Do all GCSE Maths exam boards cover the same topics?

Broadly, yes. Edexcel, AQA, OCR and Eduqas build their specifications from common national GCSE mathematics content. They may organise headings differently and use different paper structures, question styles and wording.

What grades are available on Foundation and Higher tier?

Foundation tier offers grades $1$-$5$. Higher tier targets grades $4$-$9$, with a narrowly available grade $3$ safety net in specified circumstances. Your school decides the appropriate entry tier.

Does Higher GCSE Maths include all Foundation topics?

Yes. Higher papers can assess Foundation content as well as additional Higher material. Strong number, ratio, graph and linear algebra skills therefore remain essential for Higher students.

Which GCSE Maths exam board has two papers?

Eduqas uses two equally weighted components: one non-calculator paper and one calculator-allowed paper. Edexcel, AQA and OCR use three papers at each tier.

Should I revise from a topic list or past papers?

Use both. A topic list checks specification coverage, while past papers reveal whether you can select methods, reason and manage time. Mark each paper, label lost marks by topic, then return to focused practice.

GCSE Maths Topics by Exam Board and Tier: Full List

A GCSE maths specification can feel less like a revision list and more like a document designed to hide the revision list. Topics sit inside broad headings, Foundation and Higher content overlap, and each exam board arranges familiar ideas in a slightly different way.

This GCSE Maths Topics by Exam Board and Tier: Full List gives you the practical answer: Edexcel, AQA, OCR and Eduqas assess the same national subject content, but organise and examine it differently. Foundation covers grades $1$ - $5$ , while Higher targets grades $4$ - $9$ . Higher includes the Foundation content as well as additional, more demanding material.

Use this guide as a map, then open the GCSE Maths revision hub to find lessons, questions and papers for your board.

Your quick specification checklist

Before revising, confirm these four things:

Your exam board: Edexcel, AQA, OCR or Eduqas.
Your tier: Foundation or Higher.
Which topics you can already answer without notes.
Which topics repeatedly cost you marks in tests and past papers.

The six main content areas are:

Number
Algebra
Ratio, proportion and rates of change
Geometry and measures
Probability
Statistics

The labels may be divided differently by an exam board, but the mathematical destination is largely the same.

A student choosing between four exam-board routes up the same maths mountain

GCSE Maths topics by exam board

England's GCSE mathematics subject content is set nationally. Exam boards build their specifications and papers around that shared content, so changing board does not create an entirely different course. What changes is the organisation, paper structure, wording and style of assessment.

Edexcel GCSE Maths

Edexcel's qualification code is $1$ MA $1$ . Its specification uses the six standard content areas. Students take three equally weighted papers: Paper $1$ is non-calculator, while Papers $2$ and $3$ permit a calculator.

Edexcel gives approximate topic-weighting ranges. Foundation places the greatest emphasis on Number and Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change. Higher gives the largest share to Algebra.

Students can organise their preparation through the Edexcel GCSE Maths revision hub, before moving to Edexcel GCSE Maths past papers and Edexcel predicted papers.

AQA GCSE Maths

AQA's qualification code is $8300$ . It also divides the course into Number, Algebra, Ratio, Geometry, Probability and Statistics. Students sit three papers at the same tier: Paper $1$ is non-calculator and Papers $2$ and $3$ are calculator papers.

AQA states approximate overall tier weightings of $25%25\%$ Number, $20%20\%$ Algebra, $25%25\%$ Ratio, $15%15\%$ Geometry and $15%15\%$ Probability and Statistics at Foundation. At Higher, the corresponding figures are $15%15\%$ , $30%30\%$ , $20%20\%$ , $20%20\%$ and $15%15\%$ .

Use the AQA GCSE Maths revision hub for board-aligned resources, or go directly to the AQA GCSE Maths past papers.

OCR GCSE Maths

OCR's qualification code is J $560$ . Its content appears under twelve detailed headings rather than only six: number operations and integers; fractions, decimals and percentages; indices and surds; approximation and estimation; ratio and proportion; algebra; graphs; basic geometry; congruence and similarity; mensuration; probability; and statistics.

That longer set of headings does not mean OCR students learn twelve unrelated branches of maths. OCR has simply divided the common content more finely.

OCR students take Papers $1$ - $3$ at Foundation or Papers $4$ - $6$ at Higher. The middle paper at each tier, Paper $2$ or Paper $5$ , is non-calculator; the other two permit calculators.

Eduqas GCSE Maths

Eduqas uses the same six broad content areas and the same grade ranges, but its assessment structure is distinctive. Students take two equally weighted papers rather than three: one non-calculator component and one calculator-allowed component. Each lasts $2$ hours $15$ minutes.

This makes paper stamina particularly important. A topic checklist can tell you what to learn, but only timed Eduqas papers can reveal whether you can sustain accurate work across a longer examination.

Full Foundation tier GCSE Maths topic list

Foundation tier offers grades $1$ - $5$ . The following grouped checklist covers the common content assessed across the major boards, although individual specifications may classify a skill under a slightly different heading.

