Which Calculator for IGCSE Add Math 0606? (Paper 2)

For Cambridge IGCSE Additional Mathematics 0606 you need one ordinary non-graphing scientific calculator for Paper 2, and no calculator at all for Paper 1. You do not need an expensive or specialised model, you need one you can drive fluently. Here is what is allowed, what is banned, and the settings that quietly lose marks.

Allowed: a standard scientific calculator

Cambridge’s general regulations permit a calculator in calculator components provided it is silent, battery- or solar-powered, and does not have any of the banned features below. A normal scientific calculator clears that bar easily. The models students actually use in 0606:

• Casio fx-570 / fx-991 (ClassWiz): the default across most Malaysian international schools; fast fraction, surd and table modes.
• Casio fx-83 / fx-85: simpler, fully sufficient for 0606.
• Sharp EL-W500 / EL-W506: equally compliant, slightly different key layout.

Any non-graphing scientific calculator with degrees and radians modes and a natural-display fraction entry will do. The brand is irrelevant to the mark scheme; familiarity is not.

Banned: anything that does too much

Cambridge does not permit a calculator that has any of:

• a graphic display that retains data (graphing calculators),
• a computer algebra system (CAS), symbolic algebra that factorises or differentiates for you,
• communication capability (anything that can send or receive),
• retrievable text (dictionaries, stored notes).

That rules out graphing calculators (e.g. the TI-84 / Casio fx-CG family) and phone or smartwatch “calculators”. If you have trained all year on a graphing model, switch to a scientific one now, not the week before the exam. Always confirm your specific model against the current Cambridge regulations through your school or exam centre; the banned-feature list is what counts, not the model name.

The settings that cost marks

A compliant calculator still bleeds marks if you drive it carelessly. The four habits that matter:

1. Angle mode. The biggest single calculator error in 0606. Trigonometry and circular measure questions are usually in radians; set RAD deliberately and check the indicator before every trig calculation. A degrees-mode slip turns a correct method into a wrong answer.
2. Don’t round early. Keep full accuracy on the display (use ANS or memory) and round only the final answer to 3 significant figures unless told otherwise. Early rounding is a reported examiner complaint every session.
3. Know your fraction and surd display. Paper 2 answers are often cleaner as exact fractions or surds; a ClassWiz will hold them exactly, which protects accuracy marks.
4. Calculator answers still need working. A bare answer with no method scores almost nothing where a question says “show” or carries method marks. The calculator gives the number; your working earns the marks.

Why Paper 1 matters more than your calculator

It is tempting to over-invest in the calculator and forget that half the exam is sat without one. Paper 1 rewards mental arithmetic, exact values, surd manipulation and the unit-circle facts. Build that skill deliberately, building speed for the non-calculator paper is the higher-return project for most students than choosing a calculator.

If your child is unsure which calculator their school expects, or keeps losing marks to mode errors and early rounding, that is exactly the kind of habit a focused tutor fixes fast. Our vetted tutors teach 0606 1-to-1 online (RM80/hr, 1.5-hour classes), and every student starts with a free 1-hour trial booked over WhatsApp.