International Science Frequently Asked Questions
This update contains answers to a number of frequently asked questions from teachers of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE and International A Level science courses.
There are no requirements set by Pearson Edexcel for the amount
of time that learners should be taught for each qualification, however the
following recommended Guided Learning Hours offer a guide to the amount of time
with a teacher that most students need:
International GCSE |
120 hours |
Double Award International GCSE |
240 hours |
International AS |
180 hours |
International A Level |
360 hours (including IAS units) |
In addition to International GCSEs in biology, chemistry and
physics, Pearson Edexcel offers two ‘combined science’ courses. In both, learners
study biology, chemistry and physics, and are awarded a grade based on their
average performance in exams for each subject.
Double Award learners cover two thirds of the content of the
separate biology, chemistry and physics courses, and receive a qualification
equivalent to two GCSEs. For this reason they receive a ‘double grade’, with
9-9 being the top grade, followed by 9-8, 8-8, 8-7 and so on to 1-1.
In the separate biology, chemistry and physics specifications,
some points are in bold with a B, C or P following the reference number. These
indicate the additional content that learners taking biology, chemistry and
physics GCSEs need to cover. The other points are those covered in the Double
Award course.
Separate science International GCSE (biology, chemistry and
physics) and Double Award science, are available in linear and modular options.
For the linear versions of these courses, the Double Award students sit the
same ‘Paper 1’ exam in each subject as the separate science students, and these
do not assess the ‘bold’ specification points. For the biology, chemistry and
physics learners, the Paper 2 exams assess the whole specifiacation. For the
modular version, Double Award learners sit different exams, and they have two
for each subject. However these are shorter than the linear Paper 1 exams, so
their total exam time is similar whichever route they take.
Single Award science covers one third of the specifications
of the biology, chemistry and physics International GCSE courses, and is a single
GCSE. It is currently only available in the linear assessment route.
Pearson published textbooks are available for each International GCSE and International A Level course, and for our iPrimary and iLowerSecondary science courses. There is no requirement to use these to deliver the courses, and resources are also available from other publishers.
It is worth noting that senior examiners who write the exam questions are not permitted to write textooks and other paid for resources under UK regulations. As a result content in textbooks inculding those published by Pearson may occasionally differ from the content of mark schemes, but examiners will accept any valid content or method that fully addresses the question set.
In addition to print textbooks, our Teaching Hubs package of digital resources includes online versions of the textbooks and a wealth of teaching and assessment resources including presentations, worksheets and homework tasks, schemes of work with detailed lesson plans and practice exam papers and mark schemes.
You can view sample material and sign up for a free trial using the link below. To discuss pricing for your school and to explore what is available in more detail we recommend you contact your local Pearson consultant.
In both the International GCSE and International A Level science courses learners are required to understand the techniques associated with a number of ‘core practical activities’ listed in the specification. There are however no practical assessments or teacher-assessments of practical skills in these international qualifications. This contrasts with UK science GCSEs and A Levels, where the core practicals are ‘required’ and teachers must ensure that each student has undertaken all the practical activities.
However it is strongly recommended that learners complete the core practical activities for each course (and additional practical activities if possible) as the best way to prepare them for future study in science, and for the exam questions which will assess knowledge and understanding of practical techniques and data handling.
In International GCSE courses these questions are found in each of the exam papers.
In International A Level courses practical skills are mainly assessed through the Unit 3 and Unit 6 exam papers (these are ‘standard exams’ though, and do not involve assessment of ‘hands-on’ practical work). Additionally, candidates may be assessed on theory relating to the core practicals in the other exam papers so they should cover these in their revision for units 1, 2, 4 and 5.
Some learners including many private candidates may find it difficult to complete some or all of the core practical activities themselves. It is possible to gain a good understanding of the techniques by using online simulations and by watching videos in which teachers demonstrate them. There are several very good YouTube playlists on the Edexcel UK GCSE and A Level core practical activities which are very similar to those covered in the international courses.
For International GCSE courses in biology, chemistry and physics, a single Core Practical Guide is available on the qualification web pages, and they are linked below (the first is for the linear courses, the second is a slightly updated version for the new modular courses). This gives details of the skills associated with each core practical activity, prompt questions to ask students to focus their learning on these and example exam questions with mark schemes for each one. Additionally Appendix 2 at the end of the document gives an equipment list for each core practical activity.
For International A Level science courses Teacher Practical Guides are available with guidance on teaching the practical skills and example exam questions with mark schemes. Technician sheets with detailed equipment lists are available as part of the Teacher Resource Packs which are paid-for resources. Teachers who are not able to access these may find the technician sheets available for the Edexcel UK science A Levels helpful, as most of the core practical activities are the same or very similar.
Linear qualifications are those where all exams are taken at the end of the course. Grade boundaries are set for the whole qualification, and it it not possible to re-sit single exam papers.
Modular qualifications are those where exams for separate units (or modules) can be taken in different exam series throughout the course. Grade boundaries are set for each unit in each exam series and a mark on the Uniform Mark Scale is awarded, which contributes to the final grade. Candidates can re-sit individual units if they choose to, and their best mark from their last two attempts will count towards their final grade.
