Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Tutors Online

Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry is syllabus 0620. This page works from the syllabus for exams in 2026, 2027 and 2028. Exams are available in the June and November series, and also in the March series in India.

All candidates take three components, and the first decision is which route to follow. Candidates who have studied the Core syllabus content, or who are expected to achieve a grade D or below, are entered for Paper 1, Paper 3 and either Paper 5 or Paper 6, and are eligible for grades C to G. Candidates who have studied the Extended syllabus content, which is the Core plus the Supplement, and who are expected to achieve a grade C or above, are entered for Paper 2, Paper 4 and either Paper 5 or Paper 6, and are eligible for grades A* to G.

That decision is the most consequential one in the qualification. Candidates who are only taught the Core content can achieve a maximum of grade C, so anyone aiming for A* to C has to be taught the Extended content from the start of the course rather than as revision at the end.

Paper 1 is Multiple Choice (Core) and Paper 2 is Multiple Choice (Extended). Each is 45 minutes, carries 40 marks and is worth 30% of the qualification, and each consists of 40 four-option multiple-choice questions. Paper 1 is based on the Core content only and Paper 2 is based on the Core and Supplement.

Paper 3 is Theory (Core) and Paper 4 is Theory (Extended). Each is 1 hour 15 minutes, carries 80 marks and is worth 50% of the qualification, and each is made up of compulsory short-answer and structured questions.

The practical component is one paper from a choice of two. Paper 5 is the Practical Test, lasting 1 hour 15 minutes and carrying 40 marks. Paper 6 is the Alternative to Practical, lasting 1 hour and carrying 40 marks. Each is worth 20% of the qualification. The two papers require the same experimental skills, the same experimental contexts and the same assessment objective, so the choice is about whether a centre can run the experiments rather than about difficulty. Candidates taking Paper 5 will be required to do experiments in a laboratory, and candidates taking Paper 6 will not.

Chemistry practicals are the most specific part of this syllabus, and the list of contexts candidates can be asked about is worth knowing in detail. It covers simple quantitative experiments measuring volumes of gases or solutions, masses, temperatures, times and lengths, and it also covers rates of reaction, salt preparation, and separation and purification techniques including filtration, crystallisation, simple distillation, fractional distillation and chromatography. It goes on to electrolysis, identification of metal ions, non-metal ions and gases, chemical tests for water, test-tube reactions of dilute acids including ethanoic acid, tests for oxidising and reducing agents, heating and cooling curves, and titrations.

The syllabus content runs from Topic 1 to Topic 12: States of matter, Atoms, elements and compounds, Stoichiometry, Electrochemistry, Chemical energetics, Chemical reactions, Acids, bases and salts, The Periodic Table, Metals, Chemistry of the environment, Organic chemistry, and Experimental techniques and chemical analysis.

Every topic is presented in two columns, Core and Supplement. The Core column is what all candidates are taught, and the Supplement column is the extra content that Extended candidates need. Teaching only the Core column produces a complete qualification with a grade C ceiling.

The assessment objectives are three. AO1 is knowledge with understanding, covering scientific phenomena, facts, laws, definitions, concepts and theories, scientific vocabulary and conventions including symbols and units, scientific instruments and apparatus including techniques of operation and safety, and scientific applications with their social, economic and environmental implications. AO2 is handling information and problem-solving, covering locating and organising information, translating information from one form to another, manipulating data, identifying patterns and trends, forming conclusions, presenting reasoned explanations, making predictions and solving problems including quantitative ones. AO3 is experimental skills and investigations.

The weightings are AO1 at 50 per cent, AO2 at 30 per cent and AO3 at 20 per cent of the qualification. Within the examined papers the split is different. Papers 1 and 2 are 63 per cent AO1 and 37 per cent AO2, and Papers 3 and 4 are also 63 per cent AO1 and 37 per cent AO2, with nothing on AO3 in either. The practical papers are 100 per cent AO3.

The qualification is graded A*, A, B, C, D, E, F or G, with A* the highest and G the lowest. A candidate whose performance does not meet the standard required for grade G is ungraded, which is reported on the statement of results but not on the certificate.