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Cambridge IGCSE · Mathematics 0580Cambridge IGCSE Maths 0580 is tiered — Core (Papers 1 & 3, grades C–G) and Extended (Papers 2 & 4, grades A*–E). Apex assesses your child, recommends the right tier honestly, and teaches to it one-to-one, with real past-paper practice, live in your timezone.
IGCSE Maths 0580 is “tiered to allow candidates of all abilities to achieve and progress.” Core candidates sit Papers 1 and 3 and can achieve grades C–G; Extended candidates sit Papers 2 and 4 and can achieve grades A*–E. Each tier is exactly two written papers with no coursework, and the tier is chosen to match your child’s current level.
Tier 1 · Core
C–G
The foundation route — secure the core content and a solid, dependable grade.
Two written papers · no coursework
Tier 2 · Extended
A*–E
The higher route — full content, top grades, and the natural path into A Level Maths.
The natural path into A Level Maths
Source: Cambridge — IGCSE Mathematics 0580 & the 2025–2027 syllabus. Verified 8 July 2026.
Nothing in the maths — everything on the certificate. The identical Mathematics content is offered under two separate syllabus codes: 0580 is graded A*–G and 0980 is graded 9–1. The code decides which grade scale appears on the certificate, so check which one your child’s school enters — the 9–1 scale is an option only for UK-zone schools.
| Code | Grade scale |
|---|---|
| 0580 | A* – G |
| 0980 | 9 – 1 |
Source: Cambridge — IGCSE Mathematics 0580. Verified 8 July 2026.
IGCSE Mathematics 0580 is tiered. Core candidates sit Paper 1 and Paper 3 and can achieve grades C–G; Extended candidates sit Paper 2 and Paper 4 and can achieve grades A*–E. Each tier is two papers with no coursework, so the tier is chosen to match the student’s current level.
They are the same Mathematics content on two different grading scales, under separate syllabus codes: 0580 is graded A*–G and 0980 is graded 9–1. Once the entries deadline passes, a centre cannot switch a candidate between the two scales.
It depends on the target grade and current level: Core caps at grade C, while Extended reaches A*. Most students aiming for A Level Maths or competitive university courses take Extended. Apex assesses your child first and recommends the tier honestly, then teaches to it.
Yes. UK NARIC (now UK ENIC, the UK’s national recognition agency) benchmarked Cambridge IGCSE as comparable to the standard of a UK GCSE, and Russell Group universities — including Oxford, Cambridge and LSE — make no distinction between IGCSE and GCSE in admissions. So your child’s IGCSE Maths 0580 is treated on a par with GCSE Maths.
Yes. Cambridge counts an entry as a ’retake’ only when three things all apply: your child sat the same syllabus in the immediately preceding series, the series being entered has its own separate retake deadline, and the school’s exams officer ticks the ’retake’ box when first submitting the entry. It is arranged through your child’s Cambridge exam centre.
Cambridge IGCSE is Cambridge International’s upper-secondary qualification aimed at 14-to-16-year-olds, and Mathematics 0580 sits within it — Cambridge describes IGCSE as the world’s most popular international qualification for that age group. Exactly when your child begins depends on their school’s timetable, but 0580 is written for those upper-secondary years.
There is no coursework in Mathematics 0580 — it is assessed entirely by exam. Like all Cambridge IGCSEs it is assessed at the end of the course, and each tier is examined by exactly two papers of roughly equal weight (about 50% each). So your child’s whole grade comes from those exam papers, with no project or portfolio to complete along the way.
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