Cambridge science at IGCSE comes in three shapes. You can study Biology 0610, Chemistry 0620 and Physics 0625 as separate subjects, Combined Science 0653 as a single-award course, or Co-ordinated Sciences 0654 as the double-award route. All of them draw on the same three disciplines, but they are not interchangeable.
How do the routes relate?
The separate sciences give each discipline its own syllabus and its own exam grade. Combined Science 0653 brings biology, chemistry and physics into one course, so a student covers the three disciplines together in one qualification. Co-ordinated Sciences 0654 is also an integrated course, but it is the double-award version, with its own scope and its own integrated assessment.
Because the integrated courses and the separate subjects cover overlapping ideas, such as cells, atoms and forces, a skill learned in one route helps in another. Scope, depth and exam style still differ, so revise from the syllabus for your code.
How do I work out which route I am on?
- Ask your school which science codes you are entered for and for which exam year.
- Look at your timetable: one combined science lesson pattern or three separate subject teachers points to an answer, but check with the school to be sure.
- Open the Cambridge page for that code and read the syllabus overview.
If you are still choosing, think about what you want to study after IGCSE and ask the institutions you are considering what they require. The school’s offer also limits the options.
What about practical work?
Practical and assessed work must be your own and is supervised by your school or exam centre. Tuition can explain the ideas behind experiments and how to handle data, but it does not replace the supervised part.
Where do I go next?
- Combined Science guide and Co-ordinated Sciences guide
- Biology, Chemistry and Physics learning guides
- Combined Science tuition if you would like one-to-one help
Choosing subjects for support helps if you are deciding which science needs attention first.