Mathematics 0580 and International Mathematics 0607 are two different Cambridge IGCSE qualifications. The word “maths” on a timetable, a school letter or a tuition enquiry does not tell anyone which one you are sitting. The four-digit code does.
We are a tuition team, not an exam centre. We do not enter students and we cannot see your entry. This page shows who is responsible for what, and what to check so your revision matches your exam.
Who is responsible for what?
- Cambridge publishes the syllabus, the assessment details and the official subject page for each code.
- Your school or exam centre decides which qualification you are entered for and submits your entry.
- You or your parent confirm the code on your statement of entry and tell your teacher.
- Your tuition teacher teaches to the code you confirm.
Why does the difference matter?
Both qualifications are maths, so many skills overlap: number work, algebra, geometry, statistics. That is why the two are easy to confuse. The risk is in the parts that do not overlap.
Syllabus content, the type of questions, the use of a calculator and the way the papers are organised can all differ between codes. We are not stating those differences here, because Cambridge can update them. Read them on the official pages for your exam year.
What should you check, and where?
- Find the code on your statement of entry. Your centre gives you this. See how to check your statement of entry.
- Open the Cambridge subject page for that code using the links below this article. Confirm that the name and code are the ones on your statement.
- Open the syllabus document linked from that page. Check that the years on the cover include your exam year.
- Read the assessment section. Note the papers, the route options and what you are allowed to bring into the exam. Compare with the route your school told you about; see Core and Extended route questions.
- Write down the answer as code, route and exam year, for example “0580, route as confirmed, this year’s session”. This is all a teacher needs.
The syllabus version comparison viewer on this site is a checklist aid for comparing syllabus years. It does not decide your entry and it does not treat similar names as equivalent.
A short worked example
A student tells us she is doing “IGCSE maths”. Her school handout says “Mathematics” without a code. She asks her subject teacher, who says the class is entered by the school office.
She emails the office and asks: “Which Cambridge code and route am I entered for?” The reply names one code. She opens the Cambridge subject page for that code, confirms the exam year is within the syllabus years, and tells her teacher the code, route and year.
She did not guess, and she did not send any documents to us.
What if your school cannot tell you?
Ask in writing and keep the reply. If you are a private candidate, the exam centre that accepts your entry confirms what you are entered for. See questions to ask a private-candidate centre.
Until you have an answer, practise skills that are safe under both: fluent arithmetic, algebraic manipulation and reading questions carefully. Start with the mathematics learning guide.
How does tuition fit in?
Choosing and confirming the qualification is the job of your centre and Cambridge. Teaching is ours.
When you know the code, a teacher can build your lessons around it, using your own working to find where marks are slipping. See mathematics tuition, and read how the paid trial works. For the full split of responsibilities, see tuition versus exam registration.