If you've seen both "0620" and "5070" floating around and aren't sure which one applies to you — or why your friend at another school seems to be doing a different version of "the same" chemistry course — you're not alone. Both are Cambridge International (CIE) qualifications, both are Chemistry, and both are aimed at the same 14-16 age group. But they're not identical, and the differences actually matter for how you prepare.
They're both CIE — but different qualifications
0620 is Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry. 5070 is Cambridge O Level Chemistry. Both are set by the same board (Cambridge International, part of the University of Cambridge), both are internationally recognised, and both cover essentially the same 12 core topics: states of matter, atoms/elements/compounds, stoichiometry, electrochemistry, chemical energetics, chemical reactions, acids/bases/salts, the periodic table, metals, chemistry of the environment, organic chemistry, and experimental techniques.
So content-wise, they overlap heavily. The real differences are in how you're assessed and how you're graded.
The big difference: tiering
This is the one most students don't realise until it affects their grade. IGCSE (0620) splits students into two tiers:
- Core: covers a narrower set of content. Core candidates sit Paper 1 (multiple choice) and Paper 3 (theory), plus a practical paper. Maximum achievable grade: C.
- Extended: covers Core content plus additional "Supplement" material. Extended candidates sit Paper 2 and Paper 4 instead, plus a practical paper. This is the only route to grades A* through C.
O Level (5070) has no such tiering. Every student sits the same papers (Paper 1 multiple choice, Paper 2 theory, plus a practical or alternative-to-practical paper) and every student can achieve up to A*. There's no Core/Extended split limiting anyone's ceiling.
Why this matters practically
If you're on IGCSE and your school has entered you for Core, you cannot get above a C no matter how well you do — the paper itself doesn't test Extended-level content, and the grade boundaries reflect that ceiling. This is a school-level decision (usually made based on your teacher's assessment of your ability), and it's worth knowing early which tier you're on, since it directly shapes what's actually examinable for you.
O Level students don't have this concern — everyone is working toward the same full grade range from day one.
Grading: A*-G vs A*-E
IGCSE (0620) grades run from A* to G. O Level (5070) grades run from A* to E — a narrower band, reflecting that O Level doesn't have the same "safety net" lower grades that IGCSE's Core tier provides for students who might otherwise not pass at all.
(If you've also heard of "0971" — that's simply the 9-1 numerically-graded version of the exact same 0620 IGCSE content. Same syllabus, same papers, just a different grading scale used by some schools/regions.)
A quick side-by-side
| Feature | IGCSE (0620) | O Level (5070) |
|---|---|---|
| Tiering | Core / Extended | None — single tier |
| Grade range | A* to G | A* to E |
| Max grade if "lower tier" | C (Core candidates) | No cap — A* possible for all |
| Core topics | Same 12 topics | Same 12 topics |
| Papers | 1&3 (Core) or 2&4 (Extended), plus practical | 1&2 for everyone, plus practical/alternative |
What this means for your revision
If you're studying IGCSE Extended, make sure you're not accidentally revising only from Core-level notes — you need the Supplement content too, or you'll be caught out by questions your paper is entitled to ask. If you're on O Level, there's no tier to worry about, but the trade-off is there's no lower-grade safety net either — the full syllabus is fair game from the start.
Either way, the underlying chemistry — moles, bonding, electrolysis, organic reactions — is the same body of knowledge. Whichever code is on your exam entry, the notes, MCQs, and past-paper practice on this site are built to support both.
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