International GCSE Combined Science
Are you ready to explore the science behind everything around you? The Combined Science GCSE brings together biology, chemistry, and physics to help you understand the patterns, principles, and processes that shape our world. From investigating how living organisms function to uncovering the reactions that power our environment and the forces that drive motion, this course helps you think like a scientist.
Through hands-on practical work and real-world applications, you’ll develop the skills to analyse data, evaluate evidence, and solve problems with confidence. You’ll learn how to carry out experiments safely and accurately, interpret results, and communicate your ideas clearly using scientific language and methods. Along the way, you’ll also strengthen your mathematical skills and apply them in meaningful scientific contexts.
The Combined Science GCSE prepares you for further study in science and opens the door to a wide range of future pathways, equipping you with the curiosity, logic, and critical thinking skills needed to navigate an ever-changing world.
Key Information
What you’ll study
Entry Requirements
Assessment Information
| Qualification | Two International GCSEs |
| Exam board | Edexcel |
| Exams available | January and June |
Online school, full time or individual courses
| Course length | 2 years |
| Weekly study time | 4 x 45-minute live lessons, 6 x 30-minute self-study lessons, 1 x 30-minute teacher-marked homework |
| Class size | Maximum 12 |
| Course start | September |
Individual Tutoring
| Recommended | Approximately 200 x 45-minute individual tutoring lessons, 340 x 30-minute self-study lessons, 45 x 30-minute teacher-marked homework. Pace and level of commitment determined by individual needs. |
| Course start | Flexible |
Unit 1: Biology
- The nature and variety of living organisms
- Structures and functions in living organisms
- Reproduction and inheritance
- Ecology and the environment
- Use of biological resources
Unit 2: Chemistry
- Principles of chemistry
- Inorganic chemistry
- Physical chemistry
Unit 3: Physics
- Forces and motion
- Electricity
- Waves
- Energy resources and energy transfer
- Solids, liquids and gases
- Magnetism and electromagnetism
- Radioactivity and particles
- Astrophysics
For more information take a look at the Edexcel International GCSE Double Science Specification: click here
- A pass in the Highgrove Online School admissions test for Science
International GCSE
3 exams taken at the end of the course
| Biology Paper 1 | Core content (120 minutes) (33.3% of the total International GCSE) |
| Chemistry Paper 1 | Core content (120 minutes) (33.3% of the total International GCSE) |
| Physics Paper 1 | Core content (120 minutes) (33.3% of the total International GCSE) |
Please note: Students will develop knowledge and understanding of experimental skills through the context of the science they are learning. Experimental skills are assessed through written examinations.
Progression
Pupils wanting to study Biology, Chemistry or Physics at A level are strongly recommended to take these subjects as single GCSEs rather than as part of a combined science GCSE course. There is a significant gap between the knowledge required to study A level science and the content covered in a Combined Science programme. The Combined Science double GCSE award is more suitable for pupils who want a broad understanding of the sciences and do not wish to continue their study of science at A level.
We also offer the following GCSEs
Our core GSCE subjects are taught in group classes via a combination of interactive self-study lessons and live lessons led by an expert teacher:
Additional GCSEs subjects are available via our tutoring programme, including: