GCSE maths topics: the full list by area and tier

Key takeaways

• →GCSE Maths has six content areas set by the Department for Education: Number; Algebra; Ratio, proportion and rates of change; Geometry and measures; Probability; and Statistics.
• →AQA, Pearson Edexcel and OCR must follow the same DfE content, so the topics are the same whichever board your child sits. The papers are set a little differently.
• →Foundation students are not tested on Higher-only topics, such as surds, circle theorems, the sine and cosine rules, histograms and conditional probability. Higher papers can test everything.
• →Algebra carries the most marks on Higher, at about 30%. On Foundation, Number and Ratio carry about 25% each, so they are the best places to start.

1. What GCSE maths covers

The Department for Education (DfE) publishes the subject content for GCSE Maths. It sorts the course into six areas: Number; Algebra; Ratio, proportion and rates of change; Geometry and measures; Probability; and Statistics.^[1]

Exam boards cannot choose their own topics. Ofqual, the exams regulator, requires them to comply with the DfE’s content document for GCSE Maths. So AQA (8300), Pearson Edexcel (1MA1) and OCR (J560) all teach the same topics.^[2]

AQA also says the subject content of its specification matches the DfE’s.^[3]

There are two tiers, which are two different sets of papers. Foundation papers lead to grades 1 to 5. Higher papers lead to grades 4 to 9. A student sits one tier.^[10]

Higher papers can test all of the content, including the Foundation topics. So a Higher student still needs the basics.^[3]

The DfE prints Higher-only content in bold type. Only the more highly attaining students will be assessed on it.^[1]

Pearson Edexcel also marks Higher-only content in bold and says Foundation students are not assessed on it.^[11]

AQA puts it in a separate “Higher content” column instead. The tables in this guide follow AQA’s published content, which matches the DfE’s.^[3]

2. How many marks each area carries

AQA and Pearson Edexcel both publish how marks are shared out between the areas. The shares are approximate and cover a whole tier. The table below uses AQA’s figures. The boards list probability and statistics together.^[3]

Pearson Edexcel gives the same shares as ranges. For example, it says Number is 22% to 28% of Foundation marks and Algebra is 27% to 33% of Higher marks.^[11]

OCR’s overview page does not list percentages, so check its specification if your child sits OCR.^[12]

Not a fixed split: These shares are approximate. Any area can turn up on any paper, so do not drop a small area altogether.

3. Marks for skills as well as topics

The DfE also splits the marks by skill. On Foundation, 50% are for using standard methods, 25% for reasoning and 25% for solving problems. On Higher the split is 40%, 30% and 30%. So Foundation papers lean more on routine methods.^[1]

4. Number

Number covers the arithmetic that everything else builds on. With Ratio, it is one of the two biggest areas on Foundation, at about 25% of marks. It is about 15% on Higher.^[3]

The table follows the tier split in AQA’s content.^[4]

5. Algebra

Algebra is the biggest area on Higher, at about 30% of marks. It is about 20% on Foundation.^[3]

The table follows the tier split in AQA’s content.^[5]

6. Ratio, proportion and rates of change

This area is about 25% of Foundation marks and about 20% of Higher marks.^[3]

Most topics are shared by both tiers. The table follows the tier split in AQA’s content.^[6]

7. Geometry and measures

This area is about 15% of Foundation marks and about 20% of Higher marks.^[3]

The table follows the tier split in AQA’s content.^[7]

8. Probability

Probability and statistics are smaller areas. Together they are about 15% of marks on both tiers.^[3]

The table follows the tier split in AQA’s content.^[8]

9. Statistics

Foundation students still meet sampling, averages and spread, and scatter graphs. The table follows the tier split in AQA’s content.^[9]

10. How the papers are set

At AQA, GCSE Maths has three papers of 1 hour 30 minutes and 80 marks each. Paper 1 is non-calculator. Papers 2 and 3 allow a calculator. Each counts for one third of the grade, and students sit all three at the same tier.^[10]

Pearson Edexcel uses the same pattern. It has three papers of 1 hour 30 minutes and 80 marks each, with Paper 1 non-calculator.^[11]

OCR is different. Its three papers are 100 marks each, and the non-calculator paper is the second one.^[12]

Ofqual’s rule is that between 33% and 50% of the marks must come from questions answered without a calculator.^[2]

AQA says content from any part of its specification can be assessed on any paper. So there is no “algebra paper”. Revise every area for every paper.^[10]

11. How to use this list

Ask the school which exam board and tier your child is entered for. Then copy the tables for that tier and mark each topic red, amber or green. Red means “I cannot do this yet”.

Do not turn a topic green just because it looks familiar. Try a few exam questions on it with no help. If your child gets three right in a row, tick it off.

Start with the red topics in the biggest areas, because they cost the most marks. On Higher, that means Algebra first, at about 30% of marks. On Foundation, start with Number and Ratio, at about 25% each.^[3]

Work area by area. Finish the red topics in one area before moving on, so each topic has time to stick.

Use past papers from your child’s own exam board. Do them under timed conditions, with a calculator only where the paper allows one. After each paper, write down which topics lost marks and add them to the red list.

Learn the formulae that are not given in the exam. Our GCSE maths formula sheet guide shows what is on the sheet and what students still have to learn.

For the wider picture of the course, see our GCSE Maths guide.

Start with the red topics in the biggest areas.

Do not skip the basics: Higher papers can test every Foundation topic too. A Higher student who is shaky on fractions or ratio can lose marks all over the paper.

12. How Brainhub can help

Our GCSE students typically improve by 2 grades over 12 weeks of weekly lessons (Brainhub student records, 2021–2026). That figure is our own data, not independent research.

We teach one-to-one, live online across the UK, with online GCSE lessons from £30 an hour. Every family starts with a free 45-minute assessment, so we can see which topics your child needs to work on first.

1. 1. How many content areas does GCSE Maths have?

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2. 2. Name two topics that are Higher tier only.

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3. 3. Which area carries the most marks on the Higher tier?

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Your next steps

• Find out your child’s exam board and tier, then copy the topic tables for that tier.
• Mark each topic red, amber or green, and start with the red ones in the biggest areas.
• Book a free 45-minute assessment to see which topics to work on first.

Subject guides to go with this

Want one-to-one help? See how our online lessons work.