GCSE Maths
Revision
for
Edexcel Foundation
Use real 1MA1 Foundation papers to find the topics costing you marks, then build a steady route to a grade 4 or 5.
Your exam at a glance
How to Improve with Edexcel Past Papers
The four-step revision loop. Turn mistakes into marks.
Do a paper
Pick a recent 1MA1 Foundation series and do all three 80-mark papers properly.
Mark it
Go through the Pearson mark scheme line by line to find where marks slipped away.
Fix weak topics
Work on the 2-3 topics that cost you most before touching anything else.
Test again
Sit a different 1MA1 series and check your total against the grade 4 and 5 boundaries.
Edexcel Foundation Past Papers
Past papers are the fastest way to see where the marks are going.
Edexcel Foundation Grade Boundaries
See recent grade 4 and 5 boundaries and what marks you usually need.
Grade boundaries by year
June series · /240What your current score usually means
Based on 2023–2025 · out of 240Not yet secure for a recent grade 4
Recent grade 4 boundary zone
Solid 4 territory, building toward 5
Recent grade 5 boundary zone
Strong Foundation performance
Topics Worth the Most Marks
on Edexcel Foundation
Pick the topic costing you the most marks and start there.
Number
A quarter of 1MA1 Foundation. Fractions, decimals, percentages and rounding sit behind most other questions too.
Paper 1 has no calculator, so practise written multiplication and division until they are quick.
Ratio and Proportion
Another 25% of the marks. Sharing in a ratio and percentage change come up again and again.
Check whether the question wants one share or the total. Then answer exactly that.
Algebra
About 20% of the paper. Substitution, simplifying, solving equations and straight-line graphs are the core marks.
Write down each step when solving an equation. Correct working earns method marks even if the answer is wrong.
Geometry and Measures
About 15% of the marks. Area, perimeter, angles and volume questions follow familiar patterns.
Write the units in your answer and check whether they should be cm, cm² or cm³. Missing units cost marks.
Probability and Statistics
About 15% of Foundation. Averages, pie charts, frequency tables and simple probability are quick to improve.
The probabilities of all possible outcomes add up to 1. Use that to find a missing probability in a table.
Edexcel Foundation GCSE Maths FAQs
Quick answers to the most common revision questions.
Do one 1MA1 Foundation paper first, then revise. The questions you dropped marks on tell you exactly which topics to work on, which beats guessing.
Not sure what to revise first?
Take the free Maths Check: 16 quick questions for your year. It colours your Skills Map with your strengths and gaps, and picks the best lesson to start with.
Take the free Maths Check5 minutes · No sign-up needed
