0620_m26_er — 2026 March Chemistry 0620 Examiner Report

0620_m26_er — 2026 March Chemistry 0620 Examiner Report · Cambridge CAIE IGCSE

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0620_m26_er — 2026 March Chemistry 0620 Examiner Report

This examiner report covers Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry (0620) from the 2026 March session. Written by the principal examiner, it provides detailed commentary on candidate performance across all paper components — highlighting the most common mistakes, misconceptions, and what distinguished top-scoring answers from weaker ones. This is one of the most valuable revision tools available, yet most students never read it.

Also referenced as: 0620_m26_er · 0620/f/m/26 · 0620 Feb/March 2026

This examiner report covers all paper components for Chemistry (0620) in this session. Read it after completing each question paper to understand where the cohort gained and lost marks, and how your approach compares to the examiner's expectations.

Examiner reports are the highest-value revision resource most students overlook. For Chemistry (0620), read each section of this report alongside the corresponding question paper. Note which questions had the lowest success rate — these are the topics you should prioritise. The examiner often explains exactly what was required for full marks, giving you a template for structuring your own answers.

Examiner Insights

Based on analysis of 8 official Cambridge documents (2023, 2025)

Giving conclusions instead of observations

“Candidates should understand what the word 'observations' means. 'A gas is produced' or to state the name of a product are not observations.”— Paper 4, May/June 2025

How to fix: When asked for observations, describe what you SEE or HEAR: effervescence/bubbling/fizzing (not 'gas produced'), colour changes (state from X to Y), solid dissolves/disappears, precipitate forms (white/cream/brown), temperature rises/falls. NEVER name a chemical product — 'hydrogen is produced' is a conclusion, not an observation.

Not reading the question stem carefully

“Candidates should take care to read each question carefully especially where chemical names are very similar such as ethane/ethene or chlorine/chloride.”— Paper 2, May/June 2025

How to fix: Before writing: (1) Underline the command word (state, explain, describe, suggest, deduce). (2) Check for 'other than' — don't repeat what's already given. (3) Check 'element' vs 'compound', 'name' vs 'formula', 'observation' vs 'conclusion'. (4) If the question says 'one reason', give exactly one — extra wrong answers cancel out correct ones.

Incomplete or incorrect definitions

“Many candidates could state part of the definition but not all of it. Most omitted the words 'compound' or 'only' which were needed to gain credit.”— Paper 3, May/June 2025

How to fix: Learn these definitions precisely: element, compound, mixture, alloy, hydrocarbon, homologous series, isotope, ion, catalyst, thermal decomposition, dynamic equilibrium, oxidation, reduction. For two-word terms, explain EACH word separately. Test yourself by writing definitions from memory and checking against the syllabus.

View full exam guide for Chemistry (0620) →