The GCSE Maths Topics For 2025 Your Year 10 And Year 11 Should Revise (Foundation Tier)

As the 2025 GCSE exams approach, it’s essential for Year 10 and Year 11 students to focus on revising key topics, particularly in the GCSE Maths Foundation Tier. This tier covers fundamental maths concepts and provides students with a solid foundation, especially if they’re aiming for grades 1 to 5. These topics cover the essential mathematical concepts and skills that will be tested, and students should revise them thoroughly to ensure they are well-prepared.

What is the current picture for GCSE maths?

The current picture for GCSE Maths reflects a dynamic and evolving approach to mathematics education in the UK. The current picture for GCSE Maths reflects an emphasis on deep understanding, problem-solving skills, and the effective use of digital resources, combined with efforts to address diverse learning needs and ensure fair assessment practices.

This guide provides a detailed overview of the topics to prioritise and some handy tips for maximising revision efficiency.

A. Number Topics

1. Basic Arithmetic Operations

The cornerstone of maths is understanding addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Ensure your basics are rock-solid by practising these operations, especially when dealing with larger numbers or mental calculations.

2. Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages

Being able to convert between fractions, decimals, and percentages is critical. Year 10 and Year 11 students should be comfortable with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division involving fractions, as well as calculating percentages, especially percentage increases and decreases.

3. Factors, Multiples, and Primes

Understanding how to find the factors and multiples of numbers is a key skill. Students should also be able to identify prime numbers and understand the Highest Common Factor (HCF) and Lowest Common Multiple (LCM), which are common in exam questions.

4. Powers and Roots

The GCSE Foundation tier includes questions on squares, cubes, and their roots. Make sure you’re familiar with the laws of indices (powers) and can apply them in calculations.

B. Algebra Topics

01. Introduction to Algebra

For many students, algebra can feel intimidating. Start by ensuring that you understand the basics, such as using letters to represent numbers and the importance of balancing equations. Read Strategies for Success in Math

02. Simplifying Expressions

Simplifying expressions is a core skill. Practise collecting like terms, expanding brackets, and simplifying algebraic fractions.

03. Solving Equations and Inequalities

Solving equations forms the backbone of algebra. Ensure you can solve both linear and quadratic equations, and understand how to approach inequalities, where solutions need to be represented on a number line.

04. Graphs and Coordinates

Drawing and interpreting graphs is a common exam task. Revise how to plot points on a Cartesian plane and understand the basics of linear graphs.

C. Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change

01. Working with Ratios

Ratios are used widely in real-life situations. Practice simplifying ratios and using them to solve problems, such as dividing quantities into a given ratio.

02. Understanding Proportions

Proportionality comes up often in foundation maths, and students need to grasp both direct and inverse proportions. This can involve calculating proportions in everyday contexts like recipes or financial questions.

03. Direct and Inverse Proportions

Master the difference between direct and inverse proportions by practising word problems and understanding their relationships in various contexts, including graphs.

D. Geometry and Measures Topics

01. Properties of Shapes

Year 10 and 11 students need to be familiar with the properties of 2D and 3D shapes. This includes understanding terms like faces, edges, and vertices in 3D shapes and knowing the properties of polygons.

02. Perimeter, Area, and Volume

Be able to calculate the perimeter and area of 2D shapes such as rectangles, triangles, and circles. Additionally, understanding how to calculate the volume of 3D shapes like cubes, cuboids, and cylinders is important.

03. Angles and Transformations

Make sure you’re confident with different types of angles, such as those in triangles, around a point, or on a straight line. Transformations include translations, rotations, reflections, and enlargements, which are frequently tested.

04. Pythagoras’ Theorem

Although it sounds tricky, Pythagoras’ Theorem is essential. It helps calculate the length of sides in right-angled triangles and often features in exam questions.

E. Probability and Statistics

01. Basic Probability

Students need to understand basic probability concepts, including the probability scale from 0 to 1. Be prepared to calculate probabilities from given information or in the context of events like dice rolls or card games.

02. Data Representation (Graphs, Charts, and Tables)

Being able to read and interpret data from various forms is a vital skill. This includes bar charts, pie charts, frequency tables, and line graphs. Additionally, you should be able to construct these representations.

03. Averages and Range

Make sure you can calculate mean, median, mode, and range from a given set of data. These are often straightforward marks in exams, so ensure you can compute them quickly and accurately.

Key Revision Tips for GCSE Maths

01. Creating a Revision Plan

Start by creating a clear and realistic revision plan that covers all the key topics and allows enough time for practice. Break down your revision into manageable chunks and use a variety of resources.

02. Practice with Past Papers

There’s no better way to prepare for GCSE Maths than by using past papers. They not only familiarise you with the format and timing of the exam but also help you identify common question types and weak areas.

03. Tackling Weak Areas

Identify the topics where you struggle the most and spend extra time revising them. Use tutorials or ask teachers for help if you’re unsure about specific concepts.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

01. Misreading the Question

Many students lose marks by simply misreading the question. Make sure you read all parts of the question carefully before attempting to answer.

02. Calculation Errors

These can be avoided by double-checking your work. Use a calculator where allowed, but ensure you know how to perform basic calculations manually.

03. Time Management

One of the biggest challenges in exams is managing your time. Make sure you allocate enough time to each question and don’t spend too long on one part.

Teaching strategies for these GCSE maths topics

Based on analysis across all GCSE maths papers (Foundation) since 2017, the following points become clear:

1. There needs to be a continued strong emphasis on number and proportion work, particularly in applying these in other contexts.
2. Basic numeracy work needs to be continually revised and practised.
3. Standard procedures, such as expanding, factorising, simplifying, and using formulae need work too.
4. We need to ensure that students are familiar with connections within the Foundation content eg
   – using linear equations to solve 2D shape and angle problems
   – using fractions and ratios in probability calculations.
5. For lower-attaining students spend less time on rich content and problem-solving within those select topics in number, algebra, and most of statistics which are unlikely to come up in the exam.

By implementing these strategies, teachers can create a supportive and effective learning environment that helps students grasp GCSE Maths concepts and perform well in their exams.

Conclusion

Consistent revision across all key topics is essential to succeed in your GCSE Maths Foundation Tier exams. From basic arithmetic to probability and algebra, these building blocks will help you tackle exam questions confidently. Remember to create a solid revision plan, focus on weak areas, and practice regularly with past papers. Let us help you prepare for the GCSE Foundation paper Maths