IGCSE Exams FAQs

How often are the IGCSE Exams?

The IGCSE exams run every year in the summer for all subjects and all exam boards. There is also an autumn exam set for some subjects. For some exam boards the autumn exams are in October, for others it’s November. If you are wanting to sit exams in the autumn, then you need to check your exam board information for details. There may also be extra dates available in some countries.

Exam Boards:

• Oxford AQA

• Edexcel

• CIE (not available at the time of writing)

Can I take IGCSE exams in January?

2023 was the final year for the January exam set. From November 2024, the January exam dates have been moved to October or November depending on the exam board. These dates have now been moved to October or November from 2025 depending on the exam board. Only select subjects have this autumn exam set available, so if you are considering sitting your exams in the autumn rather than the summer, you need to check the details with your exam board.

How many months does it take to prepare for IGCSE?

IGCSE courses are 360 hours of teaching time. In school this is studied over two or three years. For this reason it is important to begin revision as soon as possible. Ideally, you would continually revise past topics as you study for the full length of the course.

Some of the benefits of revising in this way are that:

• Continuous revision keeps past topics fresh in your mind as you move on to learning other topics

• Repeated exposure to topics over time is the best way to improve recall, ensuring the greatest chance of success in the exams

• Familiarity with past topics helps you build on your prior understanding with no gaps in your knowledge which helps you learn more quickly, and makes you less likely to form misconceptions

In reality, not many of us are this organised or this motivated. And the demands increase in difficulty and volume as you move through the courses, so trying to balance learning and revision for all your subjects can get overwhelming, especially in the final year. 

The key is to start revising as early as you possibly can, even if it is just for a small amount of time each week. Revisit topics as many times as you can over the time you have available. A great way to assess where you need to direct your revision is to keep a checklist of the topics in each subject and use a traffic light system (red, amber, green) to assess your level of confidence in each topic. Focus on the topics you are least confident in as the priority, particularly if your timeline for revision is short.

How long are the IGCSE exams?

The IGCSE exams tend to be between one and half hours to two hours depending on the subject. Some exams like speaking and listening will be shorter, and some like practical science exams will be longer.

What are administrative zones for IGCSE exams?

Each IGCSE exam must be taken at the same time for all students worldwide. This is to ensure that no exam papers or questions get leaked and that no one gains an unfair advantage. To ensure this is the case, exam boards designate countries into administrative zones. The papers for each zone will be different, and all students within that zone will take the paper at exactly the same time on the same day.

If there are clashes with other exams, students may be asked to sit examinations back to back. This is so they are supervised at all times and the papers can be sat slightly outside the exact administration window.

To find out which zone you are in, you need to check with your exam board:

• CIE have 8 zones

• Edexcel have R (regional) versions of each paper which is equivalent to 2 zones

• Oxford AQA don’t really have zones as such, they require all candidates to begin their exams at a local time equivalent to 7 am UK time