Cambridge International IGCSE English (First Language) specification
The specification (0500) is Cambridge International's own description of the English (First Language) course: what you can be examined on, how the exams are set out and how they are marked. The link below opens the board's PDF on cambridgeinternational.org, so you always get its current version.
Open the 0500 specification (PDF) (opens cambridgeinternational.org in a new tab)Everything for Cambridge International IGCSE English (First Language), with the past papers, grade boundaries and the notes and flashcards people have shared.
How Cambridge International IGCSE English (First Language) is examined
From Cambridge's grade boundaries for June 2026. Some boards list every optional paper or time-zone variant, so you sit only the ones for your route; the specification says which.
| Paper | Marks | Next exam |
|---|---|---|
| Component 030500/03 | 80 | |
| Component 110500/11 | 80 | |
| Component 120500/12 | 80 | Monday 5 October 2026, morning |
| Component 130500/13 | 80 | |
| Component 210500/21 | 80 | |
| Component 220500/22 | 80 | Wednesday 7 October 2026, morning |
| Component 230500/23 | 80 | |
| Component 500500/50 | 90 |
Turn a mark into a grade · Cambridge IGCSE exam dates · Extra time and access arrangements
Revising from the English (First Language) specification
Work through the specification's content list and mark what you are unsure of, then practise those parts with Cambridge's past papers and read your marks against the same year’s grade boundaries.
Common questions
Where can I find the Cambridge IGCSE English (First Language) specification?
The link on this page opens Cambridge International's own copy of the English (First Language) specification (0500), a PDF on its website, so you always get the current version. We link to it rather than keep a copy.
What is in the English (First Language) specification?
A specification is the board's own description of the course: the content you can be examined on, how the exams are set out and how they are marked. It is the most useful single document to revise from, because every exam question has to come from it.
Can I make practice questions from the specification?
Yes. cookie can make exam-style questions from a specification and mark your answers, so you can practise the parts you are least sure of once you run out of past papers.
More specifications: every IGCSE specification we link.
cookie is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any exam board. Every paper here is a link to the board's own copy on its own website, and the papers belong to the boards that set them. If a link has stopped working, the board's own past paper page is linked on each course.