Before you use any science resource, read the code and exam year on it and compare them with your own code.
Combined Science is 0653 and is a single-award course. Co-ordinated Sciences is 0654 and is the double-award route. They are different qualifications.
The original mixed-practice builder works from a verified profile, so you choose your code first and practise from material that belongs to it. The steps below help you check any other resource.
Why does the code matter so much?
Both courses include biology, chemistry and physics, so their notes look alike. But the scope and the integrated assessment differ. A resource written for one may spend time on content your course does not ask for, or leave out something it does.
Separate-science books add a third risk. They are written for a single subject and can go deeper than a combined or co-ordinated course requires. A student who studies all of it is working harder than needed, and may still miss what the actual syllabus emphasises.
How do I check a resource?
- Get your exact code and exam year from your school or exam centre, such as 0653 or 0654.
- Open the Cambridge page for that code and find the syllabus for your exam year.
- Look at the resource’s cover or first page for a code, a qualification name and the years it covers.
- Sort it: same code and year (use it), different code (do not assume it fits), no code (unverified).
- For a borderline resource, check one topic at a time against the learning objectives in your syllabus.
- Keep a short list of what you have verified so you do not repeat the check.
Worked example
Mei Ling is entered for Combined Science 0653. She has three resources:
| Resource | What it says | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| A | “Cambridge IGCSE Sciences Co-ordinated (Double) 0654 revision guide” | Different code. Do not assume it fits. Use a topic only after finding it in her 0653 syllabus. |
| B | “IGCSE Chemistry 0620 notes: electrolysis” | Separate-science resource. Check whether the topic, and its depth, appear in her 0653 learning objectives. |
| C | “IGCSE Science notes” with no code | Unverified. Look for the code and year inside, or ask her teacher. |
She takes resource B and looks up the electrolysis topic in her own syllabus. Suppose the learning objectives cover only what she needs to describe and explain at a particular level. She then marks in the notes the parts that match and puts a line through what goes beyond.
Her note: “A: different code, use only after a topic check. B: use selected parts. C: find the code first.”
This took her about fifteen minutes and saved her from revising content her syllabus does not list.
What is a common mistake?
The common slip is to trust the word “IGCSE” on a cover.
Mistaken reasoning: “It says Cambridge IGCSE Science and has all three sciences, so it is for my course.”
“Science” can mean more than one qualification, and the book may be for the double award or for a different exam year.
The correction is to find a code and a year on the resource and compare both with your own.
Check yourself
1. Which code is Combined Science, the single-award course?
Show answer
- Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award) is 0654.
2. A revision book cover says “Sciences (Double Award)”. Which code is it probably for, and what should a 0653 student do?
Show answer
It is probably for 0654. A 0653 student should not assume it fits. Check each topic against the 0653 syllabus learning objectives, or ask a teacher.
3. A Physics 0625 book explains a topic your teacher has not taught. How do you decide whether to study it?
Show answer
Look for the topic in your own syllabus for your exam year. If it is listed, study it at the depth the learning objectives describe. If it is not, leave it for now, and ask your teacher if you are unsure.
What should I do next?
Choose one subject area, such as chemistry, and sort your resources for it with the method above. When you practise, do so from material that belongs to your code.
Balancing your strengths across the three sciences is covered in balancing strengths and gaps across science sections. Why a lesson for one qualification may not suit another is explained in reusing a concept lesson without assuming identical assessment.
More routes are in the students’ guide.
Some students sort this alone in an afternoon. Others find the three sciences overwhelming and want someone to set the order. For that case, see Combined Science tuition or Co-ordinated Sciences tuition.