Cambridge IGCSE Marine Science (0697) explains how the ocean works, how marine organisms survive, how nutrients and energy move through ecosystems, and how human activities influence marine environments. For examinations in 2027–2029, the course has six topic areas and two equally weighted written papers. This guide explains the syllabus clearly, shows how practical investigation is assessed, and provides a realistic way for students to prepare.
The main skill is learning to connect an observation, a scientific explanation and evidence. A student might recognise a coral reef photograph but still struggle to explain the effect of warming water. Another may know the definition of salinity but be unable to interpret an investigation showing how density changes. Marine Science rewards understanding of processes, accurate data handling, careful experimentation and informed evaluation—not merely memorising sea-creature names.
Quick student answer: Cambridge Marine Science 0697, exams 2027–2029, has Paper 1 Theory and Data Handling (1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks, 50%) and Paper 2 Theory and Practical Skills (1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks, 50%). Both are compulsory written examinations. The practical-skills assessment is inside Paper 2, accounting for 40% of that paper and 20% of the qualification. The six topics are the Earth and its oceans; sea water; marine organisms; nutrients and energy; marine ecology; and human influences on the marine environment.
Identify the correct subject and examination year
The words ‘IGCSE science’ do not establish which Cambridge course a student is taking. Marine Science 0697 is a separate qualification from Biology 0610, Chemistry 0620, Geography 0460 and Co-ordinated Sciences 0654. There is overlap in scientific knowledge and processes, but the component structure and content emphases differ.
The examination year is the year in which the candidate sits the final assessment, not when they began lessons. Cambridge publishes a 2024–2026 syllabus and a 2027–2029 syllabus for this subject. The later version revises content and expectations, so use the year-specific document to select past papers and plan lessons.
Students taking the course from 2027 should begin with the official Cambridge Marine Science qualification page and the 2027–2029 syllabus PDF.
The centre should confirm examination entry, available practical teaching, suitable resources and the actual examination series.
What changed for 2027?
Cambridge refreshed the 0697 syllabus for examinations in 2027, 2028 and 2029. The changes reorganise the content and clarify how marine science concepts and practical activities should be taught.
The six new main topic headings present a connected account of marine systems. The syllabus includes explicit practical activity learning outcomes and guidance on depth of knowledge, helping teachers connect experiments to theory rather than isolate them as demonstrations.
The assessment still uses two written papers, each lasting 1 hour 45 minutes and worth 80 marks. Paper 2 assesses practical skills through written questions; students do not complete an independently weighted practical coursework project as part of the stated examination structure.
A resource from 2024–2026 may be valuable for stable scientific principles, but it should not be treated as proof of the exact current topic coverage. Use the updated syllabus and relevant specimen material to check details.
The six Marine Science topics
The course’s six named areas organise ocean science from planetary processes to human decisions.
- 1. The Earth and its oceans: how the oceans formed, their distribution and features, and interactions among major systems.
- 2. Sea water: properties and composition, including temperature, salinity, density and relevant measurements.
- 3. Marine organisms: classification, adaptations, structures and the functions that enable survival.
- 4. Nutrients and energy: how materials cycle and energy transfers through marine biological systems.
- 5. Marine ecology: habitats, communities, populations, interactions and ecological patterns.
- 6. Human influences on the marine environment: resources, pollution, climate change, fisheries, conservation and management choices.
These areas are interconnected. A change in seawater temperature affects physical conditions and can influence organisms, ecosystems and human activities. Pollution can alter chemistry and biology, while overharvesting changes population structures.
A learner should therefore revise each topic both on its own and through questions linking several topics. The syllabus does not imply every examination question remains inside one heading.
Paper 1: Theory and Data Handling
Paper 1 lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, carries 80 marks and contributes 50%. It contains compulsory short-answer and structured questions assessed externally.
Paper 1 covers scientific knowledge and the ability to handle information or solve problems using marine science concepts. It may provide new data, diagrams or descriptions that students must interpret rather than simply recognise.
For example, a graph might show changes in seawater conditions across depths. The student needs to identify the axes and units, describe a pattern, and explain an appropriate physical or biological mechanism.
A common error is writing a memorised paragraph about the ocean without connecting it to the data supplied. Instead, begin by stating what the actual resource shows, then explain it using relevant scientific principles.
