How is the Core or Extended tier decided?

The school makes the entry. Cambridge advises Core entry for a candidate expected to achieve grade D or below on 0580, or grade 4 or below on 0980, and Extended entry for one expected to achieve grade C or above, or grade 5 or above. A candidate also picks the A* to G or the 9 to 1 scale at entry, and a 9 to 1 entry stays on that scale once the entries deadline has passed.

Which IGCSE maths papers allow a calculator?

Cambridge Papers 1 and 2 are sat with no calculator at all. Papers 3 and 4 require a scientific calculator, one with trigonometric functions is strongly recommended, and algebraic or graphical calculators are barred. Both Pearson 4MA1 papers allow a calculator, and a Foundation or Higher formulae sheet is printed inside. Every Cambridge paper prints a list of formulas on page 2, and the syllabus notes say which ones a candidate recalls from memory.

What is different about Pearson Edexcel 4MA1?

4MA1 is linear, so both papers are taken in the same series at the end of the course, each of 2 hours and 100 marks. About 40% of the questions target grades 5 and 4 and are common to the Foundation and Higher papers, and tracing paper may be used. A modular route also exists, with cash-in codes 4XMAF and 4XMAH, open to centres outside the UK and first assessed in June 2025.

When are the exam series, and when do results arrive?

Cambridge runs June and November series, with a March series in India only. Pearson sat its final January series in January 2023 and has run a November series since November 2023, so its current series are May or June and November. Cambridge gives 14 January 2027 as the results date for its November 2026 series, Pearson gives 21 January 2027 for its own, and Pearson results for June 2027 are due on 19 August 2027.

What changed in the Cambridge papers from 2025?

A non-calculator paper was introduced at each tier, Paper 1 at Core and Paper 2 at Extended, and marks and durations were rebalanced so both papers in a tier carry equal time and 50% of the grade. Extended content gained surds, exact trigonometric values, and domain and range. It lost proper subsets, linear programming, congruence criteria and box-and-whisker plots. Cambridge states that teaching time is unchanged.

What happened to the June 2026 series in the UAE?

For June 2026, Cambridge awarded IGCSE, O Level and International AS and A Level grades in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE through a portfolio of evidence in place of the written exams, and released results on 18 August 2026. Pearson cancelled its May and June 2026 International GCSE exams in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Lebanon and graded on school-submitted work. Whether UAE centres sit the November 2026 papers in person is a question for your school.

Can IGCSE maths lessons happen at home?

At-home lessons are opening in Dubai and Abu Dhabi first, taught by tutors resident in the UAE who hold the Private Teacher Work Permit, and other emirates follow as permit-holding tutors join. Online lessons are available in every emirate today and are timed to Gulf Standard Time. Either way, a lesson runs for 60, 90 or 120 minutes, for one learner or a small group of up to six.

British curriculum maths

IGCSE Maths tutoring for Years 10 and 11 in the UAE

British curriculumYears 10 and 11

Lessons follow the syllabus your school entered you for: Cambridge 0580, Cambridge 0980, or Pearson Edexcel 4MA1. Online in every emirate, at home in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Find an IGCSE maths tutor Start with online lessons

In short

What is IGCSE Mathematics?

IGCSE Mathematics is the international school maths qualification that British-curriculum learners work through in Years 10 and 11.

Three versions are sat in the UAE: Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics 0580, graded A* to G, Cambridge IGCSE (9-1) Mathematics 0980, graded 9 to 1, and Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Mathematics A, code 4MA1. Each splits candidates across two tiers.

Key points

Cambridge 0580 and 0980 share the same nine topics and the same four papers
Core and Extended at Cambridge, Foundation and Higher at Pearson Edexcel
Cambridge Papers 1 and 2 are sat without a calculator, Papers 3 and 4 with one
Both Pearson 4MA1 papers allow a calculator and print a formulae sheet
Lessons run online across the UAE, and at home in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Where lessons happen

Where IGCSE maths lessons happen

Two ways to learn, with the same syllabus and the same papers behind both.

At home in Dubai and Abu Dhabi
A tutor who lives in the UAE and holds the Private Teacher Work Permit comes to you and works through the papers your school entered you for, on paper, at the table. At-home lessons are opening in Dubai and Abu Dhabi first, and other emirates follow as permit-holding tutors join.
60, 90 or 120 minutes
- Taught by a UAE permit-holding tutor
- One learner, or a small group of up to six
- Full working written out by hand, the way a script is marked
- Cambridge 0580 and 0980, or Pearson Edexcel 4MA1
Online, in every emirate
Live lessons with a specialist tutor, on a shared board where the working stays visible line by line. Online IGCSE maths lessons reach every emirate today and run on Gulf Standard Time.
60, 90 or 120 minutes
- Available in all seven emirates
- Specialist tutors worldwide
- Non-calculator and calculator papers practised apart
- Timed to Gulf Standard Time

Compare the levels

Core, Extended, Foundation and Higher: choosing your tier

Each Cambridge IGCSE maths tier carries two papers of equal marks, equal time and equal weight, 50% each. The tier a candidate is entered for sets the grades that are available.

