How to get ready for A-level Maths

To get ready for A-level Maths, strengthen the GCSE skills that new topics build on: algebra, indices and surds, equations, graphs and trigonometry. Try a few questions without notes, repair the gaps they reveal, and revisit those skills after a break. You do not need to teach yourself the whole A-level course before it starts.

This is a preparation route into the common A-level Mathematics course in England. Your school or college sets its own entry requirements and may give you specific transition work; follow that guidance alongside this plan.

What changes between GCSE and A-level Maths?

You will use familiar skills in longer chains of reasoning. An algebra slip can interrupt a calculus question; weak graph knowledge can make a new function difficult to interpret. Preparation is most useful when it makes those foundations reliable and helps you explain why a method works.

The MathLab foundations lessons revisit Higher GCSE ideas with that transition in mind. Start with the areas where a fresh question is difficult, rather than reading every lesson in order regardless of need.

GCSE to A-level readiness checklist

Try these starter questions

These original questions sample a few foundations. They are not an entry test, a full GCSE assessment or a prediction of your A-level result. Attempt them before opening the answers.

Try a sample

01

MathLab practice

Fractions and algebra

Sample

Simplify $\frac{3}{2x}+\frac{1}{3x}$ and state the restriction on $x$.

×

Your next step is in MathLab.

Download MathLab for iPhone to enter answers, get feedback and keep practising with hints and worked solutions.

Get MathLab

Worked answer

Use the common denominator $6x$: $\frac{9}{6x}+\frac{2}{6x}=\boxed{\frac{11}{6x}}$. The denominators require $x\ne0$. Adding the denominators would not preserve the fractions’ values.

02

MathLab practice

Indices and surds

Sample

Evaluate $27^{2/3}$ and simplify $\sqrt{72}$ exactly.

×

Your next step is in MathLab.

Download MathLab for iPhone to enter answers, get feedback and keep practising with hints and worked solutions.

Get MathLab

Worked answer

$27^{2/3}=(\sqrt[3]{27})^2=3^2=\boxed{9}$. Also, $\sqrt{72}=\sqrt{36\times2}=\boxed{6\sqrt2}$. An exact answer keeps the surd instead of replacing it with a rounded decimal.

03

MathLab practice

Quadratic equations

Sample

Solve $2x^2-5x-3=0$.

×

Your next step is in MathLab.

Download MathLab for iPhone to enter answers, get feedback and keep practising with hints and worked solutions.

Get MathLab

Worked answer

Factorise: $(2x+1)(x-3)=0$. A product is zero when at least one factor is zero, so $x=-\frac12$ or $x=3$. Substitute each value into the original expression to check.

04

MathLab practice

Lines and intersections

Sample

Find the equation of the line through $(2,5)$ and $(6,13)$. Where does it meet $y=9$?

×

Your next step is in MathLab.

Download MathLab for iPhone to enter answers, get feedback and keep practising with hints and worked solutions.

Get MathLab

Worked answer

The gradient is $(13-5)/(6-2)=2$. Using $(2,5)$ gives $5=2(2)+c$, so $y=2x+1$. Set $9=2x+1$ to find $x=4$. The intersection is $(4,9)$.

05

MathLab practice

Trigonometry and units

Sample

A ladder of length $5$ m makes an angle of $60^\circ$ with horizontal ground. How high up a vertical wall does it reach? Assume the ladder, wall and ground form a right-angled triangle.

×

Your next step is in MathLab.

Download MathLab for iPhone to enter answers, get feedback and keep practising with hints and worked solutions.

Get MathLab

Worked answer

The height is opposite the angle and the ladder is the hypotenuse. Thus $h=5\sin60^\circ=\boxed{\frac{5\sqrt3}{2}\text{ m}}$, approximately $4.33$ m. Check that the calculator uses degrees and that the height is less than the ladder’s length.

Swipe to explore the questions.

A suggested two-week preparation plan

Choose a manageable session length, for example 20–30 minutes, with breaks as needed. This schedule is a suggested sequence; repeat or shorten it around your gaps and your school’s work.

What should you study first at A-level?

Follow your teacher’s sequence. For an independent route, the A-level Maths revision guide shows prerequisites and a suggested learning order. Algebra and functions support much of what follows; keep practising them while you meet new ideas.

Once the course starts, use the revision planning guide to separate learning new material from revisiting taught topics.

Should you learn calculus before Year 12?

It can be interesting to explore, but reliable algebra and graphs are a more useful first priority if those skills are shaky. New topics are easier to learn when the prerequisites are secure.

What if you struggle with these questions?

Use the linked foundation lessons, then try a different question on the same skill. Ask your teacher for help with a gap that remains after practice. Difficulty on a few examples tells you what to work on, not whether you belong on the course.

Is this a complete transition course?

It is a starting guide with selected examples. Use the broader foundations library and your school’s transition work for additional coverage. The sequence and practice questions are MathLab’s own; qualification scope is informed by the DfE AS and A-level Mathematics subject content.