Practise short unfamiliar data problems alongside syllabus recall. A learner who can quote a definition but cannot use it has not yet secured the underlying skill.
Paper 2: Theory and Practical Skills
Paper 2 also lasts 1 hour 45 minutes and carries 80 marks, contributing the other 50%. It contains compulsory short-answer and structured questions, but includes assessment of AO3 experimental skills and investigations alongside theory and problem-solving.
Cambridge states that AO3 accounts for 40% of Paper 2 marks, which is 20% of the overall qualification. That is an important planning detail: practical reasoning cannot be ignored simply because the final paper is written.
Questions can concern planning an investigation, apparatus, measurements, records, data presentation, sources of error, conclusions, safety and environmental care. A student should explain what an experiment is designed to establish and why a method is suitable.
Paper 2 is not described as a separate hands-on practical examination in the 2027–2029 assessment overview. Practical activities are still a central learning requirement; the written paper evaluates the understanding developed from them.
The three assessment objectives
Cambridge divides the qualification into scientific knowledge, information handling and experimental skills.
AO1 Knowledge with understanding requires accurate concepts, terminology, phenomena, applications and relevant scientific conventions. A student must distinguish, for example, temperature from salinity and producers from consumers.
AO2 Handling information and problem-solving involves applying scientific principles to unfamiliar data and contexts. Students must interpret numbers, graphs and situations rather than reproduce statements mechanically.
AO3 Experimental skills and investigations assesses how investigations are planned, carried out, recorded and evaluated, including reliable measurements and scientific conclusions. It is examined in Paper 2.
The three objectives should support one another. Scientific knowledge guides the choice of a variable, data handling helps interpret the measurements and practical understanding reveals the limitations of a result.
Good revision therefore combines all three, even when a practice task has one primary focus.
The Earth and its oceans: a connected planetary system
The oceans cover much of Earth and interact with the atmosphere, land and living organisms. Marine Science examines the distribution and behaviour of this enormous physical system.
Students should learn the processes specified by the syllabus and how they relate to observable ocean features. A map of ocean basins, for example, can show the positions of major marine areas but cannot by itself explain the processes that formed them.
The strongest explanations connect feature → process → evidence. If a question asks why conditions differ between locations, identify the physical variables and the mechanism rather than assert that one ocean is always the same everywhere.
Avoid relying on one attractive diagram as though it captures the whole ocean. Currents, depth, temperature and salinity can vary in space and time.
A useful exercise is to label a cross-section of the ocean and explain what observations would be needed to test a proposed change with depth.
Ocean circulation: movements have causes
Ocean water moves through currents and mixing processes influenced by several conditions. Wind, differences in water properties and planetary-scale physical forces can affect circulation.
A student should distinguish a surface pattern from a deep-water process rather than describe all circulation as water simply being pushed by one source.
For example, variation in temperature and salinity can produce differences in density, which can contribute to vertical movement under suitable conditions. But the complete pattern also depends on geography and other forces.
In an answer, identify the process actually being asked about. If the question supplies a diagram of water masses, explain the property differences and direction of movement. Do not import an unrelated memorised description of tides merely because both concern moving seawater.
Always check whether the diagram is a simplified model. The goal is to use the model appropriately without claiming it represents every location.
Sea water: temperature, salinity and density
Seawater properties are important because they influence organisms, circulation and physical conditions. Three recurring variables are temperature, salinity and density.
Salinity describes the concentration of dissolved salts under a suitable measurement convention. Density concerns mass per unit volume. Changes in temperature and salinity may alter density; the precise relationship must be interpreted within the conditions of the question.
Suppose two water samples have the same temperature but different salt concentrations. The student can investigate whether their measured densities differ, while controlling other relevant factors. This connects physical knowledge directly with practical inquiry.
Do not treat the word ‘salty’ as a precise scientific result. A useful answer should include units or the measurement method when relevant.
Students should distinguish an observation, such as a denser sample, from a claimed cause. If temperature was not controlled, attributing the whole effect to salinity may be unjustified.
A practical salinity and density investigation
Imagine a teacher-supervised investigation using a set of prepared water samples with different known salinities. Students measure the mass of a fixed volume under a consistent temperature.
