A complete guide to AQA GCSE Maths

AQA GCSE Maths (specification 8300) is one of the most widely sat qualifications in the country. It is assessed across three written papers at the end of Year 11, with no coursework. Hundreds of thousands of students sit it every summer, and it is one of the most important qualifications for keeping doors open at sixth form and beyond.

This guide covers how the three papers are structured, the six topic areas and their weightings, the formula sheet provided in every paper, and the revision techniques that actually move the needle on a maths grade.

AQA GCSE Maths is a linear qualification: Every paper is sat at the end of the course in the same exam series, usually across May and June of Year 11. There is no controlled assessment, no coursework, and no module-based testing. Your final grade comes entirely from the three written papers added together.

All three papers carry the same number of marks and the same weighting. The only differences are whether a calculator is allowed and which specific questions appear. The topic content is drawn from the same six areas across all three papers.

All three papers test the same six topic areas, just with different question types. The weightings shift slightly between tiers: Foundation puts more weight on Number and Ratio, while Higher pushes harder on Algebra and Geometry.

Around 15% at Higher / 25% at Foundation (per Ofqual subject content weightings). Covers integers, decimals, fractions, percentages, indices, standard form, surds (Higher only), rounding, and estimation. This is bread-and-butter content that underpins almost every other topic, so weak number skills will hurt you across the whole paper.

Around 30% at Higher / 20% at Foundation (per Ofqual subject content weightings). Includes simplifying expressions, expanding and factorising, solving linear and quadratic equations, simultaneous equations, inequalities, sequences, and graphs of functions. Higher tier extends to algebraic fractions, completing the square, and proof. This is the topic where Higher tier students gain the most ground over Foundation.

Around 20% at Higher / 25% at Foundation (per Ofqual subject content weightings). Covers sharing in a ratio, scaling, direct and inverse proportion, percentage change, compound measures (speed, density, pressure), and growth and decay. These questions often appear as wordy multi-step problems, so reading carefully is half the battle.

Around 20% at Higher / 15% at Foundation (per Ofqual subject content weightings). Includes angles, polygons, area and volume, Pythagoras, trigonometry, transformations, and constructions. Higher tier adds circle theorems, vectors, and trigonometry of non-right-angled triangles (sine and cosine rules). Geometry questions are very visual, so always sketch a diagram if one is not provided.

Around 15% of marks at both Higher and Foundation, combined into a single weighting per the Ofqual subject content. Probability covers basic probability, tree diagrams, Venn diagrams, expected outcomes, and (at Higher) conditional probability. Statistics covers averages from lists and tables, scatter graphs, frequency tables, pie charts, box plots, and cumulative frequency. Higher tier extends to histograms with unequal class widths. Tree diagrams and cumulative-frequency questions come up frequently.

AQA provides a formula sheet on every GCSE Maths paper for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 exam series (extended from the original COVID-era arrangement; Ofqual is consulting on continuing the provision beyond 2027).

The sheet includes a wide range of formulae you no longer need to memorise: the area and circumference of a circle, Pythagoras' theorem, the basic trigonometric ratios (SOH CAH TOA), compound interest, the area of a trapezium, the volume of a prism, the quadratic formula, the sine and cosine rules, and the area of a triangle using sine. The main thing genuinely NOT on the sheet (and that you do need to memorise) is the equation of a straight line, y = mx + c.

In terms of equipment, you need a black pen, a pencil, a ruler, a protractor, a pair of compasses, and a scientific calculator for Papers 2 and 3. The Casio fx-83 and fx-85 are common safe choices – check your centre's instructions for the current approved list.

AQA GCSE Maths is tiered. Higher Tier targets grades 4-9, with a small safety net for students who narrowly miss grade 4 (they can be awarded a grade 3). Foundation Tier targets grades 1-5, capped at grade 5. The two tiers contain different papers, not just different questions.

Your school decides which tier you sit, based on your performance in mocks and class assessments. If you are scoring consistently above 60% on Higher mock papers, you are likely to be entered for Higher. If you are scoring below 30% on Higher mocks, Foundation is usually the safer choice – a grade 5 on Foundation looks identical on your transcript to a grade 5 on Higher.

Grade boundaries shift every year depending on how difficult the papers were. AQA publishes the official boundaries on results day each August.

Maths revision is different from most other subjects. You cannot revise by re-reading notes – you have to do questions. The students who get top grades are the ones who treat maths revision as a daily practice habit rather than a cramming exercise.

Paper 1 is where most students lose marks they did not need to lose. Long multiplication, long division, fraction arithmetic, and percentage calculations without a calculator all need to be automatic. Spend ten minutes a day drilling these and you will see your Paper 1 score jump within a few weeks.

Doing a past paper and putting it back on the shelf is wasted work. Mark it honestly, then make a list of every topic you got wrong. Revise those specific topics before you do another paper. In our experience at Cognito, the biggest score jumps come once students start revising the specific topics they are getting wrong, rather than just doing more papers.

The formula sheet is genuinely helpful, but it is not exhaustive. Spend an hour with a copy and highlight what is on it. The equation of a straight line, y = mx + c, is the most notable formula that isn't printed – make a flashcard for it. The sheet does include circle area and circumference, Pythagoras, SOH CAH TOA and the compound-interest formula, so don't waste flashcard time on those.

If you are aiming for a grade 7 or above, Algebra and Geometry will deliver half your marks. If you are stretching for a grade 5 at Foundation, Number and Ratio will deliver half. Match your revision time to where the marks actually live. There is no point spending a fortnight on probability if you cannot solve a linear equation.

Method marks exist for a reason. Even on a non-calculator paper, mark schemes typically credit a correct method with a wrong final answer. Write each step on a new line, keep your equals signs aligned, and label your diagrams. Messy working loses marks even when the maths is right.