Cambridge IGCSE Maths 0580: Core and Extended papers, dates and grades

Cambridge IGCSE Maths papers

All papers have structured and unstructured questions. There is no coursework in 0580. This is the 2025 to 2027 syllabus; Cambridge has already published a new syllabus for 2028 to 2030.

Core or Extended?

Cambridge says to enter Core if you have studied the Core content or are expected to get D or below, and Extended if you have studied the Extended content and are expected to get C or above. Core allows grades C to G; Extended allows A* to E, so an Extended candidate who falls below E gets no grade. The Extended content includes all of Core plus Extended-only sections such as algebraic fractions, proportion, trigonometry in non-right-angled triangles, and vectors.

IGCSE Maths exam dates 2027

The June 2027 series runs from 26 April to 11 June 2027, so maths comes early. Cambridge publishes a timetable for each zone, so check yours with your exams officer. IGCSE Maths is also sat in November, and November 2026 results come out on 14 January 2027.

IGCSE Maths grade thresholds

In June 2026, Cambridge set these thresholds:

The paper version you sit depends on your time zone (zone 3 sits the 2-numbered versions in June 2027), and thresholds change every series. Use them as a guide when you mark past papers.

Cambridge IGCSE Maths topics

Core and Extended both cover nine topics: number, algebra and graphs, coordinate geometry, geometry, mensuration, trigonometry, transformations and vectors, probability, and statistics. Extended goes further in each.

Each tier has its own list of formulas printed in the exam. The syllabus says, for example, that circle formulas and the quadratic formula are given in the list of formulas, and that some answers may be asked for in terms of π or in surd form.

Worked examples

Core, non-calculator: a percentage increase

Increase $240 by 15%. 10% is $24 and 5% is $12, so 15% is $36, and the new amount is $276.

Core: area of a trapezium

A trapezium has parallel sides of 7 cm and 11 cm and a height of 5 cm. Its area is ½ × (7 + 11) × 5 = 45 cm².

Extended: the quadratic formula

Solve 2x² − 3x − 4 = 0, giving answers in surd form and to 3 significant figures:

So x ≈ 2.35 or x ≈ −0.851.

Extended: the sine rule

In triangle ABC, a = 8 cm, angle A = 40° and angle B = 65°. By the sine rule, b = 8 × sin 65° ÷ sin 40° ≈ 11.3 cm.

Practise solving quadratics with the formula in our Algebra course, then press Mark to check your answer in the course:

Use the daily paper as a short timed mock

Uni-Sine publishes a free daily paper for IGCSE Maths (Core) and IGCSE Maths (Extended). Each is a short timed mock: 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, with a suggested 30 to 40 minutes, marked when you finish. It is not a full Cambridge paper, and the questions are original, not past papers.

• What it covers well: number, fractions and percentages, ratio and proportion, algebra and equations, sequences, straight-line and quadratic graphs, inequalities, simultaneous equations, indices and surds, angles and circle theorems, area, Pythagoras and trigonometry, similarity, transformations, vectors, probability, and statistics including histograms and cumulative frequency.
• What it does not cover: the split into a non-calculator and a calculator paper, so check each question's calculator rule. Mensuration of 3D shapes and functions get less attention than on the real papers.

For full papers under exam conditions, use Cambridge past papers from your teacher, and read our IGCSE mocks guide for when mocks happen and how to revise for them.

Common mistakes in IGCSE Maths

• Rounding too early. Cambridge asks for non-exact answers to 3 significant figures, or 1 decimal place for angles in degrees, unless the question says otherwise, and warns against rounding before the final answer.
• Calculator in degrees or radians? Check it is in degrees before any trigonometry.
• Losing method marks. On the non-calculator paper especially, show every step.
• Ignoring "in terms of π". Leave π in the answer when asked.

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