The independent variable is the salinity of the prepared samples. The dependent variable can be density calculated from mass and volume. Relevant controls include temperature, measuring equipment and volume.
If a 50 mL sample has a mass of 51.5 g, its density in the simplified calculation is 51.5 ÷ 50 = 1.03 g/mL. The result should be recorded with suitable units and precision.
One measurement alone does not establish an entire relationship. Repetition and comparisons across samples improve the quality of evidence, while a plot can reveal a trend.
Students should not make samples unsafely or use equipment without school supervision. The purpose is reliable practical reasoning, not a home chemistry challenge.
Temperature profiles: read depth carefully
Water temperature can vary with depth and location. A graph might show a warmer layer near the surface and a substantial change over an interval of depths.
Before interpreting, identify which variable lies on each axis and whether depth increases downward. An incorrectly read axis can reverse the meaning of the entire answer.
Description should come first: where is the temperature relatively stable, and where does it change most strongly? Explanation should then use the appropriate ocean processes and conditions.
Do not assume that every ocean or season has exactly the same profile. Local conditions matter. A graph from one location cannot automatically establish a global pattern.
A good scientific answer separates what the graph shows from why the pattern may occur. This discipline also helps with salinity, dissolved oxygen and organism-distribution data.
Marine organisms: structure supports survival
Marine organisms encounter different environments, including shallow coastal waters, open oceans and the deep sea. Relevant adaptations can help them move, feed, obtain resources and survive particular conditions.
The strongest biological explanations connect a feature with its function. A body shape that reduces resistance during swimming may be useful, but the answer should explain how the shape relates to movement rather than merely label it streamlined.
Students should distinguish inherited adaptations from an individual’s immediate response to environmental change. The two concepts are related but not identical.
A useful table includes organism, habitat, feature, function and limitation. The limitation is valuable because a feature beneficial in one setting may offer little advantage elsewhere.
Avoid describing every marine animal as though it shares the same strategies. Different groups have very different structures, life histories and interactions.
Classification: similarities and differences matter
Classification helps scientists organise living organisms according to relevant features and relationships. In Marine Science, students encounter organisms that differ in body plan, feeding, habitat and ecological role.
A student may recognise a well-known fish but fail to distinguish its characteristics from those of a different marine group. The solution is to compare explicit features rather than rely only on familiar names.
Ask which structures or characteristics are actually used in the classification being studied. A superficial resemblance is not always evidence of close biological relationship.
In an examination, a diagram may show an unfamiliar organism. Students should use the supplied features to reach the appropriate conclusion rather than invent an identification.
Practice with comparison tables and clear diagrams. When a new organism appears, identify what can be observed and what would need further evidence.
This approach builds scientific reasoning rather than a catalogue of pictures.
Nutrients and energy: follow the direction of transfer
Marine ecosystems depend on energy entering biological systems and nutrients being reused through different processes. These are connected but not identical flows.
Energy can be transferred through feeding relationships and is not recycled in the same sense as matter. Nutrients can move through organisms and environments as biological and physical processes operate.
A food web is more informative than a memorised chain because it shows several possible relationships. But a food web diagram also simplifies real ecological complexity.
If a producer population declines, effects on consumers may depend on other food sources, timing and the broader ecosystem. Do not claim that every connected species will necessarily disappear.
In an answer, trace the relevant pathway: source → organism or process → transfer or transformation → consequence. Clarify whether the question concerns energy, a nutrient or organism abundance.
Producers, consumers and decomposers
Producers can convert energy into biological material through relevant processes. Consumers obtain energy and nutrients through feeding, and decomposers help transform organic material.
These roles help explain how marine communities function, but actual organisms and interactions can be complex. The syllabus specifies which processes and examples candidates should know.
Suppose a question provides a simple chain from phytoplankton through small animals to a larger predator. The student should identify the direction of energy transfer and the dependence of consumers on lower trophic levels.
An error is to draw arrows based on ‘who eats whom’ without checking the syllabus convention. Explain what the arrow represents.
A useful practice exercise is to annotate a food web with two possible routes and identify which observation would show a change in one population.
The best answers interpret the particular diagram rather than repeat only the definitions.
Marine ecology: populations and communities
Ecology asks how organisms interact with one another and with their environments. A population concerns a particular species within a relevant area, while a community includes multiple interacting populations.
