IGCSE Mathematics (0580)
Subject Guide & Exam Tips
“Summarise your learning in the form of mind maps by topic. This enables you to make connections between each subtopic and highlight important formulae.”
Written by: Elaine GohCambridge Examiner, IGCSE Core and Extended Mathematics (4 years)
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0580 IGCSE Mathematics is a subject that aims to build solid Mathematical foundation for learners and provide them with life skills and a solid foundation for further study. Candidates have the option to take either the Extended or the Core Syllabus, both of which provide opportunities to develop problem solving, communication and reasoning skills.
CORE SYLLABUS
The Core Syllabus comprises Paper 1 and Paper 3. Paper 1 contains only short-answer questions with the weightage of 35%. Paper 3 is made up of structured questions with a weightage of 65%. Like the Extended Syllabus, the main content is also divided into the same 4 topics – ‘Number’, ‘Algebra’, ‘Shape and Space’ and ‘Probability and Statistics’. However, in the Core syllabus Numbers (30-35%) and Shape and Space (30-35%) carry most of the weightage. The highest grade possible for Core syllabus is a C. There are some subtopics that are only assessed in the Extended syllabus. Take the time to review the Interactive Learner Guide and be aware of these main differences in subject content and difficulty e.g. Numbers – Growth and Decay is only assessed in the Extended syllabus.
EXTENDED SYLLABUS
The Extended Syllabus comprises Paper 2 and Paper 4. Paper 2 contains only short-answer questions and accounts for 35% of the overall grade with a total of 70 marks available. Paper 4 is made up of structured questions with a weightage of 65% and a total of 130 marks available. The main content is divided into 4 topics – ‘Number’, ‘Algebra’, ‘Shape and Space’ and ‘Probability and Statistics’. Algebra (35-40%) , Shape and Space (30-35%) take most of the weightage in Extended Mathematics. The grades available in the Extended Syllabus range from an A*-E.
Read through the Interactive Learner Guide provided by Cambridge Assessment International Education to understand the syllabus and topics tested in your course. Use the revision checklist provided in the guide to plan your revision accordingly.
Practice past year questions regularly.
This enables you to:
- familiarise yourself with the structure of the paper
- understand the command terms (check page 37 of the IGCSE syllabus for the listed command words); and,
- identify topics that need more revision.
Summarise your learning in the form of mind maps by topic. This enables you to make connections between each subtopic and highlight important formulae. Alternatively, list down important formulae and notes for each topic in the form of bullet points.
Familiarise yourself with the calculator model that you are using.
- Do you know how to clear all memories before your examination?
- Are you using the right mode?
- Do you know how to convert fraction answers to decimals with your calculator?
- Can you key in fractions efficiently and confidently?
Tips while practicing with past year papers:
- Start by going through the questions by topic. (This enables you to identify which topic needs more attention in your revision.) This should be used alongside your revision checklist to mark your progress.
- After practising questions by topic, try to practise by paper. Time yourself while attempting the paper to improve on your time management. This ensures that you have enough time to complete the paper during the examination.
- Use the mark scheme to mark your work so that you understand how marks are allocated. This enables you to anticipate what is required by the examiner. Pay attention to how method marks are awarded. When reviewing your papers, take note it is not possible to score M0A1 as a Method (M1) must be correctly shown to receive the Accuracy (A1) mark.
STRATEGISE
Read through the paper first and start with questions/topics that you’re confident with. This will boost your morale and ensures that you have the chance to maximise your score.
KEEP IN MIND THE REQUIRED DEGREE OF ACCURACY
Read the instructions provided on the front cover of the exam paper. Keep in mind the degree of accuracy required. i.e: if the degree of accuracy is not stated in the question, round your final answer to 3 significant figures. Remember, it is 1 decimal point for angles, and 2 decimal points for currency.
READ THE QUESTIONS CAREFULLY
1. Does the question specify the degree of accuracy? Not giving your final answer to the required accuracy as required by the question will set you back by 1 mark.
2. Is it a “show” question? A show question requires you to provide workings as to how you arrive at your answer. For example, if the question mentions that you are required to show your answer to 2 decimal places, you will have to give your final answer to more than 2 decimal places to show that it is rounded to the correct answer in 2 decimal places.
3. Underline or highlight the command terms. Does the question requires you to sketch or plot? The latter requires a graph paper whereas the former can be a freehand drawing with only the key points of the graph labelled.
4. If you come across the word “hence”, it usually means that you are required to use your previous answer(s) to work it out.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR WORKINGS
1. Provide all steps in your workings that are easy to follow before arriving at your answer. Candidates may have a slip in their working during the exam, perhaps due to an arithmetic error or a misread of the question. In such situations, if the method is correct in the workings, then method marks will still be awarded according to the mark scheme.
2. Substitute values into the formula as you provide your workings. Just writing the formula alone does not earn you any marks.
3. Do not round your answer too soon. It’s best to use your intermediate result without rounding it, or else it will affect the accuracy of the final answer.
CHECK YOUR ANSWERS
Ideally, you will have some time left to check your answers. Whenever possible, check it in a reverse order, or using a different method. See examples below:
IGCSE Mathematics (0580)
Subject Guide & Exam Tips
Note: Visit the official Cambridge International website for a more the most updated information on the requirements for this subject
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