What you need to know before starting Level 6

Level 6 is designed to build on the knowledge you’ve developed at Levels 4 and 5. You’re dealing with more strategic decisions now: the bigger picture, the impact on an organisation and what you would actually recommend in practice.

Make sure you’re using the updated Level 6 core-module syllabus. CIPS introduced revised core content and the new L6M11 elective for exams from March 2026. If you’ve bought older materials, double-check them against the current syllabus before you start studying.

Official references: CIPS Level 6 qualification overview, CIPS syllabus update, and CIPS Level 6 study resources.

What’s different between Level 5 and Level 6?

Objective Response (OR): watch out for ‘select all that apply’

If you’re coming from Level 5, here’s the OR change I’d want somebody to warn me about. You’re used to questions that tell you how many answers to select. At Level 6, you may be asked to ‘select all that apply’ instead.

That sounds like a tiny wording change. It isn’t. If a question says ‘select two answers’, at least you know when to stop. With ‘select all that apply’, you have to judge every option independently. Is it one correct answer? Three? All of them? And that makes it feel so much harder.

There’s a mathematical reason the fixed-number version can feel more manageable: knowing how many answers are correct gives you an extra constraint. Remove that clue and you have more uncertainty. That doesn’t mean every Level 6 question is automatically harder, or that there’s a published CIPS statistic proving a particular difficulty gap. It’s a practical warning from me about how different the decision-making feels.

You’ll also come across a scenario-based question with 5 questions totalling five marks. Don’t let the bigger mark value panic you. Read the scenario properly, identify what it’s really asking and use the information you’ve been given. The answers are usually buried in the scenario, just waiting to be found. Personally, I find this bit less alarming than the ‘select all that apply’ questions.

Constructed Response (CR): more familiar territory

The good news is that the CR exams are pretty much the same format as Level 5. You still need to write structured, reasoned answers and show that you understand the syllabus. The content becomes more strategic, but you’re not suddenly learning an entirely new way of sitting an essay exam.

What I would focus on is applying your knowledge: explain the theory, connect it to the question, use a relevant example and say why it matters. Where the question calls for it, weigh up the advantages, disadvantages and practical limitations instead of producing a long list of everything you remember.

If you’ve not read it yet, my article on showing the CIPS examiner what you know goes into this in more detail.

L6M4 is a different beast altogether

Compulsory modules and electives: what do you actually need?

At Level 6, you study four compulsory modules and choose three electives from six. So there are seven exams to pass in total, rather than the eight you had at Level 5.

The four compulsory modules

• L6M1 — Strategic Ethical Leadership (CR)
• L6M2 — Global Commercial Strategy (CR)
• L6M3 — Global Strategic Supply Chain Management (CR)
• L6M4 — Future Strategic Challenges for the Profession (CR)

Choose three of these six electives (all OR)

• L6M5 — Strategic Programme Leadership
• L6M7 — Commercial Data Management
• L6M8 — Innovation in Procurement and Supply
• L6M9 — Supply Network Design
• L6M10 — Global Logistics Strategy
• L6M11 — Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Principles (introduced for March 2026 exams onwards)

Choose modules that interest you or connect to the work you do — there’s no prize for picking an elective you hate just because someone told you it was ‘easy’. For the most up-to-date module and syllabus descriptions, use the official CIPS qualification page.

Which Level 6 modules would I do first?

After that, I’d plan around your own strengths. You might want to alternate an OR elective with a CR core module, or keep a run of essay exams together while your answer-writing technique is in good shape. CIPS recommend leaving L6M4 till last, but there’s nothing stopping you doing it earlier if you’d like a change of scenary.

A few revision habits that make a difference

• Stop just rereading. Test your knowledge after a topic, and work out which bits you can actually explain without peeking.
• Explain it out loud. The cat, dog, partner, child or nearest houseplant will do. If you can’t explain a concept simply, there may still be a gap in your understanding.
• For CR, practise applying theories. A relevant example and a clear explanation of why it matters usually show more understanding than a list of definitions.
• For OR, justify your selections. Particularly with ‘select all that apply’, train yourself to consider each answer carefully.
• Give L6M4 its own plan. Researching a live theme isn’t the same as revising a normal module.

You may also find these articles helpful: How to Revise for CIPS Exams When You Don’t Have Enough Time and How to Improve Your CIPS CR Exam Answers.

My Level 6 Udemy courses and practice questions

If you fancy some extra practice alongside the CIPS materials, I’ve put my courses below so you can find the one that matches the module you’re studying. They’re optional extras, not a replacement for the syllabus, textbooks or wider reading.

That’s Level 6. You’ve already got a huge amount of knowledge behind you from Levels 4 and 5. Build on it, choose electives that make sense for you, and don’t underestimate the extra thinking involved in those OR questions. And please, for the love of all things procurement, don’t leave your L6M4 research until the night before the exam.

Written by Elizabeth Evans MCIPS. Study Procurement is an independent learning resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by CIPS.