Students should distinguish abundance, distribution and diversity when interpreting ecological data. A site with many individuals is not necessarily the site with the greatest number of species.
Cambridge also asks candidates to understand species richness, the number of different species in an area. Richness differs from a full measure of diversity that also considers relative abundance.
A useful practice task compares two hypothetical sampling sites. Site A might contain many individuals of one species, while Site B has fewer individuals overall but several different species. Which site has higher species richness?
Answer from the definitions and evidence supplied, not from whether the photograph looks greener or more crowded.
Sampling: what a quadrat or transect can show
Marine fieldwork can involve sampling organisms and environmental conditions. A sampling method should match the ecological question, location, safety conditions and the size or mobility of the organisms involved.
Quadrats can help count suitable organisms within defined areas, while transects can help examine how distribution changes across a gradient. Different methods have different limitations.
A student investigating organisms along a shore should decide where sampling points will be located, whether measurements are comparable and whether the sample represents the intended area.
Increasing the sample size may improve reliability, but it cannot automatically repair selection bias. Sampling only the easiest places to reach could still misrepresent the shore.
Students should practise explaining why the method fits the research question, not simply define the word transect.
All outdoor work must be safe and approved by the school, with appropriate care for habitats and organisms.
Reading ecological data without overclaiming
A table of organisms observed at several locations can show a pattern but does not necessarily explain its cause.
For instance, fewer individuals at a site with lower oxygen might be consistent with sensitivity to oxygen conditions. But other differences among sites could also matter, including temperature, habitat or sampling time.
A strong answer begins with the observed relationship and then suggests an appropriate scientific explanation while acknowledging relevant limitations.
When calculating averages or percentages, check denominators. A change from 20 to 30 observed individuals is an increase of 10, or 50% relative to the original count. That does not automatically mean an entire population increased by 50% if sampling conditions differed.
Use the units, dates, methods and sample details supplied by the question. Inference should remain proportional to the evidence.
This is precisely the kind of data discipline that links Paper 1 with Paper 2.
Coastal ecosystems: habitats are not interchangeable
Coastal environments may include mangroves, seagrass meadows, sandy shores, rocky areas and reefs, depending on geography. They provide different habitats and ecological functions.
Mangroves can help stabilise some coastlines and support organisms at particular life stages. Seagrass habitats can support feeding and shelter. Coral reefs can provide complex structures for diverse communities.
Do not assume every coastline has all these habitats or that a single conservation approach will work equally well everywhere.
A useful comparison asks which physical conditions define the habitat, which organisms or processes depend on it, and which human pressures may affect it.
Students can use carefully sourced images or local examples to develop understanding, but the examination requires mechanisms rather than identification alone.
This topic is also an opportunity to connect Marine Science with Geography and Biology while retaining the specific 0697 requirements.
Human influences: fisheries and harvesting
Fishing and harvesting can provide food, livelihoods and economic opportunities. Their sustainability depends on how populations are managed, which methods are used and how the broader ecosystem responds.
Overharvesting can affect population abundance and ecological relationships, but consequences depend on the species, habitat and management conditions.
A good evaluation identifies the harvesting method, its intended benefit, possible environmental effects and realistic alternatives. A blanket claim that all fishing is destructive or that every fishery is sustainable is not informative.
Students should learn examples specified by the syllabus and connect them to evidence rather than copy an unsupported statistic from an unrelated country.
When judging a policy, consider resource availability, enforcement, livelihood needs and long-term ecological conditions.
Marine Science asks students to understand trade-offs. It is possible to value food security and economic wellbeing while evaluating environmental management critically.
Aquaculture: opportunities and constraints
Aquaculture involves cultivating aquatic organisms for food or other purposes. It can supplement wild capture fisheries and support livelihoods, but environmental outcomes depend on design and management.
Potential benefits may include controlled production and an alternative supply of certain species. Possible challenges can involve waste, disease, escape of cultured organisms and use of resources.
A student should avoid the simplistic rule that aquaculture is always environmentally superior or inferior to wild harvesting.
The useful answer framework is species and system → input requirements → expected output → environmental and economic effects → management options.
For example, an operation’s effect on surrounding water may depend on feeding, water exchange and treatment of wastes. The scale and location matter.
