Quick answer
Your CDP score is driven by disclosure completeness, awareness, management and leadership points. This page explains where points are usually lost and how to review answers before you submit.
Who this is for: Sustainability and ESG teams with a CDP submission in progress who want to raise the score before the deadline.
Analyze your CDP scores →Many companies put more effort into the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) every year and still see their scores stay flat or decline. The issue usually lies in how responses are evaluated.
CDP scoring follows a defined methodology. Responses are assessed across 13 modules and four tiers: Disclosure, Awareness, Management, and Leadership. Progression is sequential, and higher-tier points are awarded only when lower-tier requirements are fully met.
This means that when responses don't align closely with the scoring framework, points are not awarded even when sustainability practices are well established. In many cases, this only becomes visible after submission, when changes are no longer possible.
The scoring rules are public and detailed, but applying them consistently requires familiarity with the methodology, particularly when multiple teams contribute to the response. This challenge has increased as CDP's methodology has evolved in recent years.
If you want a clearer picture of how recent CDP changes affect scoring, we've broken this down in this article.
What teams often need at this stage is a way to see how their responses will be evaluated before submission, while there is still time to adjust.
What the beSirius CDP scoring analysis tool covers and how it works
To address this, beSirius has developed a CDP assessment that evaluates existing responses against the official scoring methodology.
Responses can be uploaded into the system before submission and reviewed ahead of the CDP deadline. This allows teams to identify gaps, understand how their answers are evaluated, and make targeted improvements before submitting, rather than reacting to results after scores are published.
The assessment assumes responses are accurate and focuses on framework compliance: structure, completeness, and alignment with CDP's tier requirements. It does not evaluate evidence quality or draft answers.
The assessment is organised around four core views:
A heat map shows performance across all modules and tiers
Making it easy to see where responses currently sit within the scoring structure.
Each module can then be reviewed in detail
Showing which tier requirements are met and which remain incomplete.
A scoring deep dive shows where points are gained or lost
Based on specific criteria from the methodology.
At the question level, the assessment highlights gaps
And provides clear guidance on what would be required to improve alignment with CDP scoring rules.
Together, these views support informed adjustments to responses before submission. The assessment evaluates existing responses and provides targeted, methodology-based guidance on how answers could be adjusted to meet specific scoring criteria.
See the CDP scoring analysis on your submission
Run the analysis on your 2025 responses and get a prioritised roadmap before you submit for 2026.
For additional practical guidance, the CDP Success Toolkit 2025 outlines how to plan and structure CDP submissions.
