What do Science Subjects in IGCSE focus on ?

6th February, 2020

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education was developed in the year 1988 by Cambridge International Examination. It is a recognized worldwide program. The IGCSE syllabus is being taught by more than 9000 schools in 160 countries. There are many top IGCSE schools in Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and many other Indian cities.  

The curriculum of Cambridge IGCSE is quite flexible due to an international outlook, but it also keeps a local connection. The focus of the syllabus is to protect the disparate cultural identity through literature syllabi and particular language as well as encourage international outlook. This course offers more than 70 subjects, including 30 languages from which the school can choose to provide their combinations. This is the most popular international qualification for students who are 14 to 16 years old. The students are allowed to take a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 14 subjects. The science subjects falling under the IGCSE syllabus along with their topics are discussed below-

Biology Syllabus

• Characteristics and classification of a living organism – This topic concentrates on the study of the classification of living organisms into groups and their features such as functionality and appearance.
• Plant Nutrition – It refers to the study of compounds, their effect and deficiency required for plant growth, metabolism and the necessary supply.
• Human Nutrition – This topic deals with the all essential elements required to support the health and life of a human being.
• Respiration- This topic deals with the Anaerobic respiration and Aerobic respiration. Anaerobic respiration refers to the respiration using electron acceptors other than oxygen, and aerobic respiration refers to the process of producing cellular energy which involves oxygen. 
• Coordination and response – This topic includes the hormones, homeostasis, nervous control and sense organs of humans.  
• Drugs – This chapter includes a detailed study of drugs like medicinal drugs and misused drugs.   
• Reproduction – This chapter focuses on studies related to asexual and sexual reproduction in plants and humans, STIs of humans, etc.  
• Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering – This topic deals with all the engineering principles that are used in biological systems to solve the problems related to materials, sustainable food and health.
• Organisms and Environment- This topic deals with nutrient cycles, population size, energy flow, etc.

Physics Syllabus

• General Physics – This covers topics such as length, time, forces, motion, energy and power. 
• Electricity and Magnetism – This chapter includes the study of the electromagnetic force.
• Atomic Physics – Atomic physics deals with electron cloud structure in atoms.
• Thermal Physics – This topic includes thermal properties, processes and simple kinetic molecular model of matter.
• Light and Sound Waves – This chapter includes electromagnetic spectrum, sound, general wave properties and light.

Chemistry Syllabus

• Atoms, Elements and Compounds – This chapter deals with the atomic structure of the periodic table, covalent bonds, metallic bonding, etc.  
• Acids, Bases and Salts- This topic deals with the properties of acids, bases and preparation of salts. 
• Air and Water- This topic deals with all the elements related to air and water.
• Metals- This chapter includes the properties, extraction and uses of metals.
• Organic Chemistry- This topic deals with compounds of carbon. 

The syllabus of IGCSE is prepared in such a way so that the students can engage, learn and succeed in the science field. It covers vast areas of knowledge and prepares them to excel in science related careers. Studying in the best IGCSE schools in Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai or any other city of one’s choice will help the students in pursuing further studies in the field of their interest and build a successful career