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Exam boardSpec 3300Wales only

WJEC GCSE Maths

WJEC GCSE in Mathematics

The Wales-only Welsh Government-regulated GCSE. Most Welsh students sit it alongside its sibling, WJEC GCSE Mathematics – Numeracy (3310); the two together form the "double" maths result.

Paper structure

Two written units per tier, each 50% of the qualification. Unit 1 is non-calculator and Unit 2 allows a calculator. Higher / Intermediate: 1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks each. Foundation: 1 hour 30 minutes, 65 marks each. Plus 2 marks per paper for organising, communicating and writing accurately (OCW).

Tiers
  • Foundation:Grades D–G
  • Intermediate:Grades B–E
  • Higher:Grades A*–C

Official resources

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

Specification (web) — Maths & NumeracyFull specification PDF (3300)Specimen assessment materials (legacy resources)Past papersExaminers' report (Summer 2024)Grade boundaries
  • Past papers: WJEC bundles mark schemes alongside each past paper on this portal.
Formulae sheet

Formulae are printed inside the question paper in Appendix A of the spec; there is no separate booklet. Foundation receives the trapezium area only; Intermediate adds the volume of a prism; Higher additionally receives sphere and cone formulae, sine and cosine rules, ½ab sin C, the quadratic formula and the AER (Annual Equivalent Rate) formula.

Formulae (Appendix A of spec PDF)

Assessment objectives

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

AO1 — Recall and use knowledge of the prescribed content

Demonstrate recall, selection and use of mathematical knowledge in a variety of contexts.

Overall: 50–60%
AO2 — Select and apply mathematical methods

Choose and apply appropriate mathematical methods in routine and non-routine situations.

Overall: 10–20%
AO3 — Interpret and analyse problems and generate strategies

Devise strategies for non-routine problems, communicate mathematically, construct arguments and proofs, and interpret findings.

Overall: 25–35%

What WJEC tests

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

Number

Place value and calculation, fractions / decimals / percentages, ratio and proportion, indices, standard form, surds (Higher), upper / lower bounds, and financial maths.

Algebra

Expressions, formulae, linear / simultaneous / quadratic / cubic equations, sequences, graphs of functions, inequalities, and (Higher) algebraic proof.

Geometry and Measure

2D and 3D shape properties, angles, Pythagoras, trigonometry (sine and cosine rules at Higher), circle theorems (Higher), transformations, loci, perimeter / area / volume, compound measures, and vectors (Higher).

Statistics (including Probability)

The statistical problem-solving cycle: specifying, collecting (sampling), processing and representing (charts, averages, spread), interpreting and discussing. Includes the probability scale, mutually exclusive and independent events, tree diagrams and (Higher) conditional probability and sampling without replacement.

Higher-tier-only highlights

Topics that appear on the Higher paper but not Foundation.

  • Surds and rationalising denominators
  • Recurring decimals to exact fractions
  • Factorising ax² + bx + c and the quadratic formula
  • Sine and cosine rules in 2D and 3D
  • Circle theorems and the alternate segment theorem
  • Volumes and surface areas of spheres and cones
  • Vectors and geometric proof
  • Conditional probability and sampling without replacement
  • Histograms with unequal class widths and stratified sampling
  • AER / APR financial calculations

Worth knowing

The "double award" sibling: GCSE Mathematics – Numeracy (3310)

Welsh students typically also sit GCSE Mathematics – Numeracy, which re-tests the numeracy core in everyday real-world contexts. AO weightings are deliberately flipped to emphasise applied method (AO2 50–60%).

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Final assessment year: Summer 2026

From September 2025, Year 10 cohorts begin a new combined qualification, GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy (Double Award), which replaces both 3300 and 3310 for first assessment in 2027.

Open link

Studying for a different board?

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

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