A-level guide
A-level Maths
How the papers are built, what is on them and how to prepare over two years
Abstract
A-level Maths is a big step up from GCSE, not because the ideas are impossible but because there is so much of it and everything is examined at the very end of Year 13. This guide explains how the qualification is structured, how the papers differ between exam boards, what the mark schemes reward and how to spread your preparation across two years so that the final summer is about practice rather than panic.
1What A-level Maths is today
Since the reforms that were first examined in 2018, A-level Maths has been linear. You study for two years and sit every exam at the end of Year 13. Nothing you do in Year 12 counts towards the final grade, although many schools use internal exams or the separate AS qualification to check progress.
The content is the same for every board, because it is set by the Department for Education. About two thirds is pure mathematics and one third is applied, split between statistics and mechanics. Every student studies all of it. There are no optional modules, which means you cannot avoid mechanics because you prefer statistics, or the other way round.
Grades run from A* to E. Most competitive maths, physics, engineering, economics and computer science degrees will ask for an A or A*, and some also ask for an admissions test or for Further Maths.
2How the exams are structured
Every board sets three papers, and all of them allow a calculator. Each board also provides a formulae booklet in the exam, so it is worth getting to know yours early.
| Board | Specification | Paper 1 | Paper 2 | Paper 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edexcel | 9MA0 | Pure | Pure | Statistics and Mechanics |
| AQA | 7357 | Pure | Pure and Mechanics | Pure and Statistics |
| OCR A | H240 | Pure | Pure and Statistics | Pure and Mechanics |
| OCR MEI | H640 | Pure and Mechanics | Pure and Statistics | Pure and Comprehension |
For Edexcel, AQA and OCR A, each paper is 2 hours long and worth 100 marks, so each is a third of the grade, and you have
Edexcel's Paper 3 splits into a statistics section and a mechanics section of 50 marks each. MEI has a slightly different shape, with a comprehension task in Paper 3 based on an article you read in the exam, so check the details with your school if you are on MEI.
2.1The large data set
Every board publishes a large data set, a real collection of data that you are expected to explore during the course. Edexcel's, for example, is weather data from Met Office stations. Exam questions in statistics can assume you are familiar with it, so a few hours spent looking through it, and reading what each column actually measures, can be worth several marks.
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