Use current syllabus examples and be clear about which conclusion is supported by the question’s information.
Marine pollution: source, pathway and effect
Pollution reaches marine environments through multiple pathways. Some materials enter directly; others move from land through rivers, runoff, waste systems or atmospheric transport.
A good answer identifies the pollutant, how it reaches the ocean, which marine process or organism it affects, and what evidence supports the effect.
Plastic waste is one case. Larger items may entangle animals or be ingested, while smaller fragments can enter food webs under particular circumstances. Avoid assuming every particle has the same effect on every species.
A diagram showing waste on a beach can demonstrate visible contamination, but it cannot quantify all plastic in an ocean without additional measurement.
Students should distinguish a dramatic photograph from systematic evidence. Both may be informative, but they answer different questions.
Management responses should be evaluated by effectiveness, cost, practicability and possible unintended consequences.
Plastic pollution: beyond a single image
The 2027–2029 syllabus explicitly includes microplastics, ocean gyres, marine plastic accumulation and strategies for limiting impacts.
Students should understand how large plastic items may break into smaller pieces over time and why collection can be difficult once waste is widely dispersed.
An ocean garbage patch is not necessarily a continuous floating island visible in one satellite photograph. Concentration, particle size and distribution vary, and public images can oversimplify the issue.
Possible responses include reducing waste entering waterways, improving collection systems, education and relevant regulation. Each approach addresses a different stage of the problem.
A strong evaluation asks where in the pathway the intervention acts and what it can realistically prevent. A beach cleanup can be valuable locally without solving every source of plastic entering the ocean.
Use measured evidence and avoid unsupported claims about exact quantities.
Eutrophication: a cause-and-effect chain
Eutrophication is an especially useful topic for linking nutrients, water chemistry and ecological consequences.
Excess nutrients can enter water from fertilisers or untreated sewage under appropriate conditions. Increased nutrient availability may stimulate producer growth, including algal blooms. When organic material dies, decomposers may respire more, using dissolved oxygen.
A reduction in dissolved oxygen can harm organisms that depend on it. Students should be able to state this sequence rather than merely write that pollution kills fish.
A high-quality answer also considers location and conditions. Nutrient enrichment does not produce precisely identical outcomes in every water body, and other factors can influence oxygen levels.
A useful study diagram labels nutrient source → producer growth → decomposition → oxygen demand → ecosystem effect.
This mechanism can appear in theory questions and in written practical scenarios using water-quality data.
Climate change: warming, acidification and sea-level rise
The syllabus includes ocean responses to climate change, including warming, changes in seawater pH and consequences for marine organisms.
Higher atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations can increase dissolved carbon dioxide in seawater and contribute to ocean acidification. Rising temperatures can affect marine organisms and change physical water properties.
Sea-level rise can involve thermal expansion of warming seawater and addition of water from melting land-based ice. Floating sea ice melting is not equivalent to the same volume of land ice entering the ocean.
Students should distinguish mechanisms instead of treating all climate impacts as one vague idea of ‘the ocean getting worse’.
When analysing data, specify a time period and location. A single warm day does not establish a long-term climate trend.
Evaluation of responses should address both global drivers and local adaptation where relevant, with realistic attention to evidence and constraints.
Coral bleaching: what the term means
Coral bleaching is frequently discussed in Marine Science and environmental media. It can occur when stress causes corals to lose or expel symbiotic algae or pigments, making the coral appear pale.
Bleaching is not identical to immediate death in every case. Recovery may be possible depending on conditions and duration, while repeated or severe stress can cause serious harm.
A strong answer connects the relevant environmental stress, biological relationship and possible ecological consequence. It should not state that every white coral in a photograph proves the same cause.
Reef changes can influence other organisms that depend on the habitat, but the precise effects vary among sites and species.
Students should examine current syllabus wording and practise explaining the mechanism in a short sequence.
Using an unfamiliar reef image to apply knowledge is a valuable skill. Memorising one dramatic photograph does not guarantee that the student can interpret a different case.
Conservation: effectiveness depends on context
Marine conservation can use protected areas, species protection, sustainable harvesting practices, habitat restoration, monitoring and other interventions.
