GCSE Maths Papers 1, 2 and 3: what's on each

Students ask me this all the time. What's actually on Paper 1, and how is it different from Papers 2 and 3?

The answer surprises a lot of people. The three papers are much more alike than you'd think, and knowing that changes how you should revise.

Here's how it works for Edexcel and AQA, the two boards most students sit.

The three papers at a glance

That's the same on Foundation and Higher, and the same for Edexcel and AQA. You sit all three papers at the same tier, in the same exam series. Your grade comes from your total out of 240. The individual papers aren't graded on their own.

Any topic can come up on any paper

This is the big one. There isn't a "number paper" and an "algebra paper". Both boards set questions from the whole course on all three papers.

So you can't skip a topic because it was on Paper 1 last year. Ratio, percentages, angles, probability, graphs and equations can turn up on any of them.

What changes between the papers is how you're allowed to work, not what you need to know.

Paper 1: the non-calculator paper

Paper 1 is the one students worry about most, and it's nearly always because of the arithmetic. Before your exam, make sure you're comfortable with:

• Written methods for multiplying and dividing, including decimals.
• Fractions: adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and finding a fraction of an amount.
• Percentages without a calculator. Build them from 10% and 1%. If you can find 10%, you can find 35%.
• Times tables and squares, quickly. They save time on every question.

If you're on Higher, topics like surds and giving answers in terms of π suit a non-calculator paper well, so be ready for them here.

One habit that helps: if a non-calculator question is giving you a horrible decimal, stop and check your working. The numbers are usually chosen so the method is the hard part, not the arithmetic.

Here's a full Edexcel Paper 1 Higher that I worked through live:

Papers 2 and 3: the calculator papers

Papers 2 and 3 have exactly the same format as each other. Neither one is the "hard one". They're two more papers drawn from the same course.

Having a calculator doesn't make these papers easy. The questions are built to test whether you know which calculation to do, not whether you can press the buttons. Expect multi-step problems, and questions where a calculator does the heavy lifting, like trigonometry, compound interest and standard form.

A few calculator habits that save marks:

1. Know your calculator before the exam. The fraction button, standard form, and checking it's in degrees for trigonometry.
2. Write down what you type in, not just the answer. If the answer is wrong, the working can still earn method marks.
3. Don't round until the end. Rounding halfway through a question is an easy way to lose an accuracy mark.

Here are the topics I'd make sure you're solid on before a calculator paper:

Is there a formula sheet?

Yes, for now. For GCSE Maths exams in 2025, 2026 and 2027, you're given a formulae and equations sheet. That helps, but it won't tell you which formula a question needs. You still have to recognise that, and that only comes from practice.

What about OCR?

OCR works a little differently. Its papers are numbered 1 to 3 on Foundation and 4 to 6 on Higher. Each one is still 1 hour 30 minutes, but they're worth 100 marks each, and you sit a calculator paper first. The non-calculator paper is the second one you sit. If you're not sure which board you're on, ask your teacher or check your exam letter.

How to prepare for all three

Because every paper covers the whole course, prepare for them the same way: full past papers, timed, marked with the mark scheme.

• Mix up Paper 1s, 2s and 3s rather than doing all of one kind.
• Do Paper 1s with your calculator in another room. Even the easy questions.
• After each paper, go through every lost mark and work out why you lost it.
• Keep a note of your score on each paper, so you can see what's improving.

You can find every Edexcel and AQA paper, with its mark scheme, on my past papers page.

My past paper tracker does that last part for you. It keeps track of which papers you've done and how you scored.

And remember, Maths isn't the only exam you're sitting. The three papers are on different days, alongside your other subjects. Little and often beats cramming the night before.

Questions people also ask

Is Paper 1 always the non-calculator paper?

For Edexcel and AQA, yes. OCR orders its papers differently, so check your exam board.

Are the three papers graded separately?

No. You get one grade for GCSE Maths, based on your total across all three papers.

Do you get a formula sheet in GCSE Maths?

Yes. Students get a formula sheet in GCSE Maths exams from 2025, including resits. Some formulas still have to be learned.