IGCSE Math Revision
To get a 9 in IGCSE Maths, you need to be secure on the whole Higher course and to get most of the marks on the last, hardest questions of each paper, without losing easy marks earlier on. The same is true of an A* in Cambridge 0580 Extended. In practice that means three things: no gaps in the standard topics, regular practice on the harder algebra and problem-solving questions, and careful accuracy everywhere.
This post sets out what the top grade takes, where marks go at that level, and how to practise for it, with three worked examples of the kind of question that decides it.
First, check your tier
The top grades are only available on the top tier:
- Edexcel 4MA1: Higher is graded 9 to 4 (with a 3 allowed). Foundation is graded 5 to 1, so a 9 is not possible on Foundation.
- Cambridge 0580: Extended is graded A* to E. Core is graded C to G.
If you are not sure which tier you are entered for, ask your teacher now. Our guides to 4MA1 Foundation or Higher and 0580 Core or Extended explain the choice.
There is no fixed mark for a 9 or an A*. The boards set grade boundaries after each series, and a harder paper gets lower boundaries, so aim to be comfortable across the whole course rather than at a target percentage.
Where the top grade is decided
On the Higher papers, the last few questions are usually the hardest, and they are where students at the top end separate. From the Edexcel examiner reports we have read, summarised in our 4MA1 Examiner Insights, these topics keep appearing at that end of the paper:
- completing the square, including with a negative $x^2$ coefficient
- quadratic inequalities
- simultaneous equations where one is quadratic
- probability with trees, combinations and conditional probability
Just as important, the reports name the topics where strong students drop marks they should have kept: reverse percentages, compound interest done as simple interest, upper and lower bounds, histograms read as if the heights were frequencies, and similar shapes where the length scale factor is used for an area or volume.
A 9 needs both: the hard questions and none of the careless losses. For 0580, our 0580 Examiner Insights page lists the most common losses; no working shown and rounding too early are at the top of the list.
Three questions of the kind that decide it
Example 1 · completing the square
Write $5 + 4x - x^2$ in the form $a - (x - b)^2$. Hence write down the maximum value of $5 + 4x - x^2$ and the value of $x$ at which it occurs.
Solution
Take out the negative sign from the $x$ terms first:
$$5 + 4x - x^2 = 5 - (x^2 - 4x)$$
Complete the square inside the bracket: $x^2 - 4x = (x - 2)^2 - 4$.
$$5 - \big((x - 2)^2 - 4\big) = 5 - (x - 2)^2 + 4 = 9 - (x - 2)^2$$
So $a = 9$ and $b = 2$. Since $(x - 2)^2 \ge 0$, the maximum value is $9$, when $x = 2$.
The slip is in the second bracket. When you remove $-\big((x-2)^2 - 4\big)$, the $-4$ becomes $+4$. Students who write $5 - (x - 2)^2 - 4 = 1 - (x - 2)^2$ have done everything else right and still lose the marks.
Example 2 · quadratic inequality
Solve $x^2 - x - 12 < 0$.
Solution
Factorise: $(x - 4)(x + 3) < 0$.
The critical values are $x = 4$ and $x = -3$. The graph of $y = x^2 - x - 12$ is a U-shaped parabola, so it is below the $x$-axis between its roots.
$$-3 < x < 4$$
Finding $x = 4$ and $x = -3$ is only half the question. The marks for the final answer need the inequality, and the quickest way to choose it is a sketch of the parabola. Writing "$x < 4$ and $x < -3$" is a common wrong answer.
Example 3 · simultaneous equations with a quadratic
Solve $x + y = 5$ and $x^2 + y^2 = 13$.
Solution
From the first equation, $y = 5 - x$. Substitute:
$$x^2 + (5 - x)^2 = 13$$
$$x^2 + 25 - 10x + x^2 = 13$$
$$2x^2 - 10x + 12 = 0 \;\Rightarrow\; x^2 - 5x + 6 = 0 \;\Rightarrow\; (x - 2)(x - 3) = 0$$
So $x = 2$, $y = 3$ or $x = 3$, $y = 2$.
Expanding $(5 - x)^2$ as $25 + x^2$, without the middle term, is the error the reports describe. Write it out as $(5 - x)(5 - x)$ if you need to. And pair the answers: each $x$ goes with its own $y$.
How to practise for a 9
1. Close every gap first. Work through the Higher topics and make sure there is nothing you cannot start. Grade 9 students lose very few marks on the first half of the paper.
2. Practise the hard end on purpose. Do a set of harder questions every week: completing the square, inequalities, harder simultaneous equations, algebraic proof, functions and probability. Start with the completing the square questions and the inequalities questions.
3. Sit full papers and mark them strictly. Time them at 2 hours. Mark against the mark scheme line by line, and log every lost mark with the reason: did not know, slip, no working, wrong form or accuracy.
4. Learn the formulas you are not given. Our list of 4MA1 formulas to learn is the place to start, and there is a 0580 version too.
5. Protect the accuracy marks. Keep full calculator values until the last line, and give answers to the accuracy the question asks for. These marks are the easiest to lose and the easiest to keep.
Timing
If you are sitting 4MA1 this November, Paper 1 is on 4 November and Paper 2 on 6 November 2026. With two weeks left, put your time into full papers and the questions you get wrong, not new topics. For later series, the dates are on our IGCSE exam dates page.
A free account (no card) adds 5 more practice questions on every topic with instant feedback, full worked answers on free questions, and your streak and progress on any device. Create a free account to keep a record of the questions you lose marks on.
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FAQ
What percentage do you need for a 9 in IGCSE Maths?
There is no fixed percentage. Pearson and Cambridge set grade boundaries after each series, and they change with how hard the papers were. Look at the published boundaries for several recent series rather than one.
Can you get a 9 on the Foundation tier of 4MA1?
No. Foundation papers are graded 5 to 1. Grades 9 to 4 are only available on the Higher tier (with a 3 allowed).
Is a 9 the same as an A* in IGCSE Maths?
They are on different scales. Cambridge 0580 grades A* to G and Edexcel 4MA1 grades 9 to 1, so the two are not directly interchangeable. Both are the top grade of their course.
The mistakes the Edexcel 4MA1 examiner reports keep naming, in our own words, with the topics behind the last questions on each paper.
See where top marks are lost →