Cambridge IGCSE Maths Tutors Online

Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics is syllabus 0580. This page works from the syllabus for exams in 2025, 2026 and 2027. Exams are available in the June and November series, and also in the March series in India.

All candidates take two components, and the first decision is which route to follow. Candidates who have studied the Core subject content, or who are expected to achieve a grade D or below, are entered for Paper 1 and Paper 3, and are eligible for grades C to G. Candidates who have studied the Extended subject content, and who are expected to achieve a grade C or above, are entered for Paper 2 and Paper 4, and are eligible for grades A* to E.

There is no practical paper in this qualification, and no coursework. The two components are both written examinations, and the difference between them is the calculator. On Paper 1 and Paper 2 a calculator is not allowed, and on Paper 3 and Paper 4 a scientific calculator is required. Candidates should have a scientific calculator for the calculator papers.

That non-calculator paper is where many students lose marks they did not expect to lose. It is not a test of mental arithmetic for its own sake; it is a test of whether a student can work fluently with fractions, surds, indices and exact values without reaching for a machine. A student who can only work with decimals will find Paper 1 or Paper 2 hard regardless of how well they understand the topic.

Paper 1 is Non-calculator (Core), lasting 1 hour 30 minutes and carrying 80 marks, worth 50% of the qualification. Paper 3 is Calculator (Core), also lasting 1 hour 30 minutes and carrying 80 marks, worth 50%. Both are made up of structured and unstructured questions.

Paper 2 is Non-calculator (Extended), lasting 2 hours and carrying 100 marks, worth 50%. Paper 4 is Calculator (Extended), also lasting 2 hours and carrying 100 marks, worth 50%. Both are made up of structured and unstructured questions. So the Extended route means longer papers, more marks and, because both papers are worth the same as each other, a grade decided evenly across them.

The subject content is organised into nine topics: Number, Algebra and graphs, Coordinate geometry, Geometry, Mensuration, Trigonometry, Transformations and vectors, Probability, and Statistics. The syllabus notes that the content is organised by topic and is not presented in a teaching order, so a school sequences it as it sees fit.

The Core and Extended split works differently here from the sciences. There are no side by side columns; instead there is a Core subject content and an Extended subject content which contains the Core content as well as additional content. The Core content is intended for learners targeting grades C to G, and the Extended content is intended for learners targeting grades A* to C.

The assessment objectives are two. AO1 is knowledge and understanding of mathematical techniques, covering recalling and applying mathematical knowledge and techniques, carrying out routine procedures in mathematical and everyday situations, understanding and using mathematical notation and terminology, performing calculations with and without a calculator, organising and presenting information in written form, tables, graphs and diagrams, estimating and working to appropriate degrees of accuracy and converting between equivalent numerical forms, understanding and using measurement systems, measuring and drawing with geometrical instruments, and recognising spatial relationships in two and three dimensions. AO2 is analyse, interpret and communicate mathematically.

The weighting of those two objectives flips between the routes, and this is the most useful thing to understand about the qualification. For Core, AO1 is 60 to 70 per cent and AO2 is 30 to 40 per cent, so Core rewards technique. For Extended, AO1 is 40 to 50 per cent and AO2 is 50 to 60 per cent, so Extended rewards analysis and communication more than recall.

The per paper picture follows the same pattern. Paper 1 and Paper 3, the Core papers, are 60 to 70 per cent AO1 and 30 to 40 per cent AO2. Paper 2 and Paper 4, the Extended papers, are 40 to 50 per cent AO1 and 50 to 60 per cent AO2. So a student who moves from Core to Extended is not only meeting harder content, they are being marked on a different balance of skills.

The qualification is graded A*, A, B, C, D, E, F or G, with A* the highest and G the lowest. A candidate whose performance does not meet the standard required for grade G is ungraded, which is reported on the statement of results but not on the certificate.