A course-code and source folder holds, for each subject, the syllabus code, the exam year and the sources you trust. It stops you studying a different course by accident, which is easy when several names and codes circulate online.
This page shows a simple structure, a filled example and how to check your sources.
Why does the code matter?
Cambridge gives each IGCSE syllabus a four-digit code.
Some subjects have more than one code. Mathematics, Business, Computer Science and English routes are examples. Material for a neighbouring code can look almost identical and still cover different content.
Your school or exam centre decides which syllabus you are entered for. Cambridge publishes the syllabus documents. We teach; we do not enter you for exams, so confirm your code and exam year with your centre.
Step by step: build the folder
- Ask your school or centre for your subject list, syllabus codes and intended exam series. Write them on a cover sheet.
- Create one folder per subject, named with the code: “0580 Mathematics”.
- Download the syllabus document for your code and exam year from the Cambridge subject page. Save it as the first file in the folder.
- Add sub-folders: Notes, Practice, Mistake log, Sources.
- In Sources, keep a short list of each resource you use: title, where it came from, which code or year it states, and the date you checked it.
A paper version works too: a ring binder with one divider per sub-folder.
A filled example
IGCSE 2026-27 (example layout)
0580 Mathematics
Syllabus (exam year confirmed with centre)
Notes
Practice
Mistake log
Sources
0610 Biology
Syllabus
Notes
...And a row from the Sources list:
| Resource | From | States code? | Year checked | My note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algebra revision video | Video site | No | Sept | Compare with syllabus list before trusting |
| School notes on factorising | My teacher | Yes, 0580 | Sept | Matches syllabus section |
The “States code?” column is the important one. If a resource does not name a code, your note says to compare it first.
A quick check of any resource
Ask three questions. Which code is it for? Which exam years? Does it match my syllabus document topic by topic? If you cannot answer the first two, read it as background and use the syllabus document as the authority.
The mistake to avoid
The trap is studying from a resource built for a related but different syllabus. For instance, a student revising from notes for a different maths code may spend time on topics their own code does not list, and skip topics it does.
The fix is small: on the day you download or pick up a resource, compare its contents list with your syllabus document and write the match or mismatch in your Sources table.
Check yourself
1. A video is titled “IGCSE Maths” with no code. What do you write in the Sources table?
Show answer
Write “code not stated” and a note to compare its topics with your syllabus document before relying on it.
2. Your school says you will sit Biology, but you find two syllabus documents for different exam years. Which do you use?
Show answer
The one for the exam year your centre confirms you will sit. If you are unsure, ask your centre and check the Cambridge subject page for the current syllabus.
3. Why keep official documents and unofficial notes in separate folders?
Show answer
So you always know which file is the authority. If notes and the syllabus disagree, the syllabus document for your exam year decides what to learn.
Where this leads next
With the folder ready, go back to the first-term plan and use the prerequisite gap explorer to check the skills each course assumes. If you want to see how the source-checking habit applies to revision material, read source checking for study resources.
A folder is something you can build alone in an afternoon. A one-to-one teacher becomes worth considering when the folder is tidy but a topic in it still does not make sense.
A teacher assigned to you can work from your actual syllabus and notes, and the paid one-hour trial lets you see how that works. See also student learning routes and online one-to-one Mathematics tuition.