Currently only linear GCSEs and A Levels are available to UK schools. An exception is made for virtual centres in the UK which also enter students for exams in other countries. These may enter UK-based candidates for modular International GCSEs and A Levels in some circumstances.
Edexcel International A Levels are all modular. From September 2024 international exam centres have a choice between linear and modular routes for Edexcel International GCSE courses. We are the only awarding organisation currently offering modular International GCSEs. The modular and linear routes assess the same content and skills, use the same style of exam questions, and are designed to be equally challenging. They lead to the same qualification certificate, but different learners and centres will suit different routes.
The modular International GCSE courses are new for first teaching in September 2024 and the first exams will be in May / June 2025 – there will then be two exam series per year in October / November and May / June. Past paper questions from the linear International GCSE courses are relevant when assessing students on the modular route, and these can be searched within the modular course structure using our free examWizard ‘build a paper’ tool.
The links below our introductory video will download the slides from our recent training for teachers interested in the new modular courses.
For modular International GCSEs and International AS and A Levels a Uniform Mark Scale (UMS) is used to ensure fairness in the awarding of grades. This means that minor differences in the grade boundaries for individual unit exams are taken into account when the final grade is calculated.
UMS grade bounaries are set for each type of qualification and do not change.
For International GCSE courses:
| % of total UMS marks |
10% |
20% |
30% |
40% |
50% |
60% |
70% |
80% |
90% |
| Grade |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 | 9 |
For International A Level courses:
| % of total UMS marks |
40% |
50% |
60% |
70% |
80% |
See below |
| Grade |
E |
D |
C |
B |
A |
A* |
The A* grade is not available for IAS courses, and is awarded for IAL courses when the following criteria are met:
- The candidate has averaged 80% or higher of the UMS marks over all IAL (IAS / IA2) units.
- The candidate has averaged 90% or higher of the UMS marks on the IA2 (Year 2) units.
After each exam series, grade boundaries are set for each exam once the performance of all the candidates taking it has been considered (as with all qualifications of this type). The ‘raw mark’ on each paper is then converted into a UMS mark according to these boundaries. There is therefore no way to predict in advance of sitting a paper what raw mark will be needed for a certain UMS mark. A raw mark to UMS mark converter is available on the web page linked below.
Our courses are designed for progression, all the way from the start of learners’ primary education to their pre-university qualifications.
| Course | Typical age range |
| iPrimary |
3-11 |
| iLowerSecondary | 11-14 |
| International GCSE |
14-16 |
| International A Level |
16-18 |
It is not necessary to have taken a Pearson Edexcel course before International GCSEs or A Levels – our courses are based upon the British National Curriculum and qualifications, and they support progression from, and onto, a wide range of programmes of study. Following Pearson’s suite of courses does have the advantage that these have been written with progression onto the next stage in mind, and all are supported by a range of resources which assist teachers in the planning, delivery and assessment of each course.
Whatever programme of study your school follows, it is worth noting that for International GCSE courses some prior knowledge from 11-14 science is assumed, for example knowledge of the concept of an ion could be required in an International GCSE physics exam. Similarly in order to access International A Level studies in science, learners will need to be confident with the concepts covered in GCSE science courses or equivalent.
International GCSE |
120 hours |
Double Award International GCSE |
240 hours |
International AS |
180 hours |
International A Level |
360 hours (including IAS units) |
A range of courses are available online and in-person, including a number of free online courses (both live and pre-recorded on-demand). You can search for all available courses on the Pearson Professional Development Academy website. The link below will show all courses relating to International GCSE and A Levels. The ‘Level’ filter allows you to focus on either GCSE (KS4) or A Level (KS5) courses, and the ‘Search within your selection’ tool allows you to search for biology, chemistry or physics courses.
examWizard is our free online tool for searching for past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports, and for building test papers by searching the database of past questions.
For International A Levels, the Unit 3 and Unit 6 practical skills exam papers are not currently available in examWizard, however this is under review.
Our policy is to provide International GCSE physics and Double Award science candidates with the same support in the form of equation lists as those sitting UK GCSE exams receive. This is determined by the UK Government's Department for Education (DfE) and the qualifications regulator Ofqual. For exams in 2022, 2023 and 2024 an additional, longer equation list was provided to support students who had experience disruption to their learning due to Covid19 (this can be found at the end of the past papers from 2023 (which are now publicly available) and 2024 (currently locked so that teachers can use them as unseen mock papers)). Prior to the Covid19 pandemic only the short equation list which can be seen at the front of past papers was provided.
At the time of writing, Ofqual has recently announced that the intention of the DfE is that students should not have to memorise equations for GCSE physics or maths exams in 2025, 2026 or 2027, and a two week consultation is under way to determine the exact format of future equation lists. Students preparing for Edexcel International GCSE exams in physics (including for Double Award science) can therefore expect to be provided with all the necessary equations, but the exact format of this support will be confirmed later in 2024 once the consultation has concluded and a decision announced for UK qualifications.
Subject advisor
Tim Lawrence
Psychology
