Cambridge IGCSE Environmental Management (0680): syllabus, papers and marking

Two source-based written papers. Six-mark argument answers are marked in levels, and graphs and calculations for precision and working.

Syllabus for examination in 2027, 2028 and 2029 (revised; the 2025–2026 syllabus has different paper titles) · June and November series · grades A*–G

Environmental Management 0680: where the marks go

Environmental Management 0680 has two 80-mark papers, 1 h 45 min each, both built on source material. From 2027 the course is revised: Paper 1 is Principles of Environmental Management, Paper 2 is Environmental Management in Context, new topics include fracking and plastic pollution, and practical method questions are limited to Paper 2.

Our papers follow the revised format with original sources. Short answers are marked point by point, six-mark argument answers in levels, and graph work for scales and plotting.

How we mark a real script

Paper structure and what we mark

PaperTimeMarksWeightQuestions
Paper 1 — Principles of Environmental Management1 h 45 min8050%Short-answer and structured questions, with extended-response questions on source material
Paper 2 — Environmental Management in Context1 h 45 min8050%Short-answer, data-processing and analysis, and extended-response questions on source material

Syllabus outline

  1. Natural resources: rocks, ores and minerals, energy, fracking
  2. Land: soils, agriculture, deforestation
  3. Water: supply, use, pollution, plastic pollution
  4. The atmosphere and human activities: pollution, climate change
  5. Ecosystems, biodiversity and fieldwork investigations
  6. Natural hazards
  7. Human population

How each paper is marked here

Where Environmental Management 0680 candidates lose marks

  1. One-sided six-mark answers — The level-of-response question wants both sides of the statement, examples, and a decision.
  2. Extra answers added to a one-answer question — An incorrect answer put into a list can cancel the credit.
  3. Graphs with the wrong scale or loose plotting — Points need to be plotted with precision on a sensible scale.
  4. Working not shown — Method credit is available even when the final value is wrong.
  5. Everyday wording in place of the term — The scientific term (weathering, erosion, compaction) is what earns the mark.

Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for 0680

See a real handwritten script marked by eight examiners at admitportfolio.com/examiners.

Questions teachers ask

Is fieldwork examined?
The revised syllabus adds a fieldwork investigations sub-topic and limits practical method questions to Paper 2.
Is this the O Level course?
No. O Level Environmental Management is 5014; 0680 is the IGCSE.
Which syllabus years apply?
2027, 2028 and 2029; the 2025–2026 syllabus has a different paper structure.
Is this official Cambridge marking?
No. Cambridge International Education marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for 0680. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
Do you reproduce past-paper questions?
No. Every 0680 paper here is original and written to the syllabus for examination in 2027, 2028 and 2029 (revised; the 2025–2026 syllabus has different paper titles), in the same structure as the real papers shown above.
Which papers are marked?
None yet are marked question by question. Practical exams sat at the centre are not marked here.
How is the next paper chosen?
From the marks a student lost: the concepts behind them are ranked by marks dropped, and the new paper weights those topics. It is the same syllabus and structure, with new questions.
When are the exams?
June and November series. Grades A*–G.

Other Cambridge IGCSE courses

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