Compare	Core, and Foundation at Pearson Edexcel Grades C to G, or 5 to 1	Extended, and Higher at Pearson Edexcel Grades A* to E, or 9 to 3
In brief	Cambridge Core candidates sit Paper 1 and Paper 3 and are eligible for grades C to G on 0580, or 5 to 1 on 0980. Cambridge advises Core entry for a candidate expected to achieve grade D or below, and grade 4 or below on the 9 to 1 scale.	Extended candidates sit Paper 2 and Paper 4, cover all the Core content and a good deal beyond it, and are eligible for grades A* to E on 0580, or 9 to 3 on 0980. Cambridge advises Extended entry for a candidate expected to achieve grade C or above, and grade 5 or above on the 9 to 1 scale.
Covers	Cambridge Paper 1, no calculator, 1 hour 30 minutes, 80 marksCambridge Paper 3, scientific calculator, 1 hour 30 minutes, 80 marksPearson Papers 1F and 2F, calculator allowed, 2 hours, 100 marks each	Cambridge Paper 2, no calculator, 2 hours, 100 marksCambridge Paper 4, scientific calculator, 2 hours, 100 marksPearson Papers 1H and 2H, calculator allowed, 2 hours, grades 9 to 4 with grade 3 allowed
Focus	AO1 knowledge and technique, 60 to 70% of the marks AO2 analysis and communication, 30 to 40% Core content is written for grades C to G	AO1 knowledge and technique, 40 to 50% of the marks AO2 analysis and communication, 50 to 60% Extended content is written for grades A* to C

Syllabus

What the syllabus covers, topic by topic

Cambridge sets out nine topics for every candidate. They are gathered into seven blocks here, with the Extended-only work marked where it falls.

Topic names come from the Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics 0580 and 0980 syllabuses for exams in 2025, 2026 and 2027. Pearson Edexcel 4MA1 covers the same ground under six headings.

Unit 01

Number

Syllabus topic 1, and the ground every later topic stands on. Extended candidates also meet surds and exponential growth and decay here, along with squares, cubes and roots recalled from memory.

Topics

Number, syllabus topic 1
Surds, Extended only
Exponential growth and decay, Extended only
Squares, cubes and roots from memory, added in 2025
Proper subsets, removed from Extended in 2025
Pearson heading: numbers and the number system

Who it is for

Who these IGCSE maths lessons are for

In Dubai the UK curriculum holds the largest share of private-school pupils, 37% in 2024-25, from a KHDA report covered in January 2025. In Abu Dhabi, 56 private schools offered the British curriculum in 2020-21, the year the PIRLS 2021 Encyclopedia describes.

Year 10, at the start of the course

The syllabus opens wide in Year 10, and a topic that feels shaky now is the same one that turns up inside a Paper 4 question in the exam year. Lessons at this stage stay on number, algebra and graphs until the method runs without a prompt.

Recommended:

Weekly lessonsOnline, every emirateAt home in Dubai or Abu Dhabi

Year 11, in the exam year

Work in the exam year runs paper by paper: the non-calculator paper, the calculator paper, and the accuracy rules that decide whether correct method earns the mark. Questions are worked to the clock, with every line of working written out.

Recommended:

Timed paper practice60, 90 or 120 minute lessons

Candidates entered for Pearson Edexcel 4MA1

International GCSE Mathematics A runs on its own rules: two papers of 2 hours and 100 marks, a calculator allowed in both, and a formulae sheet printed inside. About 40% of the questions target grades 5 and 4 and appear on the Foundation and Higher papers alike.

Recommended:

Foundation or HigherModular route, 4XMAF and 4XMAH

A worked example

A question of the kind a lesson works through

An Extended trigonometry question, taken apart the way a tutor takes it apart in an IGCSE maths lesson.

Which tool the triangle asks for

A right angle is presentPythagoras' theoremsin, cos, tanNo right angle, two sides and the angle between themThe cosine ruleNo right angle, a side with its opposite angleThe sine rule

Where the accuracy mark is won

Full calculator value keptOne rounding, at the very endAn answer good to 3 significant figures

A value cut to 2 significant figures mid-wayCarried into the next lineA final answer outside the accepted range

Every line of working written outA slip in the arithmeticMethod marks still in reach

The worked question

“In triangle ABC, AB = 7.4 cm, AC = 9.1 cm and angle BAC = 68 degrees. Work out BC, correct to 3 significant figures.”

Question: Which rule fits, and where does the rounding belong?

