IGCSE Biology and Chemistry, October/November 2026: Every Paper Date, All Six Zones, Both Boards
Cambridge and Edexcel IGCSE Biology and Chemistry paper dates, sessions and deadlines for October–November 2026.
By Hosni — Biology and Chemistry teacher, more than 20 years' experience, 16 of them at A-level, teaching to Cambridge and Edexcel mark schemes
If you are sitting IGCSE Biology or Chemistry this autumn, here is the single most useful thing I can tell you before you read another word: for Biology 0610 and Chemistry 0620, the paper dates are identical in every one of Cambridge's six administrative zones. I opened all six of the November 2026 final timetables and compared them line by line. The dates match exactly. What changes from zone to zone is only two things — whether you sit in the morning or the afternoon, and which variant number sits at the end of your component code.
That matters because the question I see most often at this time of year is some version of "which zone timetable do I need?" For these two subjects, you do not need to hunt for it to know your dates. You only need it to know your session.
There is one important exception, and it catches people out every year. Co-ordinated Sciences 0654 does not follow the same pattern — its dates do move between zones. More on that below.
Jump to what you need
- Cambridge IGCSE Biology 0610 / 0970 — paper dates
- Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry 0620 / 0971 — paper dates
- Which component number is yours?
- Co-ordinated Sciences — the exception
- Edexcel International GCSE Biology 4BI1 and Chemistry 4CH1
- What the November paper order means for revision
- Entry deadlines — is it too late?
- When do results come out?
- Common questions
Cambridge IGCSE Biology 0610 (and 0970) — every paper date
| Paper | What it is | Length | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 / Paper 2 | Multiple choice (Core / Extended) | 45 min | Tuesday 10 November 2026 |
| Paper 3 / Paper 4 | Theory (Core / Extended) | 1h 15m | Friday 16 October 2026 |
| Paper 5 | Practical test | 1h 15m | Tuesday 13 October 2026 |
| Paper 6 | Alternative to Practical | 1 hour | Tuesday 13 October 2026 |
These dates are the same whether your centre is in zone 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.
The 9–1 version of the syllabus, Biology 0970, sits on exactly the same dates. One thing worth knowing: 0970 and 0971 appear only in the zone 3 timetable for this series. If you are entered for the 9–1 codes in November, your centre is almost certainly a zone 3 centre.
Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry 0620 (and 0971) — every paper date
| Paper | What it is | Length | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 / Paper 2 | Multiple choice (Core / Extended) | 45 min | Thursday 12 November 2026 |
| Paper 3 / Paper 4 | Theory (Core / Extended) | 1h 15m | Monday 12 October 2026 |
| Paper 5 | Practical test | 1h 15m | Thursday 15 October 2026 |
| Paper 6 | Alternative to Practical | 1 hour | Thursday 15 October 2026 |
Again, identical across all six zones.
Notice what this means if you are taking both sciences. Your four October papers fall on 12, 13, 15 and 16 October — four exam days inside a single week. Then nothing for three and a half weeks, and then two multiple-choice papers in November. Plan around that shape, not around a vague sense that "exams are in October".
Which component number is yours? Zone by zone
Your component code ends in a variant digit — 0610/ 31, 0610/ 32 or 0610/ 33, for example. That digit is decided by your zone, and the zones pair up:
| Zone | Variant digit | Session for Biology and Chemistry |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 1 (…/11, /21, /31, /41, /51, /61) | Morning |
| Zone 2 | 1 | Afternoon |
| Zone 3 | 2 (…/12, /22, /32, /42, /52, /62) | Morning |
| Zone 4 | 2 | Afternoon |
| Zone 5 | 3 (…/13, /23, /33, /43, /53, /63) | Morning |
| Zone 6 | 3 | Afternoon |
Two zones share each variant paper; the pair is split so one sits it in the morning and the other in the afternoon. That is how Cambridge keeps a single paper secure across very different time zones.
