IGCSE Marine Science · Syllabus 0697

Start with the ocean. Everything else follows.

All six areas of the 2027-2029 0697 syllabus - the Earth and its oceans, sea water, marine organisms, nutrients and energy, marine ecology and human influence - explained, diagrammed and self-marked. Free, no login, works on any device.

14 topics · 110 exam-style questions · 361 marks, all free

See the full IGCSE Marine Science syllabus

A cutaway of the ocean from surface to sea floor, with a reef, a mangrove and a turtle
The six syllabus areas

Every syllabus topic, in Cambridge's own structure

Work through them in order or jump straight to what you need tonight. Each topic page teaches the content, then tests it.

Area 1

The Earth and its oceans

The structure of the Earth, plate tectonics, the shape of the oceans and seas, and the tides and currents that move water around the planet.

Area 2

Sea water

The water cycle, salinity and pH, the gases dissolved in sea water, density, the effects of increasing depth, and upwelling.

Area 3

Marine organisms

Cell structure and function, reproduction, classification, the animal, plant and protoctist kingdoms, animal life cycles and migration.

Area 4

Nutrients and energy

The nutrients organisms need, respiration, photosynthesis, and the feeding relationships that move energy through a marine food web.

Area 5

Marine ecology

The components of marine ecosystems and how to investigate them, then the five ecosystems the syllabus names: open ocean, rocky shore, sedimentary shore, mangrove forest and tropical coral reef.

Area 6

Human influences on the marine environment

Tourism, fisheries, aquaculture, energy from the oceans, plastic pollution, eutrophication, climate change and conservation strategies.

Exam practice

The part that turns knowing into marks

Knowing the content and scoring marks are two different skills. These tools train the second one.

Command words

Every command word Cambridge uses, what it actually means, and what the examiner wants to see. Includes a trainer that shows you the difference between a 1-mark and a 2-mark answer to the same question.

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Question bank

Every question on the site in one place. Filter by topic, command word, marks or AO1/AO2, then build a set and mark yourself against the scheme.

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Why students lose marks

Real student answers that score badly, the exact reason each one loses marks, and the version that scores. This is where most marks are quietly thrown away.

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Quick 10

Ten random questions. Get a score, a breakdown by area, and a focused follow-up set built from whatever you were weakest on.

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Progress tracker

Your Learn / Practise / Test / Mastered status for every topic, saved in this browser. Shows exactly what is left.

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How long have you got?

Pick the time you actually have. The plan changes to fit it.

Everything here is free

No packs to buy, no subscription and no login. Every topic, every question and every diagram is open to any student who needs it.

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