Cambridge IGCSE is the awarding body’s upper-secondary qualification for 14-to-16-year-olds — over 70 subjects, graded A*–G, assessed at the end of the course. Apex matches your child with an examiner-level tutor for their exact subjects and tier, live in your timezone.
Cambridge IGCSE is the world’s most popular international qualification for 14-to-16-year-olds: over 70 subjects, each assessed at the end of the course and graded A*–G. Most students take seven to nine subjects across languages, sciences, humanities and the arts, and many subjects offer a Core or Extended tier so every student is entered at the right level.
Assessment comes at the end of the course — written, oral, coursework or practical, depending on the subject.
Source: Cambridge Assessment International Education — IGCSE curriculum. Verified 8 July 2026.
Many IGCSE subjects are tiered so students of every level can be entered and progress: Core targets grades C–G and Extended reaches A*–E, with C, D and E available in both. Apex assesses your child first and recommends the tier honestly. Taking Mathematics (0580) as the worked example — two written papers per tier, no coursework on either:
Tier 1 · Core
C–G
Best where a solid, secure grade is the goal.
Solid foundation · a secure, dependable grade
Tier 2 · Extended
A*–E
For students aiming high, and the route into A Level study.
The route into A Level
Source: Cambridge — IGCSE Mathematics 0580 & the 2025–2027 syllabus. Verified 8 July 2026.
IGCSE is graded A*–G, with anything below G reported as “Ungraded”. Cambridge is keeping A*–G worldwide — the 9–1 scale is a choice only for UK-zone schools (in Maths, the separate code 0980), not a global switch.
Sources: Cambridge grading-choice & 2025–2027 syllabus. Verified 8 July 2026.
Mathematics (0580/0980), the Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) and English (First and Second Language) are the most requested — and each is tutored to its own Cambridge syllabus code, never generalised. Cambridge offers over 70 IGCSE subjects in total, so if your child’s subject isn’t shown here, ask: our Cambridge IGCSE tutors are matched subject by subject. Hover to open one.
Core and Extended, all four papers — our worked template for how a tiered IGCSE subject fits together.
Core & Extended
Theory plus practical or alternative-to-practical papers, taught with real past-paper technique.
Practical + theory
For the full range of international-school backgrounds, first-language and EAL alike.
First & Second LanguageEach subject page is built from that subject’s own Cambridge syllabus before we publish specifics — we don’t generalise across subjects. Full list: cambridgeinternational.org.
Cambridge IGCSE is Cambridge International’s upper-secondary qualification aimed at 14-to-16-year-olds — which Cambridge describes as the world’s most popular international qualification for that age group. It offers over 70 subjects, and assessment takes place at the end of the course through written, oral, coursework and practical formats.
Many IGCSE subjects are tiered. Using Mathematics 0580 as the example: Core candidates sit Papers 1 and 3 and can achieve grades C–G; Extended candidates sit Papers 2 and 4 and can achieve grades A*–E. The tier is chosen to match the student’s current level, and there is no coursework in 0580.
Cambridge IGCSE is graded A*–G, with performance below G reported as Ungraded. Cambridge is keeping A*–G globally. Only schools in administrative zone 3 (which includes England/the UK) may choose 9–1 graded IGCSEs instead; all other schools keep A*–G. In Maths, A*–G is code 0580 and the 9–1 version is the separate code 0980.
Yes. UK NARIC (now UK ENIC, operated by Ecctis) benchmarked Cambridge IGCSE as comparable to the standard of the UK GCSE, and leading universities — including Oxford, Cambridge and LSE — make no distinction between IGCSE and GCSE in admissions. Note that neither IGCSEs nor GCSEs carry UCAS Tariff points, as they are not Level 3 qualifications.
Cambridge offers over 70 IGCSE subjects, including around 30 languages, and says schools can combine them in any way they choose. In practice, a student’s choices are shaped by what their school offers and by timetabling, so most take roughly seven to nine subjects rather than freely picking from all 70. Your child’s exact options depend on their centre.
Yes. Cambridge treats an entry as a retake only when three conditions all apply: the candidate sat the same syllabus in the immediately preceding series, the series being entered has its own separate retake deadline, and the exams officer ticks the ’retake’ box when the entry is first submitted. Retakes are arranged through your child’s exam centre.
Cambridge IGCSE is assessed at the end of the course. Cambridge allocates every exam centre to one of six administrative zones, and each zone has its own timetable — so the exact dates and times your child sits depend on their centre’s zone. Always follow the timetable for your centre’s zone; Cambridge cannot take responsibility for candidates who consult the wrong one.
Ready when you are
One-to-one, examiner-level tutoring — matched to your child’s exact curriculum and timezone.