Two warnings. First, the variant digit is set per syllabus, not per zone — a zone 1 centre sits Biology 0610/31 but Co-ordinated Sciences 0654/33. Do not assume your zone number is your variant number for every subject. Second, zones 4 and 5 also run evening sessions for some syllabuses, so "morning or afternoon" is not the whole story in those zones for every subject you take.
This digit matters for more than admin. When you download past papers to practise, pick the variant you will sit. The papers are different, and the style of a variant tends to be consistent year to year.
Co-ordinated Sciences and Combined Science — the exception
If you are entered for Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award) 0654, the neat rule above does not hold. Comparing the six timetables:
- The theory papers sit on Thursday 15 October in zones 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 — but on Wednesday 14 October in zone 1.
- The practical and Alternative to Practical papers move around between 19, 20 and 21 October depending on the zone, and in some zones the practical and the alternative are not even on the same day.
The multiple-choice papers are steadier: they sit on Thursday 5 November in zones 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, but on Wednesday 4 November in zone 1. Combined Science 0653 shows the same kind of zone-to-zone movement in its practical components.
So: if you are a Co-ordinated or Combined Science candidate, you do need your own zone's timetable, and you should not take a date from a friend at another school abroad.
Edexcel International GCSE — Biology 4BI1 and Chemistry 4CH1
Edexcel runs an entirely separate calendar, set out in its final November 2026 International GCSE timetable. The International GCSE November 2026 series runs from Tuesday 27 October to Thursday 19 November 2026, and every science paper is a morning session.
| Subject | Paper | Length | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology (Linear) 4BI1 | Paper 1B | 2 hours | Monday 2 November 2026 |
| Biology (Linear) 4BI1 | Paper 2B | 1h 15m | Friday 13 November 2026 |
| Chemistry (Linear) 4CH1 | Paper 1C | 2 hours | Monday 9 November 2026 |
| Chemistry (Linear) 4CH1 | Paper 2C | 1h 15m | Monday 16 November 2026 |
The modular routes run alongside the linear ones on the same days: Biology 4WBI1 Unit 1 on 2 November and 4WBI2 Unit 2 on 13 November; Chemistry 4WCH1 Unit 1 on 9 November and 4WCH2 Unit 2 on 16 November. Each modular unit paper is 1 hour 40 minutes.
Science (Double Award) 4SD0 candidates sit Paper 1B on 2 November, Paper 1C on 9 November and Paper 1P on 11 November. Human Biology 4HB1 sits on 10 and 19 November.
One detail international candidates should not skip: the 9:00am start time printed on the Edexcel timetable applies to UK centres. Centres outside the UK work from Pearson's separate start-times document for their time zone, so your local start may not be 9:00am. Ask your exams officer for the local time rather than assuming.
What the November paper order means for your revision
This is where the November series differs from June in a way that costs students marks.
In November, the multiple-choice paper comes last — and not by a day or two. For Cambridge Biology, the theory paper is on 16 October and the multiple-choice paper is on 10 November: twenty-five days later. For Chemistry the gap is thirty-one days, from 12 October to 12 November.
What I see happen is this. A student walks out of the theory paper in mid-October, feels the hard part is behind them, and lets the content go cold. Four weeks later they sit forty marks of multiple choice on a syllabus they last thought about properly in September. Multiple-choice questions punish half-remembered detail more than structured questions do, because there is no method mark to rescue you and no room to write your way toward the point. Definitions, units, ionic equations, solubility rules, the exact wording of a food test result — these are the things that fade in four weeks and the things Paper 1 and Paper 2 ask about directly.
Treat the November multiple-choice paper as a separate exam with its own short revision block in the first week of November. Twenty minutes a day of recall practice across that gap is worth more than a heavy weekend the night before.
The second thing to notice is the order within each subject:
- Biology: the practical or Alternative to Practical paper (13 October) comes before the theory paper (16 October).
- Chemistry: the theory paper (12 October) comes before the practical or ATP (15 October).
