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Fractions form the backbone of Cambridge IGCSE maths, appearing in nearly every paper. Students must be confident adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions, as well as converting between improper fractions and mixed numbers.
Students make these errors again and again. Knowing them in advance gives you a head start.
Adding numerators and denominators separately without finding a common denominator
Forgetting to flip the second fraction when dividing (multiply by the reciprocal)
Not simplifying the final answer to its lowest terms
Insights pulled from Cambridge IGCSE (0580) examiner reports — the exact mistakes candidates make every year.
For time intervals crossing midnight, split into two parts: time until midnight + time after midnight. Remember an hour has 60 minutes, not 100.
Source: CIE 0580 · Feb/March 2024 · Paper 1 · Q5
For compound interest, the rate and the number of periods must MATCH. 0.25% per month over 5 years = 60 monthly periods (not 5). Don't silently convert to annual — apply the rate as given.
Source: CIE 0580 · Feb/March 2023 · Paper 4 · Q1a(iii)
When finding bounds, always give the final answer in the SAME UNITS as the variable in the question. If l is in metres, bounds must be in metres — convert at the end if your working was in cm.
Source: CIE 0580 · May/June 2023 · Paper 1 · Q18
Based on 3of 500+ insights extracted from CIE 0580 examiner reports (2018–2024).
This topic appears in the Cambridge IGCSE past papers. Our AI tutor can help with it on any question.
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Take our free diagnostic quiz to find out exactly where you stand, then practise number with our AI tutor.
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