GCSE Maths is England's qualification; IGCSE Maths is the international one, set mostly by Cambridge (0580) and Pearson Edexcel (4MA1). The maths overlaps heavily, but the papers, tiers, calculator rules and grades do not — and the top IGCSE tiers include some calculus that GCSE leaves out. British schools in the UAE use both, so the specification code matters more than the school's name.
What is ClassArc?
ClassArc is live one-to-one online maths tutoring for school-age children. One teacher and one child, for 55 minutes. The same teacher every week. Classes run inside our own classroom software, not a video call: a shared worksheet you both write on, a shared whiteboard, and answers that sync live.
The short answer
Number, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, probability and statistics run through all of them. The differences are in how the maths is examined: how many papers, how long they are, which ones allow a calculator, what the tiers are called and whether grades come as numbers or letters.
There are also a few genuine content differences, the biggest being calculus. Cambridge 0580 Extended and Pearson Edexcel 4MA1 Higher both include basic differentiation; GCSE does not. For a child who moves between systems, those few topics matter far more than the shared ninety per cent.
At a glance
The England GCSE against the two IGCSE specifications families in the UAE meet most often.
| GCSE Maths (England) | Cambridge IGCSE 0580 | Pearson Edexcel International GCSE 4MA1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boards and codes | AQA 8300, Pearson Edexcel 1MA1, OCR J560 | Cambridge International 0580 | Pearson Edexcel 4MA1 (Specification B, 4MB1, is a separate course) |
| Tiers | Foundation and Higher | Core and Extended | Foundation and Higher |
| Papers | Three papers, 1h 30m each | Core: Papers 1 and 3, 1h 30m and 80 marks each. Extended: Papers 2 and 4, 2h and 100 marks each | Two papers, 2h and 100 marks each |
| Calculator | Paper 1 non-calculator; Papers 2 and 3 calculator | Papers 1 and 2 non-calculator; Papers 3 and 4 calculator | Allowed on both papers |
| Grades | 9–1. Foundation up to 5; Higher 4–9, with a 3 allowed | A*–G. Core C–G; Extended A*–E | 9–1. Foundation 5–1; Higher targets 9–4 |
| Formulae | Formulae sheet provided, and Ofqual has decided sheets continue for the life of the current specifications | A list of formulas printed on page 2 of each paper, though not every formula is given | Formulae sheet included with the papers, one for each tier |
Sources: Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics 0580 (2025–2027 syllabus), Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Mathematics A, and Ofqual's decision on formulae sheets.
Content that differs
Most topics transfer cleanly. These are the ones a student switching systems in Year 10 or 11 is most likely to meet cold.
0580 Extended asks students to differentiate powers of x and use the result to find turning points; 4MA1 Higher includes calculus too. GCSE has none. A student arriving from GCSE needs this taught, not revised.
IGCSE papers use set notation — union, intersection, complement — as a topic in its own right, and ask composite and inverse functions directly. GCSE Higher covers functions but meets sets mostly inside Venn-diagram probability.
4MA1 has no non-calculator paper at all. A student moving from 4MA1 to GCSE or to 0580 usually needs focused work on fraction arithmetic, long division and surds before the first mock.
In the UAE
There is no single answer for the Emirates. British schools here commonly mix the two, deciding qualification by qualification rather than choosing one for the whole timetable.
Summer 2026
Cambridge and Pearson both confirmed that their June 2026 exams would not go ahead in the UAE, and awarded grades through portfolios of school evidence and other contingency arrangements instead. Arrangements for 2027 are set by each board, so check with your school's exams officer what applies to your child's series rather than assuming 2026 will repeat.
Sources: Cambridge International and Pearson.
How we teach both
Before the first class we confirm which qualification your child sits: GCSE Foundation or Higher with AQA, Edexcel or OCR, Cambridge 0580 Core or Extended, or Pearson 4MA1 Foundation or Higher. Past papers, calculator practice and timing all follow from that answer.
For families moving between the UK and the UAE, we plan the gap-filling rather than hoping it happens: differentiation and set notation before an IGCSE mock, written methods before a GCSE Paper 1. Each class is 55 minutes, one to one, with the same teacher, on a shared worksheet in our own browser classroom.
Our teachers are based in India, an hour and a half ahead of the UAE. GCSE and IGCSE years start from AED 60 a class on the largest block — see the UAE prices in dirhams.
or 1MA1, or 4MA1 — the one number we ask for before lesson one
Next
0580 and 4MA1 at every tier, with the paper variants UAE students actually sit.
IGCSE in DubaiThe England specification many UAE British schools choose for maths, with all three boards.
GCSE in the UAEPicking the right papers, timing them by the mark, reading M, A and B marks, and keeping an error log.
Read the methodWhat maths looks like across Dubai's British, Indian, American and IB schools.
Read the guideGCSE or IGCSE?
First class
55 minutes. The real classroom. No card. We confirm details on email and WhatsApp within a day.
Last updated · May 2026
When you book a demo or sign up for classes, we collect your name, your child's name, email, WhatsApp number, time zone, and the grade you're inquiring about. That's it. We don't ask for or store any payment details on this website. We don't use trackers, cookies for advertising, or third-party analytics that profile you.
Only to schedule and run your classes, send you class reminders, share homework and progress, and answer your questions. We'll reach out by email or WhatsApp, depending on what you tell us works better for you.
Your teacher, and the small team supporting them at ClassArc. We never sell, rent, or share your information with anyone outside ClassArc. We use Web3Forms to receive form submissions, and standard email and WhatsApp for messaging, nothing else.
We treat any information about your child with extra care. We only collect what we need to teach them well, such as their grade and what they're working on. We never use a child's photo, name, or work in any marketing without the parent's explicit written permission.
You can ask us to show you what we have on file, correct anything inaccurate, or delete your data entirely, at any time. Just email hello@theclassarc.com and we'll handle it within a few days.
Email hello@theclassarc.com. A real person will reply.
Last updated · May 2026
ClassArc is a one-on-one online tutoring service. We provide live, scheduled classes between a teacher and a student, along with homework, feedback, and study support.
Each class is 55 minutes. You can reschedule or cancel a class up to 5 minutes before it starts. If you miss a class without notice, we usually credit it back to your balance and reschedule based on what works for the teacher and student.
The first demo class is free, no card required. After that, plans are billed in advance for the number of classes you choose (8, 24, or ~48). We'll send you a payment link directly once you've picked a plan.
If you want to stop classes at any point, we refund whatever class balance is left on your plan. No questions asked, no friction. Refunds are processed within 7 business days.
We expect students and parents to treat teachers with respect, and teachers to do the same. We reserve the right to end the relationship if classes become unsafe, abusive, or disruptive, with a full refund of any unused balance.
If we update these terms, we'll email you before the changes take effect, so you have time to review them.
For anything, email hello@theclassarc.com.