So your Biology practical skills need to be sharp several days before your Biology content peaks, while in Chemistry the reverse is true. Students who build one undifferentiated revision plan across both subjects tend to arrive at the Biology ATP underprepared. Front-load practical technique — variables, tables, graph drawing, precision of measurement, safety — in the first week of October for Biology.
For Edexcel candidates, the shape is different again. Chemistry gives you exactly one week between Paper 1C and Paper 2C, and Biology gives you eleven days between Paper 1B and Paper 2B. Those are usable gaps. The Edexcel Paper 2 in each subject is shorter and draws on the full specification, so use the week to sweep the whole course rather than to revisit whatever went badly in Paper 1.
Entry deadlines — is it too late?
The standard Cambridge entry deadline has passed, but two important September deadlines still matter.
Cambridge. Cambridge's key dates for the November 2026 series put the final entries deadline at 16 August 2026. Two later deadlines both fall on 21 September 2026: the deadline for retake entries from the June 2026 series, and the general late entries deadline. Forecast grades are due from centres by 31 October.
Edexcel. Pearson's Information Manual key dates put the International GCSE entry deadline at 12 September 2026. Late fees apply from 13 September, and amendment and high late fees apply from 10 October. Coursework and NEA marks are due by 5 November.
Entries are always made by your school or exam centre, never by you directly. If you think you may have missed a deadline, speak to your exams officer today rather than next week — the fee structure gets steeper on fixed dates, and after the final cut-off the next sitting is June 2027.
When do October/November 2026 results come out?
Cambridge releases IGCSE and O Level results on 14 January 2027, at 06:00 GMT. Schools can pass them to candidates immediately. Cambridge International AS and A Level results come a week earlier, on 7 January 2027. The deadline for enquiries about results is 26 February 2027, and certificates are sent in mid-March.
Edexcel International GCSE results go to centres on 20 January 2027, and centres may release them to candidates from 21 January 2027. Grade boundaries are published on Pearson's website on the same date. November certificates are issued by February 2027.
So a student sitting Cambridge papers gets their results a week before a student sitting Edexcel papers, even though the Edexcel series finishes later. If you are applying somewhere with a January deadline, that week matters — check which board your result is coming from before you promise anyone a date.
Common questions
Are the IGCSE October/November 2026 exam dates the same in every country? For Cambridge Biology 0610 and Chemistry 0620, yes — the dates are identical across all six administrative zones. Only the session (morning or afternoon) and the component variant number change. Co-ordinated Sciences 0654 and Combined Science 0653 are exceptions, with practical and theory dates that shift between zones.
When is IGCSE Chemistry in October/November 2026? Cambridge 0620: theory on Monday 12 October, practical and ATP on Thursday 15 October, multiple choice on Thursday 12 November. Edexcel 4CH1: Paper 1C on Monday 9 November, Paper 2C on Monday 16 November.
When is IGCSE Biology in October/November 2026? Cambridge 0610: practical and ATP on Tuesday 13 October, theory on Friday 16 October, multiple choice on Tuesday 10 November. Edexcel 4BI1: Paper 1B on Monday 2 November, Paper 2B on Friday 13 November.
Which zone am I in? Your centre knows, and your statement of entry will tell you. For Biology and Chemistry it only affects your session and your variant number, not your dates.
Can I still enter for November 2026? Cambridge's standard deadline passed on 16 August, but its June-retake and late-entry deadline is 21 September. Edexcel's standard International GCSE deadline is 12 September, with late fees applying from 13 September. Ask your exams officer today what is still possible; if not, the next International GCSE sitting is June 2027.
Which past paper variant should I practise? The one matching your zone's variant digit — /1x for zones 1 and 2, /2x for zones 3 and 4, /3x for zones 5 and 6. Check per syllabus, since the digit is not always the same across your subjects.
Check your own timetable
Everything above was read out of the final November 2026 timetables and key-dates documents published by Cambridge International and Pearson. Boards do issue amendments, and your centre is the authority on your personal schedule. When your statement of entry arrives, check every paper code against it — including the variant digit — and tell your exams officer at once if anything looks wrong.
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