A Marine Protected Area may reduce certain pressures in a designated location, but outcomes depend on its rules, enforcement, ecological design and surrounding activities.
Coral restoration or protection of turtle nesting areas may support particular populations, but each has limits and resource requirements. A strategy that benefits one species may not address the main pressure on another.
A strong evaluation identifies the specific goal, the mechanism of protection, the evidence of success and any trade-offs.
Avoid reducing the topic to a list of ‘good things humans should do’. The exam rewards analysis of why an approach might work under the stated conditions.
Students can practise comparing two options and making a conditional recommendation supported by case data.
Practical skills: variables, controls and a fair comparison
The 0697 syllabus embeds practical activities throughout its topic content. Students are expected to understand how investigation works, even though the formal practical-skills assessment is in a written paper.
Begin with the question: What relationship are we trying to examine? Identify the independent variable, the measured dependent variable and the conditions that should be controlled.
For example, if the investigation concerns salinity and water density, temperature may need to remain consistent. If it concerns organisms along a transect, sampling area and observation method should be considered.
A weak answer says ‘keep everything the same’. A stronger one names the variables relevant to the actual experiment and explains why they could otherwise influence the result.
Practical reasoning becomes easier through supervised small investigations and accurate reflection, not through memorising one universal ‘fair test’ paragraph.
Measurement, units and precision
Marine science measurements may involve mass, volume, temperature, salinity, time, length, depth, pH or abundance. Each quantity needs an appropriate instrument, unit and recorded precision.
Suppose a student measures a fixed water volume using a measuring cylinder. An answer should consider how the volume is read and whether the measurement method is consistent between samples.
A graph without units is ambiguous. A table of depth readings labelled only 2, 4 and 6 does not tell the reader whether the figures mean metres, centimetres or something else.
Significant figures and rounding should follow the task’s requirements and measurement precision. Do not round intermediate calculations so aggressively that the final answer becomes inaccurate.
Students should practise checking whether a result is plausible. A density value in unexpected units may indicate conversion error rather than a surprising scientific discovery.
This discipline supports all scientific papers, especially written practical assessments.
Graphs: describe first, explain second
Graphs are often valuable because they display trends or relationships that are difficult to see in a table. A student must read the axes and scale before interpreting.
For an example showing nutrient concentration and algal abundance, the first response should describe the observed pattern. Then the learner can offer a plausible biological mechanism, while recognising that the correlation alone may not establish causation.
If a graph has only a few points, do not invent a precise turning point between them without evidence. A line drawn through data is a representation, not an additional measurement.
A useful answer separates observed pattern, scientific explanation and limitation or uncertainty.
Practice plotting and interpreting unfamiliar datasets with clear labels, units and suitable graph types.
A high-quality graph is not necessarily the most colourful one; it is the one that shows the relevant relationship accurately.
Reliability, validity and limitations
A method can produce consistent readings yet fail to measure the intended property. Students should recognise that repeatability and appropriateness of measurement are related but different concerns.
A survey of marine organisms conducted only at easily accessible sites may omit deeper or more exposed habitats. Repeating it many times at the same biased locations does not automatically represent the whole coastline.
A good evaluation names the actual limitation and proposes an improvement that addresses it. ‘Use more equipment’ or ‘repeat more’ is too vague unless the connection is explained.
For practical questions, ask which source of uncertainty matters: instrument precision, uncontrolled conditions, observer differences, sample selection or limited time.
Then state how the suggested adjustment helps. A good answer may recognise that some limits cannot be eliminated entirely and that conclusions must remain proportional to the evidence.
Safety and environmental responsibility during fieldwork
Marine fieldwork can involve water, tides, waves, uneven surfaces, wildlife and changing weather. Even an apparently simple shoreline activity should follow school risk assessment and qualified supervision.
Students must not enter unsafe water or collect protected organisms for exam practice. Observation and sampling should respect habitats, legal restrictions and ethical considerations.
For classroom experiments, use equipment and materials according to school safety guidance. Glassware, electrical devices, chemicals and biological samples can pose risks when handled improperly.
A written practical answer should identify a specific hazard and a proportionate control rather than state only ‘be careful’.
Good investigation is not the same as taking unnecessary risks. Protecting the student, other people and the environment is part of responsible science.
