A-level statistics 2027: the statistics in A-level Maths, and the Statistics A-level

Statistics in A-level Maths

Every board teaches the same five statistics topics, from the AQA and Edexcel specifications:

1. Statistical sampling
2. Data presentation and interpretation
3. Probability
4. Statistical distributions: binomial and normal
5. Statistical hypothesis testing

Each board also publishes a large data set that you study during the course. Exam questions assume you know what it contains, so work with it in class rather than meeting it for the first time in the exam.

Which paper has the statistics?

Pure maths runs through every paper too, so statistics is never the whole paper. For the full picture of the papers, dates and boundaries, see the A-level Maths guide.

The separate A-level in Statistics

Edexcel's A-level Statistics (9ST0) is a whole A-level on statistics, often taken alongside a science or social science. In 2027 its papers are on 24 May (Data and Probability), 8 June (Statistical Inference) and 17 June (Statistics in Practice), all in the afternoon and 2 hours long (Edexcel timetable).

It is marked out of 240. In June 2026 an A* took 206, an A 183, a C 126 and an E 70.

What the formula booklet gives you

AQA's booklet gives P(A ∪ B), the standard deviation formulae, the binomial probability formula with its mean np and variance np(1 − p), and the distribution of a sample mean. OCR prints similar results inside each paper, with a table of normal distribution percentage points. You still need to know how to set up a test and what the answer means.

Worked examples

We wrote these questions for this guide.

A binomial hypothesis test

Question: a seed company claims 30% of its seeds produce white flowers. A gardener thinks the true proportion is higher. She grows 20 seeds and 10 give white flowers. Test her claim at the 5% level.

1. Let X be the number of white-flowered plants, so X ~ B(20, 0.3) if the company is right.
2. Hypotheses: H₀: p = 0.3 and H₁: p > 0.3. This is a one-tailed test.
3. Find the probability of a result at least this extreme: P(X ≥ 10) = 0.0480.
4. Since 0.0480 < 0.05, the result is significant, so reject H₀.
5. Conclusion in context: at the 5% level, the gardener has good reason to think more than 30% of the seeds give white flowers.

Note how close it was: P(X ≥ 9) = 0.1133, so 9 white flowers would not have been enough. Run tests yourself in the Hypothesis Test Calculator.

The normal distribution

Question: journey times are normally distributed with mean 50 minutes and standard deviation 4 minutes. Find the probability that a journey takes more than 56 minutes.

On a calculator you can find this directly from the normal distribution function, but write the distribution and the probability statement first for the method marks. Now try a normal distribution question from our Probability course and press Mark.

Sampling methods

Sampling questions are quick marks if you can name each method and say one advantage and one drawback:

• Simple random: every member has an equal chance, for example by numbering them and using random numbers. Fair, but you need a full list.
• Systematic: every kth member from a list, starting at a random point. Easy, but a pattern in the list can bias it.
• Stratified: each group sampled in proportion to its size. Represents the groups, but you need to know how big each one is.
• Quota: the interviewer fills a set number from each group. Quick, but not random.
• Opportunity: whoever is available. Cheap and easy, but unlikely to represent the population.

Common A-level statistics mistakes

• Hypotheses in words, not symbols. Write H₀ and H₁ in terms of the parameter p or μ.
• Using P(X = 10) instead of P(X ≥ 10). A test uses the chance of the observed value or anything further from H₀.
• No conclusion in context. "Reject H₀" alone loses the final mark.
• Variance and standard deviation mixed up. N(50, 4²) has standard deviation 4.
• Forgetting the large data set. Questions can ask about its contents and limitations.

Use a daily paper as a short timed mock

Sit today's A-level Maths: Statistics paper for statistics practice on its own, and the Calculus paper for the pure maths that shares the statistics paper. For how to grade a full mock, see the A-level Maths mocks guide.

Read next

UK · A-levelA-Level Maths 2027: Formula Booklet, Dates, Grade BoundariesA-level Maths for AQA, Edexcel and OCR: the formula booklet and what to learn, every paper, 2027 exam dates, June 2026 boundaries and worked examples.