Edexcel GCSE Maths — Foundation
Pearson Edexcel 1MA1 Foundation. Three 1h 30m papers targeting grades 1–5, with Edexcel's worded, context-heavy question style.
Course overview
Pearson Edexcel GCSE Mathematics (1MA1) at Foundation tier covers grades 1–5. Three written papers (Paper 1 non-calculator, Papers 2 and 3 calculator), each 1h 30m and worth 80 marks, so 240 marks decide the grade. Edexcel questions tend to be more contextual ('worded') than AQA, with a strong emphasis on problem-solving in real-world settings such as best-buy comparisons, recipes, timetables and money. Edexcel publishes topic weightings for Foundation tier: Number 22–28%, Algebra 17–23%, Ratio, proportion and rates of change 22–28%, Geometry and measures 12–18%, and Probability and statistics 15–21%. In practice that means number and ratio work is worth roughly half of the whole qualification at Foundation, so percentages, fractions, proportion and unit conversion deserve the most revision time. Every revision note, practice question and quiz on this page is filtered to the 1MA1 Foundation content list, so nothing Higher-only appears.
Paper-by-paper breakdown
Paper 1Non-calculator
- •Structure and calculation
- •Fractions, decimals and percentages
- •Measures and accuracy
- •Notation, vocabulary and manipulation
- •Graphs
- •Solving equations and inequalities
- •Sequences
- •Ratio, proportion and rates of change
- •Properties and constructions
- •Mensuration and calculation
- •Vectors
- •Probability
- •Statistics
Paper 2Calculator
- •Structure and calculation
- •Fractions, decimals and percentages
- •Measures and accuracy
- •Notation, vocabulary and manipulation
- •Graphs
- •Solving equations and inequalities
- •Sequences
- •Ratio, proportion and rates of change
- •Properties and constructions
- •Mensuration and calculation
- •Vectors
- •Probability
- •Statistics
Paper 3Calculator
- •Structure and calculation
- •Fractions, decimals and percentages
- •Measures and accuracy
- •Notation, vocabulary and manipulation
- •Graphs
- •Solving equations and inequalities
- •Sequences
- •Ratio, proportion and rates of change
- •Properties and constructions
- •Mensuration and calculation
- •Vectors
- •Probability
- •Statistics
Assessment objectives
Use and apply standard techniques
Weighting: F 50% / H 40%
Reason, interpret and communicate mathematically
Weighting: F 25% / H 30%
Solve problems within mathematics and in other contexts
Weighting: F 25% / H 30%
Tier differences
Foundation tier is capped at grade 5. Higher-only content you can safely skip: quadratic formula and completing the square, simultaneous equations with a quadratic, function notation, surds, vectors as proofs, circle theorems, sine and cosine rules, iteration and advanced trigonometry. Foundation does still need basic trigonometry (SOHCAHTOA), Pythagoras, standard form and simple probability trees.
Grade boundaries
June 2024 Foundation boundaries: grade 4 ≈ 140/240, grade 5 ≈ 162/240 — about 58% and 68% of the total marks. Grade 3 sat near 100/240, so steady marks on number and ratio questions carry most of a pass.
Revision resources for this course
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