Extended Only 3–5% of exam · Paper 2, 4
IGCSE Maths: Differentiation
Basic differentiation, gradients of curves, and turning points for IGCSE Extended 0580.
Overview
Differentiation is introduced in the Extended syllabus as a foundation for A-Level calculus. Students learn to find gradients of curves, identify turning points, and solve optimisation problems.
Extended Syllabus Topics
- Differentiating powers of x
- Finding gradients at specific points
- Equations of tangents
- Turning points (maxima and minima)
- Increasing and decreasing functions
- Simple optimisation problems
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Forgetting to multiply by the power before reducing it
- Not setting dy/dx = 0 for turning points
- Confusing maximum and minimum — check second derivative or nature
- Errors when differentiating negative powers
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- Exam Weight
- 3–5%
- Papers
- Paper 2, 4
- Difficulty
- High
- Syllabus
- Extended Only