The correct syllabus is the one that matches your subject code and your exam year. Cambridge publishes it, your exam centre enters you for it, and we teach to it once you tell us which one applies.
This page shows you how to find it yourself, in a few minutes, from official sources. It sits in the exam guidance section and works for every subject.
Who is responsible for what?
Three parties each hold a piece of this, and it helps to know which is which.
- Cambridge writes and publishes the syllabus, including any updates and advance notices.
- Your exam centre or school enters you for a specific syllabus code and exam session, and can tell you exactly what you are entered for.
- You and your family check that your revision material matches that syllabus.
We are a tuition team, not an exam centre. Your centre handles entry, so the answer comes from them.
How do you find the right syllabus, step by step?
- Write down the subject name and four-digit code from your statement of entry or from your school. The code matters more than the name, because similar subjects sit under different codes.
- Write down the exam year you will sit. A syllabus is published for a range of years, and its title shows that range.
- Note your route, for example Core or Extended, or the option your centre has chosen. See Core and Extended route questions if you are unsure.
- Open the Cambridge subject page for that code through the subject catalogue and find the syllabus document.
- Check that your exam year falls inside the syllabus years printed on the document. If it does not, look on the same page for the syllabus that does.
- Read the update notices on the subject page and the Cambridge syllabus changes page for anything that affects your year.
The syllabus and exam-year navigator walks you through the same questions. When it cannot match a combination it gives you a checklist instead of a guess, so use that result as a prompt to ask your centre.
What goes wrong most often?
Similar codes. Some subjects are offered under more than one code, and the content and assessment differ. Business is an example, since Cambridge has subject pages for both 0450 and 0264. Confirm the exact code you are entered for before you choose a guide. The code check page explains a related trap.
Old notes. A friend’s notes or a second-hand book may follow an earlier syllabus. Compare the syllabus years on the cover or first page with the current document.
A guess about the year. Students sometimes assume the year from their school year. Your centre confirms the actual exam year and session; see checking local deadlines and sessions.
A short worked example
Suppose a Year 10 student tells us she is taking “Maths”. That is not enough to find a syllabus.
She checks her school’s entry list and finds 0580 and Extended. She opens the Cambridge Mathematics 0580 page, finds the syllabus document, and sees the years it covers.
Her exam year falls inside them, so her notes can follow that document. She also reads the update notices on the page and sees nothing that changes her year.
If her exam year had fallen outside those years, her next step would be to look on the same page for a newer or older document, then ask her school which one applies.
How do you keep your revision aligned?
Keep a one-line note at the front of your folder: subject, code, route, exam year, and the date you last checked the Cambridge page. Check again before you start revision, because notices can be added after you first looked.
When you are choosing support, tell the teacher your code and year first. Our note on subject codes before price comparison explains why.
How can tuition help?
A teacher can line your notes up against the current syllabus, point out topics that are missing or no longer examined, and build the practice around what your paper will really ask.
That is a teaching task. The entry itself stays with your centre. You can read how our one-to-one tuition and the paid trial work before you decide.