If fieldwork access is limited, teachers can use suitable supervised alternatives and structured datasets to practise interpretation, while following Cambridge’s practical learning expectations.
A twelve-week preparation plan
Weeks 1–2: verify 0697 and the exam year. Diagnose the six topic areas, scientific vocabulary, basic mathematics and data handling.
Weeks 3–5: strengthen ocean and seawater processes, including salinity, temperature, density and movement. Complete appropriate teacher-supervised measurements and written follow-up.
Weeks 6–8: integrate marine organisms, nutrients, food webs and ecology. Practice graph reading, sampling and short causal explanations.
Weeks 9–10: study human impacts, climate change, pollution, fisheries and conservation. Compare management options using credible data rather than general slogans.
Weeks 11–12: complete current-format Paper 1 and Paper 2 practice under timed conditions and repair repeated errors, especially written practical skills.
This is an illustrative timetable, not a guarantee of any grade. Students should follow school schedules and the official syllabus rather than rush through experiments unsafely.
A weekly four-session learning routine
Session 1 — concepts: choose one science topic, draw a process diagram and explain it without notes.
Session 2 — data: interpret a graph or table and write one description, one causal explanation and one evidence limitation.
Session 3 — methods: examine a practical activity, identify variables and controls, and explain the proposed measurement and safety procedure.
Session 4 — evaluation: compare two human-impact or conservation scenarios and reach a supported conclusion. Reattempt one previously missed question.
Short, sustained sessions are preferable to marathon copying. Use spaced recall so earlier topics remain available when later topics introduce new contexts.
Full-paper rehearsals should measure readiness and identify weaknesses; they should not replace targeted teaching.
Frequently asked questions
How many Cambridge Marine Science 0697 papers are there from 2027?
Two compulsory written papers, each 1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks and 50% of the qualification.
Is there a practical test in a laboratory?
The formal AO3 practical-skills assessment is part of the written Paper 2, rather than a separate hands-on practical examination component. Supervised practical learning remains important.
What percentage of the overall grade tests experimental skills?
Cambridge specifies AO3 as 40% of Paper 2, equivalent to 20% of the whole qualification.
What are the six major topics?
The Earth and its oceans; sea water; marine organisms; nutrients and energy; marine ecology; and human influences on the marine environment.
Is Marine Science the same as Biology 0610?
No. Biology knowledge is helpful, but the course and papers are distinct. Marine Science integrates ocean physical conditions, ecological processes, practical inquiry and environmental issues.
Can older papers be used?
Yes, for relevant topic practice. Check whether an older paper matches the 2027–2029 syllabus before using it as an exact-format mock.
Does a marine science answer need numerical work?
Students should be prepared to handle data, measurements and simple scientific relationships at the level specified in the syllabus.
Official sources and next reading
Use the Cambridge Marine Science 0697 qualification page and 2027–2029 syllabus PDF. The document specifies the detailed learning outcomes and practical skills that schools should teach.
Other eduKateSG guides that provide transferable skills include How IGCSE Biology Works, How IGCSE Chemistry Works, and How IGCSE Geography Works. They are separate qualifications and should not replace 0697 paper information.
Final student checklist
- I have confirmed my syllabus code 0697 and the examination year.
- I know the two written-paper titles, durations, marks and 50% weightings.
- I can explain the six topic areas and connect their processes.
- I can describe seawater properties, marine organisms and ecosystem relationships accurately.
- I can work with tables, graphs, units, calculations and uncertainty.
- I know practical skills account for 20% of the qualification within Paper 2.
- I can identify relevant variables and controls in an unfamiliar investigation.
- I can evaluate pollution and conservation decisions using evidence and trade-offs.
- I distinguish observed findings from explanations and speculation.
- I use Cambridge’s current-year syllabus and correct repeated errors independently.
IGCSE Marine Science works when students connect ocean systems, scientific evidence, practical inquiry and responsible environmental decisions. The best student can explain an unfamiliar marine situation accurately while recognising what the available data do not prove.
Official reference: Cambridge IGCSE Marine Science (0697). This guide is independent eduKateSG educational commentary and not an official Cambridge publication.
More IGCSE Student Guides in This Batch
Read the other Cambridge IGCSE guides in this eduKateSG batch. Syllabuses and paper structures differ, so always check the correct code and examination year.