There are several different exam boards that offer GCSE maths qualifications. This can make finding information about the content that is covered confusing for students and parents. This article details the GCSE maths topics that are covered for each of the main exam boards, so you can rest assured that you know what you need to know for success in your maths GCSE.
GCSE Maths Topics
The three most popular exam boards for GCSE maths in England are:
AQA
Edexcel (Pearson)
OCR
Each of these exam boards has to follow the national curriculum, which is set by the Department of Education, so the content that you cover in your maths GCSE will be the same regardless of which exam board you are studying for.
The differences between the three exam boards are more to do with question style, exam structure and marking, rather than with the content itself. However, in terms of content, there are significant differences between the Foundation and Higher tiers. We’ll explore these differences as we look into the content that is examined.
The key GCSE maths topics that are covered by every exam board lie within the broader areas of:
Number
Algebra
Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change
Geometry and Measures
Probability and Statistics
The proportion of content within the exam papers for each area at both Foundation and Higher can be seen in the bar chart below.
1. Number
Number is a fundamental topic in GCSE mathematics, as it forms the core of numerical literacy. Number topics cover essential skills including:
Arithmetic operations
Fractions
Decimals
Percentages
This, in turn, underpins more advanced concepts such as powers, standard form, and number properties.
The table below summarises the different number topics covered at GCSE. It is very similar between both Foundation and Higher, but there are some key differences between the tiers.
Although in the Foundation tier you are expected to use exact values – e.g. you should be able to calculate exact values using fractions or leave answers in terms of 𝜋 – in the Higher tier you are also required to be able to use surds within calculations.
In terms of exam coverage, approximately 15% of the exam paper questions for the Higher tier examine number content, and for the Foundation tier, it’s a whopping 25%!
Number Topics | |
Foundation | Higher |
|
|
2. Algebra
Algebra is another major component of the GCSE maths curriculum.
Although there are many Algebra topics that are covered at both Foundation and Higher, there are significantly more that appear in the Higher tier exams only. For example, equations of circles and transformations of graphs.
In addition to this, even within the overlapping content between the tiers, topics will often be studied in greater depth at Higher level than they are at Foundation. For example, algebraic reasoning is required at Foundation, which is extended into formal algebraic proof at Higher level.
This emphasis on algebraic skills is reflected in the fact that approximately 30% of the Higher tier exams focus on algebraic content, compared to roughly 20% of the Foundation tier exams. A summary of the algebra topics examined within the maths GCSE is given in the table below.
Algebra Topics | |
Foundation | Higher |
|
|
3. Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change
Within the exams, approximately 25% of the Foundation paper content and 20% of the Higher paper content focuses on ratio, proportion and rates of change. These are questions that look at the relationships between quantities.
Students at both Foundation and Higher learn to express and manipulate ratios and solve proportion problems, as well as understand unit conversions and compound measures. The content for both tiers is the same, as summarised in the table below, but questions in the Higher tier could be more challenging. For example, Foundation students will be expected to solve problems involving direct and inverse proportion with different quantities, but Higher tier students will be expected to solve problems that also include quantities to a given power.
Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change Topics | |
Foundation | Higher |
|
|
4. Geometry and Measures
Within geometry and measures at maths GCSE level, all students explore the fundamentals of this area including topics such as properties of 2D and 3D shapes, transformations, and Pythagoras’ theorem. Again, there are some topics that are tested at Higher level only, e.g. circle theorems and area and volume of similar shapes. There are also some topics that are extended from Foundation into greater depth at Higher, e.g. Pythgaoras’ theorem and right-angled trigonometry is studied in 2D at Foundation but extended to 3D problems in the Higher tier.
Approximately 15% of the Foundation paper content and 20% of the high paper content cover these geometry and measures topics, and the breakdown of these is shown in the table below.
Geometry and Measures Topics | |
Foundation | Higher |
|
|
5. Probability and Statistics
Probability and statistics are distinct areas of maths but, as two of the smaller sections in GCSE, are often grouped together. In fact, only approximately 15% of the content within both the Foundation paper content and the Higher paper content cover both of these areas.
Content is similar across the Foundation and Higher tiers, but Foundation students will not cover conditional probability, or some statistical diagrams including histograms, cumulative frequency diagrams and box plots.
Probability and Statistics Topics | |
Foundation | Higher |
|
|
What is Covered in the Different GCSE Maths Papers?
The simple answer is that any topic from the specification could be tested on any one of the papers. The external assessment for each of the three main boards AQA, Edexcel and OCR consists of three papers: one non-calculator and two calculator papers. Certain topics naturally suit non-calculator questions, such as fraction calculations, expanding and factorising brackets, and Higher tier topics like surds. Other topics tend to require the use of a calculator, including compound interest and Higher tier concepts such as iteration. However, it is important to note that the majority of topics could be tested within either a calculator or a non-calculator paper, so students must be prepared for all topics in the course for each paper in order to achieve success in their GCSE maths exam.
Revision Resources for GCSE Maths
Although the need to have a sound knowledge of all content within the GCSE maths curriculum may sound daunting, we have you covered with our course specific revision resources!
We’ve carefully combed through each specification to make sure that our Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Flashcards and Past Papers are all perfectly aligned with your particular board’s specification and style. Check out the links below.
AQA GCSE
Edexcel GCSE Foundation
Edexcel GCSE Higher
OCR GCSE
2X Your Grades with Save My Exams
On average, students who use Save My Exams report improving by 2 grades*. Join 1M students, parents and teachers and become a member today for full access to all our fantastic GCSE maths revision resources.
*SME Attainment survey August 2024
References
Here at Save My Exams, we develop high-quality, affordable revision resources; consider signing up for a Save my Exams subscription to help you get the most out of your revision. We support over 1.5 million students each month in preparing for their exams and achieving successful results, we’d love to help you too.
Sign up for articles sent directly to your inbox
Receive news, articles and guides directly from our team of experts.
Written by Naomi C
Maths8 articlesNaomi graduated from Durham University in 2007 with a Masters degree in Civil Engineering. She has taught Mathematics in the UK, Malaysia and Switzerland covering GCSE, IGCSE, A-Level and IB. She particularly enjoys applying Mathematics to real life and endeavours to bring creativity to the content she creates.
Share this article
written revision resources that improve your