Number

Integers, decimals, negative numbers and place value
The four operations and order of operations
Factors, multiples, primes, highest common factor and lowest common multiple
Squares, cubes, roots and integer indices
Fractions, decimals and percentages, including conversions
Fractions and percentages of amounts
Percentage increase, decrease and change
Standard form
Rounding, estimation and significant figures
Limits of accuracy and error intervals
Recurring decimals and exact values where required
Calculator use and checking whether answers are reasonable

Algebra

Algebraic notation, substitution and simplifying expressions
Expanding brackets and factorising expressions
Forming and solving linear equations
Linear inequalities and number-line representations
Rearranging straightforward formulae
Coordinates and straight-line graphs
Quadratic, cubic and reciprocal graph recognition
Real-life graphs, including distance-time graphs
Linear simultaneous equations
Linear sequences and term-to-term rules
Continuing non-linear sequences
Function machines and inverse operations
Basic algebraic reasoning and proof

Ratio, proportion and rates of change

Writing, simplifying and sharing in a ratio
Fractions linked to ratios
Scale drawings, maps and scale factors
Direct and inverse proportion in familiar contexts
Best buys and unit pricing
Percentage multipliers and reverse percentages
Compound interest, depreciation and repeated change
Speed, density, pressure and other compound measures
Converting units of length, area, volume, mass and time

Geometry and measures

Angle facts, parallel lines and polygons
Properties of triangles, quadrilaterals and other polygons
Bearings, scale drawings, constructions and loci
Perimeter and area of $2$ D shapes
Circumference and area of circles
Surface area and volume of prisms and other solids
Plans, elevations and properties of $3$ D shapes
Reflection, rotation, translation and enlargement
Congruence and similarity
Pythagoras' theorem
Right-angled trigonometry
Geometrical reasoning and simple proof

Probability and statistics

The probability scale from $0$ to $1$
Relative frequency and expected outcomes
Sample spaces, frequency trees and two-way tables
Venn diagrams and set notation
Probability trees and combined events
Mean, median, mode and range
Averages from frequency tables
Bar charts, pie charts, line graphs and pictograms
Scatter graphs, correlation and lines of best fit
Frequency polygons and time-series graphs
Sampling, questionnaires and sources of bias

MathsGenie's GCSE revision guides can help you turn each broad heading into manageable lessons and practice sessions.

Foundation and Higher climbers following overlapping revision routes

Additional Higher tier GCSE Maths topics

Higher tier offers grades $4$ - $9$ and can assess all Foundation content. The overlap matters: a Higher paper is not made entirely from Higher-only techniques. Secure arithmetic, ratio and linear algebra still protect valuable marks.

Additional Higher content commonly includes:

Higher Number and algebra

Fractional and negative indices
Surds, including simplifying and rationalising denominators
Calculations with bounds
Recurring decimals expressed as fractions using algebra
Expanding and factorising quadratics
Solving quadratic equations by factorisation, formula and completing the square
Algebraic fractions
Simultaneous equations involving a linear and quadratic equation
Iteration
Quadratic and geometric sequences
Functions, including composite and inverse functions
Transformations of graphs
Equations of circles and tangents
Perpendicular gradients
Algebraic proof

Higher proportion and geometry

Algebraic direct and inverse proportion
Exponential growth and decay
Rates of change and gradients of curves
Similarity involving area and volume scale factors
Congruence proofs
Sine rule, cosine rule and the area of a triangle
Exact trigonometric values
Trigonometry and Pythagoras in $3$ D
Circle theorems and proofs
Vectors and vector proof
Frustums and more demanding compound solids

Higher probability and statistics

Conditional probability
More complex tree diagrams and dependent events
Cumulative frequency diagrams
Box plots and comparisons of distributions
Histograms and frequency density
Estimating statistics from grouped data
More demanding sampling and statistical reasoning

The boundary between Foundation and Higher presentation can vary slightly in exam-board documents. Your own specification remains the final checklist, particularly for skills that boards divide into different levels of demand.

How to turn the topic list into a revision plan

A list gives reassurance, but it does not reveal what you can do under pressure. That evidence comes from questions.

Start with a timed paper or mini test. Mark it using the mark scheme, then label every lost mark with a topic. If several questions point towards fractions, straight-line graphs or circle theorems, those become your next revision priorities.

Use this cycle:

Learn or revisit one method using a revision lesson.
Complete focused practice questions without copying the solution.
Mark the questions and record the exact error.
Reattempt the skill after a short gap.
Test it later inside a mixed past paper.

If the order feels unclear, follow the recommended order for learning GCSE Maths topics. Students considering a change of tier can also read the guide to moving from Foundation to Higher GCSE Maths.

A student detective investigating lost marks in a past paper

Common mistakes when using a GCSE topic list

Treating every topic as equally weak. A complete list is useful for coverage, but your mistakes should decide where most of your time goes.

Revising only Higher-only topics. Higher students still need fluent Foundation skills. Difficult questions often connect advanced reasoning to basic fractions, percentages or algebra.

Using resources for the wrong board or tier. Extra questions from another board can be useful, but board-specific papers should be your main source of exam practice.

Reading instead of practising. Recognising a method in notes is not the same as producing it independently. Move from revision lessons to questions quickly.

Guessing future papers from previous topics. Any eligible content may be assessed. Predicted papers are valuable practice, not a guarantee of what will appear.

Ignoring mark schemes. The final answer is only part of the story. Mark schemes show where method, reasoning, units and accuracy earn marks.

Build confidence one topic at a time

The specification looks large because it describes years of learning on a few pages. Revision becomes calmer when that large document is reduced to one next action: one topic, one set of questions and one honest review.

Choose your board and tier in the MathsGenie GCSE Maths revision area. Use free revision lessons and practice questions to repair individual skills, mini tests to check progress, and past papers to build timing. Nearer the examination, add predicted papers, mark schemes and video solutions to make your remaining gaps visible.

The list tells you what could appear. Consistent practice is what makes you ready when it does.