How IGCSE International Mathematics (0607) is marked
0607 is examined across Papers 1 to 6, split by tier, totalling 2,922 questions in our bank. Marking leans more towards the points style than the calculation style overall: 2,080 questions use the points style against 842 calculation, though the balance shifts by paper — Paper 12, for example, splits 52 calculation questions against 88 points-marked out of 140 questions, while Paper 61 splits 18 calculation against 118 points-marked out of 136 questions.
The longer Papers 3 and 4 (239 to 252 questions per variant, 444 to 555 marks) carry a substantial calculation share alongside points marking, meaning shown working matters on a meaningful share of the higher-tariff questions. Papers 5 and 6 remain points-heavy but still include a calculation component throughout.
Across the syllabus, marks are lost to both types of error: points-marked questions lose marks to giving an incomplete or wrongly formatted answer (missing a coordinate sign, giving the wrong number of solutions), while calculation questions lose marks to using the wrong figures from the question or making an avoidable step-order error.
Where candidates actually lose marks
- In reverse-percentage questions, common incorrect answers arise from multiplying or dividing by the wrong percentage multiplier; the correct first step of setting up an equation such as 1.04x = [given value] is rarely written down explicitly. (try the question)
- A lot of answers are spoilt by omitting the negative sign on the y-coordinate when giving a coordinate pair. (try the question)
- In an area-to-side-length question, candidates find the area of a circle correctly but then divide by 4 instead of taking the square root to find the side length. (try the question)
- When a question has two possible answers, many candidates find only one of them. (try the question)
- When sketching a periodic function, candidates lose marks for too large a gap or too much overlap between repeating branches, or for sketching the wrong period with extra branches. (try the question)
Command words in IGCSE Mathematics - International
| Command word | Times in our bank | What it demands |
|---|---|---|
| Find | 1391 | Work out the required value or expression using an appropriate method, with sufficient working shown to earn method marks. |
| Calculate | 460 | Use given values and an appropriate formula to work out a numerical answer, showing substitution and method clearly. |
| Draw | 190 | Produce an accurate diagram, graph or sketch using the precision and scale the question specifies. |
| Complete | 186 | Fill in missing entries in a table, diagram or expression so that the result is mathematically correct and consistent. |
| Show | 103 | Demonstrate, with full working, that a given statement or result is true; a correct final answer without working does not satisfy this command word. |
| State | 91 | Give a mathematical fact, term or value directly, without further calculation or justification. |
| Write | 89 | Express an answer or expression in the specific form requested, such as in terms of a variable or in a given notation. |
| Express | 88 | Write a quantity in a specified alternative form, such as a fraction, ratio, or standard form. |
How to revise with past papers
Because the calculation share of 0607 varies noticeably by paper, past-paper practice should include papers with a heavier calculation weighting (such as the longer Papers 3 and 4) as well as the more points-heavy papers, so working habits are consistent regardless of which paper style is set.
A wrong first step, rather than a wrong final calculation, is a common way to lose marks — using the wrong quantity from the question, or not setting out the correct equation before solving. Practising the habit of writing the first line of working explicitly, rather than jumping straight to a calculator answer, would directly address this pattern.
Where a question can have more than one correct answer (such as two solutions to an equation, or two coordinate values), get into the habit of checking whether the question is asking for all valid answers before stopping at the first one found, since giving only one of two possible answers is a specific and avoidable way marks are lost.
Practise real 0607 questions with AI marking →FAQs
Does 0607 have the same calculation-to-points balance on every paper?
No. In our bank the balance varies by paper — for example Paper 12 splits 52 calculation against 88 points-marked out of 140 questions, while Paper 61 splits 18 calculation against 118 points-marked out of 136 questions.
What's the most common command word in 0607?
Find, appearing 1,391 times in our bank, by far the most frequent instruction in the syllabus.
Why do I sometimes only get half the marks on questions with two possible answers?
This is a common pattern: when a question has two valid solutions or coordinate values, it is easy to find one and stop, losing marks for the answer you did not give.
Does 'Show that' need a full explanation even if I know the answer already?
Yes. Show, in this syllabus, specifically requires full working demonstrating the given result is true; simply writing the correct final answer without the supporting working does not satisfy this command word.