IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences Tutoring for Students in the UAE
The double award: two identical IGCSE grades covering all three sciences, with more depth than Combined and less than three separates. It is the most common science route in UAE international schools, and the one most often chosen without comparing the two boards’ very different papers.
- 2 awarding bodies, each examined differently — both set out below
- 12 syllabus areas mapped to your school’s scheme of work
- Taught by a specialist in this subject, not a generalist
- 90-minute online lessons, scheduled in UAE time
How Co-ordinated Sciences is assessed, board by board
2 awarding bodies examine Co-ordinated Sciences and they do not do it the same way. Find yours below — each block names the syllabus it came from and the date it was checked. If you do not know which board your school entered you for, the specification code is on the front of the syllabus and on every past paper.
Cambridge International
Cambridge IGCSE Sciences — Co-ordinated (Double) (0654)
| Component | Weight | Length | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (Core) or Paper 2 (Extended): Multiple Choice | 30% | 45 min · 40 marks | multiple choice — Forty four-choice items |
| Paper 3 (Core) or Paper 4 (Extended): Theory | 50% | 2 hours · 120 marks | short answer and structured questions |
| Paper 5: Practical Test | 20% | 2 hours · 60 marks | practical work — Experiments done in a laboratory. Schools enter for this or for Paper 6 |
| Paper 6: Alternative to Practical | 20% | 1 hour 30 min · 60 marks | practical work and data response — A written paper about experiments, for schools that enter for it instead of Paper 5 |
- Cambridge tiers this subject. Core candidates sit the Core papers and can be awarded grades C to G; Extended candidates sit the Extended papers and can be awarded A* to G. A student entered for Core cannot be given a grade above a C whatever they write, so if a sixth form is asking for a B in Co-ordinated Sciences, the entry tier is the first thing to check — and schools will usually still move a student between tiers if the work supports it.
- This is a double award: it is worth two IGCSE grades, both the same. The theory paper is two hours and 120 marks rather than 80, which is the practical difference students feel — biology, chemistry and physics all appear in the same paper and the switching costs time.
Read from the published syllabus and checked on 2026-09-22.
Pearson Edexcel
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Science (Double Award) (4SD0)
| Component | Weight | Length | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1B: Biology | 33.3% | 2 hours · 110 marks | multiple choice, short answer and extended response |
| Paper 1C: Chemistry | 33.3% | 2 hours · 110 marks | multiple choice, short answer, extended response and calculations |
| Paper 1P: Physics | 33.3% | 2 hours · 110 marks | multiple choice, short answer, extended response and calculations |
- Pearson does not tier this subject: every candidate sits the same papers and every grade is reachable from them. That removes the entry-tier decision entirely, which is one of the practical differences between the two boards.
- Three two-hour papers, one per science, all sat in the same series. Six hours of examination for a double award — more examined time than Cambridge asks for, in exchange for never mixing the three subjects in one paper.
Read from the published syllabus and checked on 2026-09-22.
Weightings are the awarding body’s own published figures. Where a board tiers the entry, the same weighting applies to both tiers — what changes is the grade range available.
What students usually need help with
Not a list of topics — a list of the specific things that cost marks in Co-ordinated Sciences regardless of how well the content is known.
A 120-mark theory paper
On Cambridge the theory paper runs to two hours and 120 marks with all three sciences inside it. Stamina and pacing are genuinely part of the preparation.
Three answer styles
Definitions for biology, observations for chemistry, working for physics — assessed in the same paper, often on consecutive pages.
Tier of entry
Cambridge caps Core candidates at grade C. For a student aiming at A Level sciences, Extended is usually the only entry that keeps the door open.
Board difference
Pearson sets three separate two-hour papers instead — six hours of examination, but never two sciences in the same question.
What the syllabus covers
The content both boards cover, grouped by area. Unit names and their order differ by specification — this shows the shape of the course; your own syllabus shows what is examinable.
Biology content
Cells, enzymes and biological molecules · Plant and human nutrition, transport and respiration · Coordination, homeostasis, reproduction and inheritance · Ecology, biotechnology and human impact
Chemistry content
Atomic structure, bonding and the periodic table · Stoichiometry, the mole and reacting masses · Rates, equilibrium, energetics and electrolysis · Organic chemistry, polymers and industrial processes
Physics content
Forces, motion, energy, work and power · Thermal physics, waves, light and sound · Electricity, circuits, magnetism and induction · Radioactivity, half-life and the universe
Where marks are actually lost
Cambridge’s two-hour, 120-mark theory paper is where this qualification is won or lost, and the reason is pacing rather than content. Students who have only ever sat 45-minute school tests meet a paper that asks them to stay accurate through the final third, and accuracy is exactly what drops there. Sitting full papers under time, early and repeatedly, is worth more in this subject than in any single science.
The board difference is worth taking seriously when a family is choosing a school or a student is transferring. Pearson’s three separate papers suit a student who compartmentalises well and struggles with switching; Cambridge’s single integrated paper suits one who reads across the sciences comfortably but tires over six hours of examination. Neither is easier. They fail different students, which is a more useful thing to know than a difficulty ranking.
Send the specification code
Two students can both be "doing IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences" and sit different papers, at different lengths, with a different grade ceiling. The specification code — 0610, 4BI1 and so on — is on the front of your syllabus and on every past paper, and it is the first thing we ask for. With it we can put you with a tutor who has taught that paper; without it, the subject match can be right and the exam preparation wrong.
Frequently asked questions
The questions UAE students and parents ask us most often about this program.
Related programs
Other preparation tracks students often combine with this one.
IGCSE Tutoring
Subject tutoring for Year 10 and Year 11 students working towards IGCSE or GCSE. Lessons follow your school’s board and specification, with past papers from the start rather than at the end.
IGCSE Pricing
IGCSE tutoring is priced per subject. Starting in Year 10 rather than Year 11 is the single biggest thing a family can do to reduce what it spends.
How it works
Every student starts with a free consultation and ends with a plan that has a date on it. What happens in between depends on which exam you are sitting.
Tell us where Co-ordinated Sciences is going wrong
Send a recent piece of marked work or a past paper with the marks on it, and tell us the specification code. That shows us more in five minutes than a description of the problem does in an hour.