Answer: Two sides and the angle between them are given, so the cosine rule fits: BC^2 = 7.4^2 + 9.1^2 - 2 x 7.4 x 9.1 x cos 68 degrees, which gives BC = 9.33 cm. Round cos 68 degrees to 0.37 before the subtraction and the same working returns 9.37 cm, which is why the rounding waits until the end.

Written from the syllabus as an example of the type. Past papers and mark schemes belong to the boards.

Non-right-angled triangles sit in the Extended content of Cambridge 0580 and 0980.

From the examiner report

Where marks go missing in IGCSE maths papers

Cambridge publishes a principal examiner report for each series. These four come from the report for June 2024.

The difficulty

Rounding too early in a multi-step calculation

A common sticking point

Where it comes from

A value is cut short part-way through, or pi is entered as a rough number, and the error grows with every line that follows. Paper 21 examiners named this in their general comments.

What the tutor does

The tutor has the learner hold the full value on the calculator and round once, at the answer.

The difficulty

Answers given to 2 significant figures

A common sticking point

Where it comes from

Many Extended candidates stopped at 2 significant figures on Paper 41. An answer needs at least 3 significant figures unless the question asks for something else.

What the tutor does

The tutor reads the accuracy instruction with the learner before any working starts, on every question.

The difficulty

Working left out, or written so it cannot be read

A common sticking point

Where it comes from

Method marks need visible method, and examiners on Papers 21, 31 and 41 reported marks lost where working was missing. A 'show that' question needs every step written from the given information, and digits that read two ways, such as 4 and 9, cost marks too.

What the tutor does

The tutor marks the learner's script the way an examiner would and points at the line where the method stopped being visible.

The difficulty

The answer form the question asked for is missed

A common sticking point

Where it comes from

A question asks for a fraction, a single transformation, 3 significant figures or an angle to 1 decimal place, and a correct value in the wrong form scores less. Turning fractions into decimals cost accuracy marks on Paper 22.

What the tutor does

The tutor has the learner mark the answer form in the question, then check the written answer against it before moving on.

That report covers the papers as they stood before the 2025 changes. The skills it names carry over to the current papers.

How lessons run

From the first lesson to the exam series

Start at the entry, then the paper

The first lesson settles which qualification the learner is entered for, 0580, 0980 or 4MA1, and which tier. Everything after that is planned around those papers, their calculator rules and their timings.

One topic block at a time, working shown

Each IGCSE maths lesson takes one block of the syllabus and stays with it until the method runs unprompted. The learner writes full working on every question, because that is what a mark scheme reads.

Timed papers as the series nears

Closer to a series, questions are worked to the clock in paper conditions, with the non-calculator and calculator papers practised apart. The tutor marks the script and takes the next lesson from what the marking showed.

Why Educrest

What you get with an Educrest IGCSE maths tutor

The same four things hold whichever way the lessons run.

A permit-holding tutor at home
Every local tutor on Educrest holds a valid UAE private teacher permit. MoHRE introduced the Private Teacher Work Permit with the Ministry of Education on 18 December 2023, issues it free of charge, and grants it for two years.
One learner, or a small group of up to six
A lesson can be for a single learner, or shared by a small group of up to six, so siblings or friends on the same syllabus can work through a paper together. Lessons run for 60, 90 or 120 minutes.
Online reaches every emirate
Online IGCSE maths lessons reach Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah as readily as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, taught by specialist tutors worldwide. Lesson times are set in Gulf Standard Time.
A different tutor if the fit is wrong
A tutor who suits one learner may suit another less well, and that is a fair thing to say early. Ask for a replacement and another tutor picks the syllabus up from where the lessons reached.

Questions and answers

IGCSE Mathematics questions people ask

Boards, tiers, papers and dates.

Which IGCSE Mathematics qualifications do these lessons cover?: Three qualifications are sat in the UAE under this name: Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics 0580, graded A* to G, Cambridge IGCSE (9-1) Mathematics 0980, graded 9 to 1, and Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Mathematics A, code 4MA1. They share their topics and differ in papers, calculator rules and grade scales. Cambridge IGCSE Additional Mathematics 0606 is a separate subject with its own syllabus.
Which IGCSE maths papers allow a calculator?: Cambridge Papers 1 and 2 are sat with no calculator at all. Papers 3 and 4 require a scientific calculator, one with trigonometric functions is strongly recommended, and algebraic or graphical calculators are barred. Both Pearson 4MA1 papers allow a calculator, and a Foundation or Higher formulae sheet is printed inside. Every Cambridge paper prints a list of formulas on page 2, and the syllabus notes say which ones a candidate recalls from memory.
When are the exam series, and when do results arrive?: Cambridge runs June and November series, with a March series in India only. Pearson sat its final January series in January 2023 and has run a November series since November 2023, so its current series are May or June and November. Cambridge gives 14 January 2027 as the results date for its November 2026 series, Pearson gives 21 January 2027 for its own, and Pearson results for June 2027 are due on 19 August 2027.
What happened to the June 2026 series in the UAE?: For June 2026, Cambridge awarded IGCSE, O Level and International AS and A Level grades in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE through a portfolio of evidence in place of the written exams, and released results on 18 August 2026. Pearson cancelled its May and June 2026 International GCSE exams in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Lebanon and graded on school-submitted work. Whether UAE centres sit the November 2026 papers in person is a question for your school.

