New Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Geography Syllabus: Explained

The world is changing fast — and so is the IGCSE Geography course. From 2025, Cambridge (CIE) has introduced a brand-new syllabus for the 0976 IGCSE (9–1) and the 0460 IGCSE Geography exam. The first exams for this new syllabus will be in 2027.  

Whether you're interested in climate change, development, or why people live near volcanoes, this updated course is packed with relevant topics that help you understand the real world.

In this guide, I’ll break down the key updates, what you’ll learn, how you’ll be assessed, and how you can prepare effectively. 

Overview of the New Syllabus

The new syllabus has been designed to make Geography more meaningful and practical. Here’s what you need to know:

• The content is now split into two sections: Physical Geography (Paper 1) and Human Geography (Paper 2).

• A new Climate Change topic has been added to reflect current global challenges.

• The Geographical Skills paper has been removed — instead, geographical skills will be tested throughout all papers.

• The focus on sustainability has been strengthened across every topic.

• The settlement, water and weather topics are no longer in the syllabus

• The terms High-Income Countries (HICs), Middle-Income Countries (MICs) and Low-Income Countries (LICs) have replaced More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs) and Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs)

• Detailed specific examples have replaced case studies

• Paper 4 is now named Geographical Investigations

You'll still be developing the same core skills—like analysing data, using maps and graphs, and making decisions—but now with even more emphasis on how to apply those skills in the real world.

Core Topics and Content

Here’s what you’ll study, split by paper:

Paper 1: Physical Geography

1. Changing river environments
   

2. Changing coastal environments
   

3. Changing ecosystems (rainforests & Antarctica)
   

4. Tectonic hazards
   

5. Climate change

Paper 2: Human Geography

6. Changing populations
   

7. Changing towns and cities
   

8. Development
   

9. Changing economies
   

10. Resource provision (food, energy)

Across all topics, you’ll use detailed specific examples (instead of traditional case studies) to bring your learning to life. Your teacher chooses these examples to make them as relevant as possible to your area or interests.

What’s Changed?

Here’s a quick comparison of the biggest updates:

The aim of the changes is to create a syllabus that feels more up-to-date, more engaging, and more like real geography.

How will you be Assessed?

Everyone takes three components:

In all components, you’ll be tested on:

• Knowledge & understanding
  

• Skills & analysis
  

• Evaluation & decision-making

You’ll answer a mix of short and long questions, many based on real maps, graphs, and data.

How to Prepare for the New CIE IGCSE Geography Syllabus

Organise your notes by topic

• Keep Paper 1 and Paper 2 content clearly separated to make revision easier.

Practise with real data

• Get comfortable reading maps, analysing graphs and spotting trends — these skills are tested in every paper.

Use real-world examples

• Make sure you know your detailed specific examples — what happened, why, and what solutions were used (especially if they were sustainable).

Focus on evaluation

• Many questions now ask you to compare options and justify your decisions. Practise writing balanced answers with pros, cons and a conclusion.

Target your revision

•  Use past questions to test yourself on command words like “explain”, “evaluate” and “justify”. These show up all the time.

Save My Exams CIE IGCSE Geography Revision Resources

We’ve updated all our IGCSE Geography resources to match the new syllabus.

• Topic-by-topic revision notes — clear, concise, and exam-focused

• Examiner tips — clear hints and tips to help you ace your exams

• Key terms – definitions of the key terms for each option to print off as a PDF

• Additional detailed specific examples 

Coming later this year!

• Exam-style questions — including map skills, data analysis and extended answers

• Model answers — learn how to write top-band responses

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Created by teachers and examiners who know exactly what you need to revise to achieve the best grades, our resources help students to save time and get straight to the content you need. 

Explore Our IGCSE Geography Revision Resources

References

Cambridge (CIE) 0976 IGCSE (9-1)

Cambridge (CIE) 0460 IGCSE