Dipak School
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Exam boardSpec 8300England (and available in Northern Ireland)

AQA GCSE Maths

AQA GCSE Mathematics (8300)

A tiered, linear GCSE assessed by three written exams, taken at Foundation or Higher tier, with all content potentially examined on any paper.

Paper structure

Three 1 hour 30 minute papers, each worth 80 marks (240 total). Paper 1 is non-calculator; Papers 2 and 3 allow a calculator. Each paper carries 33⅓% of the qualification.

Tiers
  • Foundation:Grades 1–5
  • Higher:Grades 4–9 (with grade 3 allowed)

Official resources

Specification, papers, mark schemes and grade boundaries — straight from AQA.

Specification (web)Full specification PDFPast papersMark schemesExaminer reportsGrade boundaries (All About Maths)
  • Past papers: Filter by "Question papers" — also hosts specimen and sample papers.
  • Mark schemes: Filter the assessment-resources page by "Mark schemes".
  • Examiner reports: Filter the assessment-resources page by "Examiner reports".
Formulae sheet

A formulae sheet is provided in every paper for 2025–2027 series. Includes quadratic formula, trapezium area, prism volume, circle formulae, Pythagoras, right-angled trig ratios, sine rule, cosine rule, ½ab sin C, compound interest, and the probability addition / conditional rules. Cone, sphere and kinematics formulae are still given in the relevant question.

Higher tier formulae sheet (PDF)Foundation tier formulae sheet (PDF)Spec formulae appendix (web)

Assessment objectives

How marks are split across the three things examiners look for.

AO1 — Use and apply standard techniques

Accurately recall facts, terminology and definitions; use and interpret notation correctly; carry out routine procedures or multi-step solutions.

Foundation: 50%Higher: 40%
AO2 — Reason, interpret and communicate mathematically

Make deductions and draw conclusions, construct chains of reasoning, interpret and communicate information accurately, present arguments and proofs, and critically evaluate methods.

Foundation: 25%Higher: 30%
AO3 — Solve problems within mathematics and in other contexts

Translate problems into mathematical processes, make connections between different parts of mathematics, interpret results in context, and evaluate methods and assumptions used.

Foundation: 25%Higher: 30%

What AQA tests

The AQA specification organises content into the sections below. Each one shows the Dipak School topics that practise material from that strand.

Number

Structure and calculation, fractions / decimals / percentages, indices, surds, standard form, measures and accuracy.

Algebra

Notation, manipulation, solving linear and quadratic equations, simultaneous equations, sequences, and graphs of linear, quadratic, exponential and trigonometric functions.

Ratio, proportion and rates of change

Ratio, scale, direct and inverse proportion, percentage change, compound measures, and growth and decay including compound interest.

Geometry and measures

Properties and constructions, mensuration, vectors, similarity, circle theorems and trigonometry of non-right triangles (Higher).

Probability

Calculation, listing and representation of probability, including tree diagrams, Venn diagrams and conditional probability.

Statistics

Sampling, interpretation and representation of data, summary measures, plus cumulative frequency, box plots and histograms with unequal class widths at Higher.

Higher-tier-only highlights

Topics that appear on the Higher paper but not Foundation.

  • Surds: simplifying and rationalising denominators
  • Fractional and negative indices
  • Quadratic formula, completing the square and quadratic inequalities
  • Function notation including composite and inverse functions
  • Sine rule, cosine rule and ½ab sin C in non-right triangles
  • Full circle theorems and equation of a circle
  • Vectors used in geometric proofs
  • Histograms with unequal class widths

Studying for a different board?

The core content overlaps heavily — pick another board to see the specifics.

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