GCSE guide · checked October 2026
GCSE Maths, explained simply
Everything a parent or student needs on one page: how many exams, how long they are, the marks you really need for each grade, and how to get there. Pick your exam board and tier and the page changes to match.
- 3 exams
- 4 hours 30 minutes in total
- No coursework
- Grades 9 to 1
Exam board
Tier
Not sure which board? Ask your child's school, or check the front of a mockA practice exam, usually set by school a few months before the real thing. paper.
The exams at a glance
AQA GCSE Maths (8300), Higher tier. 3 papers, 4 hours 30 minutes of exams and 240 marks in total. Each paper is worth 33% of the grade.
Specification: AQA GCSE Maths (8300)
What's in the exams
Every board teaches the same government content, in the same proportions. What changes is the tier.
- Number15%
- Algebra30%
- Ratio, proportion and rates of change20%
- Geometry and measures20%
- Probability and statistics15%
Foundation or Higher?
Foundation
Grades 1 to 5. Questions start easier and stay closer to everyday maths. A 5 is the top grade, so it suits students aiming for a standard pass (4) or a strong pass (5).
Higher
Grades 4 to 9, with a 3 allowed if you just miss a 4. You need it for grades 6 and above, and for A-Level Maths. The risk: fall below the grade 3 mark and you get no grade at all.
The marks you really need for each grade
You do not need 90% for a top grade. Grade boundaries are set after the exams are marked, so a grade stays the same standard even when the papers are harder. These are the real AQA Higher boundaries from June 2026:
Source: AQA, GCSE grade boundaries June 2026. Boundaries change slightly every year.
Your target score in practice papers
Sit a full set of past papers under timed conditions every few weeks. Work out the percentage for each set, ignore your single worst result (everyone has an off day) and average the rest. Aim for:
97%
to secure a grade 9
85%
to secure a grade 8
75%
to secure a grade 7
We add 5 percentage points to last year's boundary, because boundaries move a little each year and exam nerves cost marks.
Past paper mock builder
Pick an exam series and we'll set out the full AQA Higher mock: which papers to sit, how long to allow and where to download them. Then type in your marks to see the grade they would have earned.
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Paper 1, June 2026 · No calculator · 1 hour 30 minutes
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Paper 2, June 2026 · Calculator · 1 hour 30 minutes
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Paper 3, June 2026 · Calculator · 1 hour 30 minutes
Download the papers and mark schemes: AQA official past papers or Save My Exams past papers. Exam boards keep the most recent series for schools only for a while, so if the newest one isn't there, take the one before.
Enter your marks for each paper to see the grade they would have earned.
What Maths is really about
Where the word comes from
"Mathematics" comes from the Greek mathēma, meaning "something learned", from manthanein, "to learn". To the ancient Greeks it was simply the subject you study.
Where it comes from
Counting and measuring began in ancient Egypt and Babylon, to survey fields, build and trade grain. Greek thinkers such as Euclid turned it into step-by-step proof. Indian mathematicians gave us zero and the digits we still use, and the Baghdad scholar al-Khwarizmi wrote the book whose title gave us the word "algebra" (al-jabr, "putting broken parts back together").
Why it's still taught
GCSE Maths trains you to reason step by step, spot patterns and handle numbers in real life: money, data, risk, recipes and mortgages. It is also a gateway. Students in England who don't get at least a grade 4 must keep studying maths until 18, and most sixth forms, apprenticeships and universities ask for a 4 or a 5.
How to do well in GCSE Maths
Practise, don't reread
Maths is learned by doing questions. Reading notes feels productive but builds very little.
Win the non-calculator paper
Times tables, fractions and written methods are easy marks that many students throw away.
Always show your working
Most marks are for method, so a wrong final answer can still score well.
Mark it, then redo it
After each past paper, mark it with the mark scheme and redo every question you dropped a week later.
Mix topics up
The exam jumps between topics, so revision should too.
Learn your formulae
Most formulae are not given in the exam, so they have to be learned by heart.
The three best places to revise
Our teachers' picks. We have no connection with these sites.
Corbettmaths
Free videos, worksheets and the daily "5-a-day" questions for every grade.
Maths Genie
Free past papers and exam questions sorted by topic and grade, with video solutions.
Save My Exams
Revision notes and exam questions by topic for each board. Some content is paid.
Questions parents ask
Not sure where your child stands?
Our free 45-minute assessment often uses a real past paperA real exam from a previous year, used for practice., so you'll know their likely grade and exactly what to work on. Lessons online across the UK, or at our seven London hubs.