Before you choose a route, read the code and exam year on your own entry, then match them to the Cambridge subject page. This takes ten minutes and decides which syllabus document, notation and past questions are relevant to you.
This is the first lesson in digital versus paper route checking. The code guide for 0478 gives the stable facts, and the syllabus navigator lets you record what you confirmed.
What does an entry code actually tell you?
The code names the qualification. It does not name the exam year, the paper format or the notation. Cambridge publishes syllabus documents that cover a run of exam years, so the code and the year work together.
For 0478, Cambridge lists a syllabus document for 2026 to 2028 on its subject page. Always open the page yourself and read what it says for your year.
How do you identify the code step by step?
- Ask your school or exam centre for your code and exam year in writing.
- Open the Cambridge subject page for that code.
- Find the syllabus document whose years include your exam year.
- Write three things at the start of your revision file: code, exam year, document name.
- Label every resource you own with the code it was made for, or “unknown”.
Worked example
Imagine a student, Aina, who has three resources:
- A PDF titled “Computer Science 0478 syllabus 2026-2028”.
- A video series titled “IGCSE Computer Science full course” with no code shown.
- A set of slides titled “ICT revision”.
Her centre confirms in writing: Computer Science, code 0478, exam year 2027.
Step 1. Her code is 0478 and her year is 2027.
Step 2. The PDF shows the years 2026 to 2028. 2027 lies between them, so the document covers her year. She still checks the Cambridge page to be sure it is the current document.
Step 3. The video series shows no code or year. She labels it “unknown” and uses it only for ideas she can find in her PDF.
Step 4. The slides are for ICT, a separate subject. She sets them aside.
Her file now starts with: “0478, 2027, syllabus 2026-2028 PDF. Video series: unknown. ICT slides: not used.”
What mistake should you avoid?
Mistaken approach: “The video says IGCSE Computer Science, so it matches my entry.”
A subject name is not a code, and a video does not say which years it was made for. A topic can be dropped, added or reworded between documents.
Correction: treat a resource as unconfirmed until you can match it to your code and exam year. You can still watch it, but check every point against your syllabus document.
Check yourself
1. A student’s centre says exam year 2028, code 0478. Their PDF covers 2026 to 2028. Does the PDF cover their year?
Show answer
Yes. 2028 is the last year in the range 2026 to 2028, so it is covered. They should still confirm the document on the Cambridge page.
2. Name the three items to record at the start of a revision file.
Show answer
The code, the exam year and the name of the syllabus document.
3. A friend gives you notes labelled “ICT”. Should you add them to your Computer Science plan?
Show answer
Not without checking. ICT is a separate subject. Compare each topic with your Computer Science syllabus document and keep only what matches.
Where this leads next
Next, why a screen-based route is not a home exam shows who arranges where you sit. When you are ready, test yourself with the mixed practice set.
If you would like a teacher to check your resources against your entry, see our online one-to-one Computer Science tuition.