Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics (0580)

The specification at a glance

Syllabus code

0580

Awarding body

Cambridge Assessment International Education

Syllabus version

2025–2027

Core papers

Paper 1 (non-calculator) + Paper 3 (calculator)

Core paper format

1 hour 30 minutes, 80 marks, 50% each

Extended papers

Paper 2 (non-calculator) + Paper 4 (calculator)

Extended paper format

2 hours, 100 marks, 50% each

Core grades

C–G

Extended grades

A*–E

Calculator

Scientific calculator required on the calculator papers

Exam series

June; November; March (India only)

01

Core and Extended are different papers, not different tiers of one

Cambridge splits 0580 into two routes with separately defined content. Extended contains everything in Core plus additional material, and a candidate is entered for one route or the other at the point of entry.

The grade ranges do not fully overlap. Core reaches a maximum of grade C; Extended bottoms out at E. A student entered for Core cannot be awarded an A or a B regardless of how well they perform, which makes the entry decision consequential in a way that is easy to underestimate.

• Core — Paper 1 (non-calculator) and Paper 3 (calculator), 1 hour 30 minutes and 80 marks each, grades C to G
• Extended — Paper 2 (non-calculator) and Paper 4 (calculator), 2 hours and 100 marks each, grades A* to E

02

The 2025 change: a dedicated non-calculator paper

From the 2025 syllabus, each route has an explicit non-calculator paper — Paper 1 on Core and Paper 2 on Extended. Revision material written before that change describes a different assessment shape, and a good deal of it is still circulating.

For students this is a real shift in preparation rather than an administrative one. Arithmetic fluency that a calculator used to absorb is now directly assessed across half the qualification.

03

Two assessment objectives, not three

Cambridge uses two assessment objectives where the English GCSE boards use three. There is no AO3 in 0580, and material written for a UK GCSE audience that refers to one does not apply here.

The weighting also inverts between routes. On Core, most marks are for knowing and applying technique; on Extended, most are for analysis, interpretation and communication.

• AO1 — knowledge and understanding of mathematical techniques: 60–70% Core, 40–50% Extended
• AO2 — analyse, interpret and communicate mathematically: 30–40% Core, 50–60% Extended

04

How we prepare students for 0580

0580 is the qualification most of our international-curriculum students are entered for, and the route decision is where we spend the first weeks. We work a full Extended past series under timed conditions before advising, because the honest question is not whether a student could pass Core but whether they can reach the grades only Extended offers.

For students continuing to A Level or an international equivalent, Extended is usually necessary rather than merely preferable, and we say so early enough for it to be actionable.