How IGCSE Co-Ordinated Sciences 9-1 (0973) is marked
0973 is examined across Papers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, totalling 2,151 questions in our bank. Like its parent syllabus, marking is dominated by the points style: 1,948 questions use the points style against 203 calculation questions, so most marks are awarded for a specific creditable fact, term or observation rather than for arithmetic.
Papers 1 and 2 (multiple choice, 120 to 200 questions per variant) are entirely points-marked. Papers 3 and 4 (the longer structured papers, 187 to 385 questions per variant and up to 602 marks) carry almost all of the calculation load: Paper 31 alone has 49 calculation questions against 336 points-marked out of 385 questions, and Paper 41 has 57 calculation questions against 258 points-marked out of 315 questions.
Because 0973 covers Biology, Chemistry and Physics within single papers, the same paper structure applies as in the parent 0654 syllabus, but this is a separate question bank with its own extracted content. Marks are earned across all three sciences by giving the specific term or value the mark scheme expects, with calculation questions in Papers 3 and 4 additionally rewarding shown working.
Command words in IGCSE Sciences - Co-Ordinated
| Command word | Times in our bank | What it demands |
|---|---|---|
| Identify | 565 | Give a specific named answer from a diagram, table or description, rather than a general description of the item. |
| State | 437 | Give a fact concisely, with no explanation required beyond the fact itself. |
| Calculate | 249 | Show working and give a numerical answer with the correct unit; method and final value are both creditable. |
| Explain | 140 | Give the reason or mechanism behind an observation, not just a correct description of what happens. |
| Describe | 132 | Give a detailed, ordered account of an observation or process without needing to explain why it happens. |
| Suggest | 118 | Apply scientific knowledge to an unfamiliar situation; more than one answer may be accepted if scientifically sound. |
| Complete | 117 | Fill in a missing entry in a table, diagram or equation so it is scientifically correct and consistent with the rest of the item. |
| Find | 108 | Work out a required value using an appropriate method, generally with working shown. |
How to revise with past papers
Because 0973 is almost entirely points-marked (1,948 points-marked questions against 203 calculation in our bank), past-paper practice pays off most when you check your exact wording against the mark scheme rather than only checking whether the underlying idea was right. A scientifically true but vaguely worded answer, or the right idea expressed with the wrong term, is not credited under points marking.
Since the syllabus mixes Biology, Chemistry and Physics inside the same papers, work through past papers strand by strand as well as paper by paper, so you can spot where you tend to muddle vocabulary or concepts across the three sciences rather than only within one.
For the calculation questions concentrated in Papers 3 and 4, show every step of working rather than jumping to a final value, since method marks are available independently of whether the final answer is correct. Reading the command word before answering — checking whether the question wants a number, a named term, or a described process — avoids losing marks to the wrong type of answer.
Practise real 0973 questions with AI marking →FAQs
How is 0973 different from 0654?
0973 is the 9-1 grading variant of the same Co-Ordinated Sciences subject family, drawn from its own separate question bank. The paper structure (Papers 1 through 6, split across Biology, Chemistry and Physics) closely resembles 0654, but the specific questions and marks in our bank are independent.
Is 0973 mostly memorising or mostly calculation?
Mostly precise recall: 1,948 of the questions in our bank are points-marked against 203 calculation questions, so most marks come from stating the correct fact or term.
Which command word appears most in 0973?
Identify, appearing 565 times in our bank, the most frequent command word in the syllabus.
Do I need to show working on calculation questions in 0973?
Yes. Calculation questions, concentrated in Papers 3 and 4, award marks for method as well as final answer, so showing each step protects marks even with a small arithmetic slip.