How is the Core or Extended tier decided?: The school makes the entry. Cambridge advises Core entry for a candidate expected to achieve grade D or below on 0580, or grade 4 or below on 0980, and Extended entry for one expected to achieve grade C or above, or grade 5 or above. A candidate also picks the A* to G or the 9 to 1 scale at entry, and a 9 to 1 entry stays on that scale once the entries deadline has passed.
What is different about Pearson Edexcel 4MA1?: 4MA1 is linear, so both papers are taken in the same series at the end of the course, each of 2 hours and 100 marks. About 40% of the questions target grades 5 and 4 and are common to the Foundation and Higher papers, and tracing paper may be used. A modular route also exists, with cash-in codes 4XMAF and 4XMAH, open to centres outside the UK and first assessed in June 2025.
What changed in the Cambridge papers from 2025?: A non-calculator paper was introduced at each tier, Paper 1 at Core and Paper 2 at Extended, and marks and durations were rebalanced so both papers in a tier carry equal time and 50% of the grade. Extended content gained surds, exact trigonometric values, and domain and range. It lost proper subsets, linear programming, congruence criteria and box-and-whisker plots. Cambridge states that teaching time is unchanged.
Can IGCSE maths lessons happen at home?: At-home lessons are opening in Dubai and Abu Dhabi first, taught by tutors resident in the UAE who hold the Private Teacher Work Permit, and other emirates follow as permit-holding tutors join. Online lessons are available in every emirate today and are timed to Gulf Standard Time. Either way, a lesson runs for 60, 90 or 120 minutes, for one learner or a small group of up to six.

Guides for this programme

Core or Extended: which IGCSE maths tier and papers to choose

The tier is chosen at entry, and it settles which two papers a candidate sits and which grades are within reach.

Next step

Get IGCSE maths lessons under way

Send the board, the tier and the year group, and the tutor match starts from there.

Cambridge and Edexcel
Core and Extended
Online or at home

Arrange IGCSE maths lessons Ask for an online tutor

IGCSE Maths tutoring for Years 10 and 11 in the UAE

What is IGCSE Mathematics?

Where IGCSE maths lessons happen

At home in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Online, in every emirate

Core, Extended, Foundation and Higher: choosing your tier

What the syllabus covers, topic by topic

Number

Who these IGCSE maths lessons are for

Year 10, at the start of the course

Year 11, in the exam year

Candidates entered for Pearson Edexcel 4MA1

A question of the kind a lesson works through

Where marks go missing in IGCSE maths papers

Rounding too early in a multi-step calculation

Answers given to 2 significant figures

Working left out, or written so it cannot be read

The answer form the question asked for is missed

From the first lesson to the exam series

Start at the entry, then the paper

One topic block at a time, working shown

Timed papers as the series nears

What you get with an Educrest IGCSE maths tutor

A permit-holding tutor at home

One learner, or a small group of up to six

Online reaches every emirate

A different tutor if the fit is wrong

IGCSE Mathematics questions people ask

Guides for this programme

Core or Extended: which IGCSE maths tier and papers to choose

IELTS Preparation

Piano

Get IGCSE maths lessons under way

IGCSE Maths tutoring for Years 10 and 11 in the UAE

What is IGCSE Mathematics?

Where IGCSE maths lessons happen

At home in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Online, in every emirate

Core, Extended, Foundation and Higher: choosing your tier

What the syllabus covers, topic by topic

Number

Who these IGCSE maths lessons are for

Year 10, at the start of the course

Year 11, in the exam year

Candidates entered for Pearson Edexcel 4MA1

A question of the kind a lesson works through

Where marks go missing in IGCSE maths papers

Rounding too early in a multi-step calculation

Answers given to 2 significant figures

Working left out, or written so it cannot be read

The answer form the question asked for is missed

From the first lesson to the exam series

Start at the entry, then the paper

One topic block at a time, working shown

Timed papers as the series nears

What you get with an Educrest IGCSE maths tutor

A permit-holding tutor at home

One learner, or a small group of up to six

Online reaches every emirate

A different tutor if the fit is wrong

IGCSE Mathematics questions people ask

Guides for this programme

Core or Extended: which IGCSE maths tier and papers to choose

More programmes linked to this one

IELTS Preparation

Piano

Get IGCSE maths lessons under way