IGCSE Biology Syllabus

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It is a great practice to refer to the official IGCSE Biology Syllabus when preparing for your exams. It is often the first step that most teachers take when they are planning their classes.

The 2023, 2024, 2025 Syllabus

Here is the IGCSE Biology Syllabus for the year 2023-2025

Alternatively, you can download the syllabus from the link below.

Critical highlights for changes made to the IGCSE Biology 2023-25 syllabus

While there is a long list of changes indicated on page 58 of the syllabus, down below, we have summarised the key changes that are relevant for students. So, if you are a student studying for the IGCSEs or a subject teacher, you will find this a major time saver!

  1. Changes to sub-topics:
    • The specific sub-topics like Dichotomous keys, Mineral requirements, Medicinal drugs, and Inheritance were moved to different sections.
    • Sub-topics related to Misused drugs and Methods of birth control in humans have been removed.
  2. The total teaching time continues to align with the recommended hours.
  3. The assessment details have been revised for better clarity, including updates to the apparatus list, mathematical requirements, and data presentation guidelines.
  4. A new list of command words is provided, replacing the old glossary of terms.
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Out of the listed items above, point number 4 should not be neglected since students relied on the old glossary of terms in previous years, and including a new list of command words changes things. Please refer to page 54 of the document for the complete list of command words.

In addition to the changes discussed above, two changes have been made in the assessment section of the syllabus as well. These are just things to remember and will not affect the outcome of your IGCSE Biology examinations.

  1. The syllabus aims have been reworded to enhance clarity and ensure uniformity across IGCSE Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
  2. The language used in the assessment objectives (AOs) has been refined for consistency across these subjects while still evaluating the same knowledge and skills as before.

The 2026, 2027, and 2028 syllabus

has also released the succeeding syllabus for the years 2026-2028, which can be found below.

Alternatively, one can download the syllabus using the attachment below:

Notable changes to the syllabus

There are no major changes to this version of the syllabus for IGCSE Biology, as indicated on page 63 of the document. Subject teachers should have an easy transition when preparing course materials for IGCSE Biology in the coming years.