IF1?
No. The examination guide says no marks are deducted for choosing an incorrect response.
Which learning outcome has the most questions?
Learning outcome 11, the main regulatory and legal requirements applicable to the transaction of insurance business, which the 2026 syllabus gives 15 of the 100 questions as its guide.
Which syllabus applies to my exam?
For exams sat from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026, the 2026 IF1 syllabus. For a 2027 sitting, check the unit page: on 25 October 2026 it listed a 2027 study text edition for exams from 1 January 2027 but had not yet linked a 2027 syllabus.
Can I use a calculator in IF1?
Yes. The examination guide says no question involves complex calculations, but a silent, battery or solar-powered non-programmable calculator is allowed, including a financial or scientific calculator that meets those rules.
Can I take IF1 by remote invigilation?
Yes. The CII says multiple-choice exams are available daily, subject to availability, at UK and non-UK online exam centres or via remote invigilation.
More in this series
Sources
- official — CII: Insurance, Legal and Regulatory (IF1), unit page with the testing position (read 25 Oct 2026)
- official — CII: IF1 Insurance, legal and regulatory, examination syllabus, examined from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 (published October 2025)
- official — CII: IF1 supporting information for the 2026 syllabus (assessment criteria and indicative content per learning outcome)
- official — CII: IF1 examination guide for exams from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 (published October 2025), with a specimen examination
- official — CII: Understanding your exam result (how marks are moderated)
- official — CII: Results information (pass marks and the feedback MyCII shows)
- official — CII: Assessment information (enrolment periods and when multiple-choice exams can be sat)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
