Cambridge IGCSE · Mathematics 0580 Extended

Five-Year Topic Frequency Analysis

Every question part from 18 real past papers (Paper 2 & Paper 4, May/June 2021 – Oct/Nov 2025) classified by subtopic and weighted by marks — to show what's actually worth prioritising in a crash-course revision.

⚠️ Important: This is a marks-weighted proxy built from real past papers, not an official Cambridge document. Grade boundaries and topic emphasis can shift year to year — use this to prioritise your revision time, not to skip topics entirely.

18

papers reviewed

748

question parts classified

1,800

total marks tallied

62/64

subtopics seen

Method: each question part's marks were attributed to a single best-fit subtopic, then summed as a share of that era's total marks — pre-2025 covers 7 sittings under the old syllabus (Paper 2 = 70 marks, Paper 4 = 130 marks), 2025+ covers the 2 sittings under the revised 2025–2027 syllabus (both papers = 100 marks). The two eras are shown separately since the mark split changed — a subtopic's Avg% is the mean of its share in each era. All 18 papers reconciled exactly to their stated totals.
rising ≥1.5pt in 2025+ easing ≥1.5pt in 2025+ steady
High priority14 subtopics
TopicSubtopicPre-20252025+AvgTrendPractise
MensurationSolid Geometry4.9%4.2%4.6% Study·Quiz
NumberFractions, Decimals and Percentages4.1%4.5%4.3% Study·Quiz
Vectors and TransformationsTransformations3.8%3.8%3.8% Study·Quiz
NumberExponents and Surds2.4%4.8%3.6% risingStudy·Quiz
Vectors and TransformationsVectors3.6%3.5%3.5% Study·Quiz
FunctionsGraphs of Functions4.1%2.5%3.3% easingStudy·Quiz
StatisticsMethods of Analysing Data4.2%2.2%3.2% easingStudy·Quiz
AlgebraQuadratic Equations and Inequalities3.9%2.5%3.2% Study·Quiz
FunctionsComposite and Inverse of Functions3.3%3.0%3.1% Study·Quiz
ProbabilityProbability Applications2.4%3.2%2.8% Study·Quiz
AlgebraSequences and nth Term2.4%3.0%2.7% Study·Quiz
AlgebraSimplifying Algebraic Expressions2.4%3.0%2.7% Study·Quiz
AlgebraDifferentiation3.7%1.5%2.6% easingStudy·Quiz
StatisticsStatistical Charts and Diagrams1.7%3.2%2.5% risingStudy·Quiz

Free full breakdown

See all 48 remaining subtopics — including what's safe to deprioritise

19 medium-priority and 29 low-priority subtopics are hidden — knowing what's genuinely low-yield is just as useful for revision planning as knowing what's high-yield.

  • All 62 subtopics ranked, not just the top 14
  • Which subtopics are rising or easing under the 2025+ syllabus
  • A downloadable PDF of the full ranking

Takes 30 seconds. No spam.

📚 Study these exact topics in the Learning Portal

Every high-priority subtopic above has matching lessons, worked examples and practice questions in Tutopiya's Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics resource hub — go straight to the topics that matter most.

Frequently Asked Questions

How was this analysis actually done?

Every question part across 18 real Paper 2 and Paper 4 past papers (Paper 2 & Paper 4, May/June 2021 – Oct/Nov 2025) was read and classified against a fixed subtopic taxonomy, then its marks were counted as a share of that paper's total. That's 748 question parts and 1800 marks tallied by hand, not estimated.

Why are pre-2025 and 2025+ shown separately?

Cambridge revised the 0580 syllabus for 2025–2027, and the mark allocation changed with it — both papers moved to 100 marks each, versus 70/130 under the old syllabus. Averaging the two eras separately means the smaller 2025+ sample (2 sittings so far) isn't swamped by the larger pre-2025 sample (7 sittings).

Does "low priority" mean a topic won't come up?

No — it means that subtopic has historically carried a smaller share of the marks, not that it's guaranteed absent. Only two subtopics never appeared in any of the 18 papers reviewed; everything else has come up at least once. Use this as a prioritisation guide for limited revision time, not a prediction of what will or won't be tested.

Is this official Cambridge data?

No. Cambridge does not publish topic-frequency statistics — this is an independent analysis built from real, publicly available past papers, with judgment calls made on how to classify multi-skill questions. Treat it as a well-sourced revision-priority guide, not an official document.

Where can I study the high-priority topics?

Tutopiya's Learning Portal has a full Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics 0580 resource hub with lessons, worked examples and practice questions organised by topic — the tool links directly to it so you can go straight to the subtopics that matter most.

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