IGCSE Maths Revision Guide: How to Get an A* in 0580

IGCSE Maths (0580) is one of the most sat — and most feared — papers. The good news: it's highly predictable. Topics repeat, mark schemes reward clear working, and students who revise strategically consistently jump grades.

This guide covers the paper structure, what to prioritise, and — most usefully — worked examples of exactly where marks get lost, because knowing the maths and scoring the marks are two different skills.

Know your tier and your papers

Cambridge 0580 has two tiers, and from the 2025 syllabus one paper at each tier is non-calculator. This catches out students revising from older guides.

	Core	Extended
Papers	1 and 3	2 and 4
Non-calculator paper	Paper 1 (1h 30m, 80 marks)	Paper 2 (2h, 100 marks)
Calculator paper	Paper 3 (1h 30m, 80 marks)	Paper 4 (2h, 100 marks)
Weighting	50% each	50% each
Target grades	C–G	A*–C

0580 is the A*–G version. 0980 is the same syllabus graded 9–1 — identical content, different reporting scale — so check which code is on your statement of entry before downloading past papers.

Two consequences worth acting on:

Half your marks are non-calculator. If you've been practising everything with a calculator to hand, you're rehearsing one paper and neglecting the other. Arithmetic fluency, surds, and fraction work all need separate drilling.
Revising the wrong tier wastes time. Extended content on a Core entry is effort you can't be credited for; Core-only revision on an Extended entry caps your grade. Confirm your tier before you plan anything.

Where the marks actually go

This is the part most revision guides skip. Below are three patterns that account for a large share of dropped marks in 0580 — with the answer that loses them and the answer that earns them.

Pattern 1: the answer alone, with a slip

Solve 2x² − 7x + 3 = 0

Response	Outcome
`x = 4` and nothing else	0 marks. Wrong, and there's no method to credit
Formula quoted, substitution shown: `x = (7 ± √(49 − 24)) / 4`, then `√25 = 5`, then a slip gives `x = 4`	Method marks earned. The final answer is wrong, but the substitution and discriminant are correct and creditable
Full working to `x = 3` and `x = 0.5`	Full marks

The middle row is the whole argument for showing working. Same slip, same wrong answer, materially different score. Our guide to picking up method marks covers how M and A marks interact in more detail.

Pattern 2: decimalising an exact answer

A circle has radius 5 cm. Find its area, giving your answer in terms of π.

Response	Outcome
`78.5 cm²`	Loses the mark — the question asked for an exact form
`25π cm²`	Correct

"In terms of π", "in surd form", and "give an exact answer" are all instructions not to reach for a decimal. On the non-calculator paper especially, an exact answer is usually the point of the question.

Pattern 3: ignoring the mark allocation

A 4-mark question wants four creditable steps. Students routinely write one line for four marks, or a page for one.

Work out the value of a compound interest investment: £2000 at 3% per year for 4 years. (3 marks)

A three-mark answer needs three visible things: the multiplier (1.03), the correct power (⁴), and the evaluated result. Writing only £2251.02 risks losing two marks even though the number is right — and loses all three if a keystroke went wrong.

Command words in maths

Maths command words are less varied than in the sciences, but they carry precise instructions.

Command word	What it requires
Work out / Calculate / Find	A value, with working shown
Solve	The value(s) of the unknown
Show that	Arrive at a result you've been given. The answer isn't the point — the route is entirely the marks
Write down	No working expected. One line, move on
Give an exact answer	Leave it in terms of π, a surd, or a fraction
Determine	Obtain a value from data, a graph, or given information
Estimate	Round the inputs first (usually to 1 significant figure), then calculate

"Show that" deserves special attention. Take show that (x + 3)² − (x − 3)² = 12x. You already have the answer, so writing = 12x earns nothing. The marks are in the expansion: (x² + 6x + 9) − (x² − 6x + 9), then the simplification. Students lose these marks by skipping to the destination they were handed.

For the same distinctions across other subjects, see our command words guide.

Topic priorities, and why

Prioritise by how often a topic appears and how many marks it carries when it does.

Topic	Why it earns priority
Algebra — equations, simultaneous, quadratics	Appears on every paper, and underpins graphs and functions
Number — ratio, percentages, standard form	High frequency, and heavily represented on the non-calculator paper
Geometry — angles, circle theorems, transformations	Circle theorems carry multi-mark reasoning questions
Trigonometry — sine/cosine rules, bearings	Extended only; reliably worth several marks
Statistics — histograms, cumulative frequency	Method-heavy, so partial credit is generous
Graphs — quadratic, reciprocal, interpretation	Links to algebra, so revision compounds

Build a RAG checklist (red / amber / green) and attack red topics first. A topic you can already do is the lowest-return revision you can choose, however comfortable it feels.

Working layout that protects marks

Examiners can only credit what they can read. Four habits:

One step per line. Never chain three operations on one line — if any is wrong, the examiner can't see which.
Write the formula before substituting. Quoting the formula is often a mark by itself.
Never erase working. Cross it out instead. Crossed-out work can still be marked if nothing replaces it.
Keep units and significant figures to the end, then check the question for what it asked.

Practising for a non-calculator paper

Since half of 0580 is now non-calculator, this needs deliberate work rather than hoping:

Do timed sets of arithmetic without a calculator: fractions, percentages, standard form.
Practise surds and exact-form answers until leaving 2√3 feels normal.
Drill times tables and squares up to 15² — speed here buys thinking time elsewhere.
Rehearse long multiplication and division. They still appear, and students who never practise them lose easy marks.

Past paper strategy

Maths is the subject where past papers matter most:

Start with topical past papers — 10–15 questions on one weak topic
Move to full timed papers in the final four weeks, matching your tier and both paper types
Always mark with the official mark scheme, and be harsh
Redo every question where you lost method marks, not just the ones you got wrong

Our full past papers guide walks through the marking and error-log method.

Common mistakes, and the fix

Mistake	The fix
Skipping working to save time	One step per line — it costs seconds and saves marks
Decimalising when asked for exact form	Reread the final line of the question before answering
Rounding too early	Keep full precision until the final step
Answering "show that" by writing the given result	Show the route; the destination earns nothing
Practising only with a calculator	Half your marks are non-calculator — drill accordingly
Losing units	Check what the question measured before writing the answer

Exam day

Read the whole paper first and bank the easy marks before the hard ones
Check the mark allocation on every question — it tells you how much to write
On the calculator paper, still write the substitution before the result
Leave five minutes to check arithmetic and units, not to attempt new questions

Get unstuck faster

When a topic won't click, Solve explains the method step by step in mark-scheme language — snap a photo of any 0580 question and get full working with examiner-style reasoning, including where the method marks sit. Turn your notes into study sets to drill the topics you keep dropping marks on, and pair it with active recall and our IGCSE revision plan.

The gap between a B and an A* in 0580 is rarely more maths. It's the same maths, written so an examiner can pay you for it. Start a free trial and rewrite three answers where you lost method marks.