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Start here: Core, Extended and the four papers

Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics 0580 · syllabus for 2025–2027 and 2028–2030

📄Two tiers, four papers

Core (grades C–G): Paper 1 non-calculator and Paper 3 calculator, each 1 h 30 min, 80 marks, 50%
Extended (grades A*–E): Paper 2 non-calculator and Paper 4 calculator, each 2 h, 100 marks, 50%

Extended content includes all the Core content. On these pages, Extended-only material is marked EXTENDED; pages 2e, 6b, 7b and 9b are Extended only. All questions are compulsory, and any topic can appear on either paper of your tier.

🎯Accuracy and calculators

  • On the calculator papers, give non-exact answers to 3 significant figures and angles in degrees to 1 decimal place, unless told otherwise.
  • Use \( \pi \) from your calculator or 3.142, and do not round until the final answer.
  • On the non-calculator papers, answers are exact: fractions, surds and multiples of \( \pi \).
  • Bring a ruler, protractor and compasses; tracing paper can be requested.

📑The list of formulas

Given: areas of a triangle and circle, circumference, curved surface areas of a cylinder and cone, surface area of a sphere, volumes of a prism, pyramid, cylinder, cone and sphere; for Extended also the quadratic formula, sine rule, cosine rule and \( \tfrac{1}{2}ab\sin C \). Not given: the areas of a rectangle, parallelogram and trapezium, arc and sector formulas, Pythagoras, SOHCAHTOA, speed = distance ÷ time, percentage and interest methods, and the rules of indices.

📅Which syllabus?

These notes follow the 0580 syllabus for 2025, 2026 and 2027 and were checked against the syllabus for 2028, 2029 and 2030: the subject content is identical.