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Essential GCSE foundations

A-level maths moves quickly because it assumes that several GCSE skills are already available. This section will help you check and repair those foundations before they become hidden obstacles in a harder topic.

What you should be comfortable with

Section titled “What you should be comfortable with”
  • manipulating fractions, powers and surds;
  • expanding and factorising expressions;
  • solving linear and quadratic equations;
  • rearranging formulae;
  • reading and transforming graphs;
  • using coordinates, gradients and equations of lines;
  • applying trigonometry in right-angled triangles;
  • writing clear mathematical working.

You do not need every skill to feel perfect before starting A-level material. You do need a way to recognise when a foundation, rather than the new topic, is causing the difficulty.