Get your child exam-ready for IGCSE Combined Science.
Live, one-to-one online lessons with a specialist tutor, matched to your child's exact CAIE syllabus and target grade. Book a trial in minutes.
Cambridge IGCSE Combined Science: what parents should know.
Cambridge IGCSE Combined Science is a double-award qualification set by CAIE, covering Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in a single integrated course. It's one of the most widely taken science qualifications in international schools across the GCC.
Cambridge IGCSE Combined Science (0653) is a double-award course that spans all three science disciplines. It suits students who want broad science coverage without studying each as a separate full subject, and it counts as two IGCSE grades on the certificate.
Students receive two identical grades on a scale of A* to G, reflecting their overall performance across Biology, Chemistry, and Physics components. Assessment combines written examinations with a practical skills paper, so technique and application both matter alongside content knowledge.
CAIE offers Combined Science examinations in the May/June and October/November series. Most GCC school students sit the May/June series at the end of Year 11. Tutoring support is most valuable from Year 10 onwards, giving students time to build and consolidate across all three science strands.
A group class can't cover three sciences at once.
Lessons built around the weakest strand
Your tutor identifies whether Biology, Chemistry, or Physics is holding the grade back and targets those topics first, so every session moves the needle.
Real CAIE past-paper technique
Students practise timed questions from genuine CAIE Combined Science papers, with mark-scheme feedback that teaches them exactly how examiners award marks.
Parents kept in the loop
After every session, parents receive a written progress note covering what was covered, what improved, and what the next lesson will tackle.
A rigorous, internationally recognised science qualification for ages 14 to 16.
Cambridge IGCSE Combined Science (syllabus 0653) is set by Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) for students aged 14 to 16. It covers Biology, Chemistry, and Physics within one integrated qualification and awards two IGCSE grades on the final certificate.
Assessment combines written theory papers across all three science disciplines with a practical skills component. Grades run from A* to G, and the double award counts as two separate IGCSE grades for university entrance and sixth-form admissions purposes.
Every Tuitional lesson follows the exact 0653 syllabus topics your child's school uses, so nothing taught drifts from the real paper. Tutors use the current CAIE specimen and past papers, mark schemes, and examiner reports to guide exam technique throughout.
What a one-to-one Combined Science lesson actually looks like.
Every session follows a tested four-phase structure: recap, teach, apply, and review. Parents always know what happened and what comes next.
Book a trial lessonA typical 60-minute session
- 0-5 min
Recap and quick diagnostic
The tutor opens with two or three short questions from the previous lesson to check what has stuck and spot any gaps before introducing new content.
Example: A quick recall check on the differences between mitosis and meiosis from the Biology strand before moving on to new Chemistry content.
- 5-25 min
Teach the target topic
The tutor explains the new topic using annotated diagrams, worked examples, and the exact language the CAIE mark scheme rewards, keeping explanations plain and building from basics.
Example: Teaching rates of reaction (Chemistry, 0653 Section 6) with particle-collision diagrams and worked concentration calculations on the shared whiteboard.
- 25-50 min
Apply it to past-paper questions
The student attempts real CAIE Combined Science past-paper questions under timed conditions, then the tutor marks the responses against the official mark scheme and explains every lost mark.
Example: Timed Paper 2 (Multiple Choice and Structured) questions on electricity from the Physics strand, with mark-scheme review covering command-word technique.
- 50-60 min
Review, set homework, report
The tutor summarises what improved in the session, assigns targeted practice questions for the week, and logs a written session note that is sent to the parent straight after.
Example: Homework set on interpreting distance-time graphs (Physics), with a CAIE-style structured question to attempt before the next session.
After the lesson
You receive a parent report covering what was taught, how your child performed and what comes next — and homework is set in the portal with a due date before the next session.
Four simple steps to your first lesson.
Tell us the goal
Share your child's syllabus, year group, and target grade.
Get matched
We pair your child with a specialist Combined Science tutor.
Try a trial lesson
Attend a no-commitment first session and see the difference.
Start weekly sessions
Book at times that suit your family, cancel any time.
The science qualification that keeps every university pathway open.
Cambridge IGCSE Combined Science is set by CAIE and covers Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in one course. It awards two IGCSE grades and is widely accepted by international schools and universities across the GCC and beyond.
Students sit written papers and a practical skills assessment, graded A* to G. The double award carries real weight for sixth-form and A-Level entry, making it an important milestone for any student planning to continue in science or medicine.
Why families across the GCC trust Tuitional for IGCSE Combined Science.
My daughter was really struggling to keep Biology, Chemistry, and Physics all in her head at once. After just six sessions with her Tuitional tutor, she said for the first time that science actually made sense. Her mock results jumped a full grade and she went into the final exams with real confidence.
The tutor was incredibly patient and always sent a summary after each lesson. I finally knew what my son was working on and where he needed more practice. That visibility made a huge difference to us as parents.
I used to dread the Chemistry section of Combined Science. My tutor broke down every reaction step by step and made me do past-paper questions until I actually understood them. I ended up enjoying it.
We were worried about the practical skills paper because our school lab time was limited. The tutor focused specifically on that component and my son's grade improved noticeably in the mock. Flexible timings helped enormously too.
Cambridge IGCSE Combined Science tutoring — your questions, answered.
The things parents and students ask us most, in plain language.
?What is Cambridge IGCSE Combined Science and how is it different from Triple Science?+
Cambridge IGCSE Combined Science (0653) covers Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in one integrated course and awards two identical grades. Triple Science means each of the three subjects is taken as a separate IGCSE, awarding three individual grades. Combined Science is the more common route in international schools across the GCC.
?Which CAIE syllabus code does Combined Science use?+
Cambridge IGCSE Combined Science uses syllabus code 0653. All Tuitional lessons are planned against this exact code, so the content, paper structure, and command words your child practises match the real examination papers they will sit.
?How are Cambridge IGCSE Combined Science exams structured?+
Students sit written theory papers covering Biology, Chemistry, and Physics content, plus a practical skills paper or alternative assessment. The final result is two identical grades on the A* to G scale, both appearing on the IGCSE certificate. Exam series run in May/June and October/November.
?Can a tutor help with the practical skills paper too?+
Yes. Tuitional tutors cover the practical skills component directly, working through the types of experimental questions that appear on the Alternative to Practical paper. Students learn how to analyse data, identify variables, and write up results in the format CAIE mark schemes reward.
?How often should my child have Combined Science tutoring sessions?+
Once a week is the most common starting point, covering one science strand per session in rotation. Students approaching the exam series often move to two sessions per week to accelerate past-paper practice and consolidate all three disciplines. Scheduling is flexible and set around your family's timetable.
?How much does IGCSE Combined Science tutoring cost?+
IGCSE tutoring at Tuitional starts from AED 50 per hour. You can pay per session or choose a package with no lock-in and the option to cancel at any time. Full details are on our tutoring packages page.
Book a trial Combined Science lesson today.
Tell us your child's year group and syllabus. We'll match them with a specialist CAIE Combined Science tutor and have a session ready to book within one working day.
- Live, one-to-one video with a specialist tutor
- Matched to syllabus 0653 from the first session
- Flexible times across GCC time zones
- No lock-in, cancel any time