CCEA GCSE Maths: how units M1 to M8 and the grades work

CCEA GCSE Maths: how the course is built

The Northern Ireland course was first taught in September 2017, first assessed in summer 2018 and first awarded in summer 2019. There are eight units. You take one from M1, M2, M3 or M4 and one from M5, M6, M7 or M8, and one of the two must be a completion test to receive an award. The calculator unit counts for 45% and the completion test for 55%. At least 40% of the assessment, by unit weighting, must be taken at the end of the course as the terminal assessment.

In each completion test Paper 1 has no calculator and Paper 2 allows one, taken straight after Paper 1. The M1 to M4 papers all sit at the same time, so you can enter only one of them in a series. M5 to M8 are timetabled together on a different day. The grade targets matter: M3 and M7 aim at B to E, while M4 and M8 aim at A* to D, and the A* is awarded at qualification level from the total marks on M4 and M8.

CCEA GCSE Maths 2027 dates

CCEA morning papers normally start at 9.15am. The dates come from CCEA's final GCSE timetable for summer 2027 (version 2). Our CCEA GCSE timetable 2027 has every CCEA paper in our subjects, the contingency day and results day.

What the papers test

Every unit addresses three assessment objectives: using and applying standard techniques (AO1), reasoning, interpreting and communicating mathematically (AO2), and solving problems in mathematics and other contexts (AO3). The weightings are set as ranges. On Foundation, AO1 is 47 to 53%, AO2 22 to 28% and AO3 22 to 28%. On Higher, AO1 is 37 to 43%, AO2 27 to 33% and AO3 27 to 33%. Questions are set in mathematical and everyday contexts.

• Functional Mathematics. M1 and M2 are designed to assess the functional elements. M1 earns Level 1, and M2 earns Level 1 or Level 2, reported as a pass alongside your GCSE result. A Level 2 appears as an endorsement on the certificate.
• Calculators. You must use a calculator in M1 to M4 and in Paper 2 of each completion test, and must not in Paper 1. Higher tier needs trigonometric and statistical functions; Foundation needs statistical functions. Calculators with algebra, calculus or communication features are banned.

Worked examples in CCEA style

Foundation, calculator: percentage change

A jacket costs £85. In a sale every price falls by 15%. Multiply by the percentage that remains:

The sale price is £72.25. Set the answer out in pounds and pence, and write the multiplier first so the method mark is clear.

Higher, non-calculator paper: a quadratic

Solve 2x² − 5x − 3 = 0. The pair with product −6 and sum −5 is −6 and 1, so split the middle term:

So x = −1/2 or x = 3. Check by substituting x = 3: 18 − 15 − 3 = 0.

CCEA GCSE Maths grades

CCEA reports unit results on a uniform mark scale that reflects each unit's weighting and adds the uniform marks to find your grade. The nine grades are A*, A, B, C*, C, D, E, F and G; anything below a G is unclassified (U). C* sits between B and C, which is the biggest difference from England's 9 to 1 scale. If you resit a unit, the better result counts unless that unit is needed to meet the 40% terminal rule, in which case the more recent mark counts. Our GCSE grades in Northern Ireland guide explains how C* compares with the 9 to 1 grades.

Use the daily paper as a short timed mock for CCEA GCSE Maths

Uni-Sine publishes a new free daily paper on each track: GCSE Maths Foundation and GCSE Maths Higher. It is a short timed mock: 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, marked instantly, with worked answers. It is not a full exam paper and it is not written by the exam board, so use it as a quick timed practice test alongside the board's own specimen and past papers.

• What it covers well: fractions, percentages, ratio, probability, area, angles and sequences on Foundation; circle theorems, vectors, histograms, trigonometry, quadratics, inequalities and simultaneous equations on Higher.
• What it does not cover: the split into calculator and non-calculator papers, and the functional style of M1 and M2. The daily paper is one mixed paper, so practise the CCEA completion tests separately.

Time one daily paper, mark it hard, and note which topics keep costing marks. Then do the matching unit paper from CCEA's own past papers.

Exam answers

Uni-Sine does not publish official answers, past paper answers or mark schemes from the exam board. The answers and a worked mark scheme for each daily paper come with that day's paper once it is marked, so you can see where every mark was won or lost.

Common mistakes in CCEA GCSE Maths

• Picking the wrong route. M3 and M7 cannot give an A or A*, and M1 and M5 cannot give a C. Ask your teacher which pair you are entered for.
• Using a calculator in Paper 1 of a completion test, or forgetting one for Paper 2.
• Rounding too early in multi-step problems. Keep full calculator values until the last line.
• Not showing the substitution in formula questions, which loses method marks.

Read next

UK · GCSECCEA GCSE Maths grade boundaries 2026: raw marks by unitCCEA GCSE Maths grade boundaries for Summer 2026: raw marks for units M1 to M8, the 400 mark subject lines and the grade each route can reach.