CCEA GCSE Maths formula sheet: the short sheet on page 2 of the paper

Formula sheet

Press the card to practise with a paper, then see what CCEA prints. The drawer holds the Higher Tier lines, marked as such, as well as the Foundation sheet from the Summer 2025 M5 paper.

Area and volume

Papers and where the sheet sits

CCEA GCSE Mathematics is unitised. A Foundation candidate takes Unit M1 or M2 (one written exam with a calculator, 1 hour 45 minutes, 45%) and a completion test, M5 or M6, made of two papers of 1 hour each, one without a calculator and one with (55%). Higher is Unit M3 or M4 (2 hours, calculator, 45%) plus M7 or M8, two papers of 1 hour 15 minutes, again non-calculator then calculator. The specification gives these weightings, and candidates must take at least 40% of the assessment at the end of the course.

The Summer 2025 papers M5 Paper 1 and M8 Paper 2 both say "The Formula Sheet is on page 2" in the instructions. M5 Paper 1 has 16 questions for 50 marks, with no calculator, on 4 June 2025 at 9.15am. M8 Paper 2 has 14 questions for 50 marks, with a calculator, on the same morning at 10.45am.

The two formulae on the Foundation sheet

The sheet prints the area of a trapezium, ½(a + b)h, and the volume of a prism, area of cross section × length, beside a diagram of a prism with its cross section and length marked. Nothing else.

What you need to know without the sheet

• Area of a rectangle, a triangle and a parallelogram, and circle area and circumference.
• Pythagoras' theorem and the trigonometric ratios.
• Speed, density and pressure relationships.
• Volume of a cylinder, and anything about cones, spheres or arcs.

Because the sheet is so short, the Foundation questions that matter are ones where you must recall a formula and use it without a hint. Check your own papers for any formula printed in the question itself.

Higher Tier: check page 2

The specification lists the sine and cosine rules and the formula for compound interest in Higher content. The Higher sheet on page 2 of the paper prints the volume and curved surface area of a cone, the volume and surface area of a sphere, the quadratic formula, the sine and cosine rules and the area of a triangle, ½ab sin C. The drawer marks them Higher Tier only. Compound interest is not on it, so learn that.

Worked example: a trapezium, then a prism

A trapezium has parallel sides 6 cm and 10 cm and a height of 4 cm.

Now a prism whose cross section is a trapezium with parallel sides 5 cm and 9 cm and height 3 cm, and whose length is 12 cm. First the cross section, then multiply by the length.

Other boards in England

AQA, Edexcel and OCR supply a full formulae sheet because of an Ofqual decision about GCSEs in England: see our AQA GCSE Maths formula sheet guide for what a longer sheet contains. Do not assume CCEA's sheet works the same way. For boards, papers and grade boundaries read the GCSE Maths guide.

Practising

The daily Foundation and Higher papers hold 8 questions and 25 to 35 marks, and are not CCEA papers. Try them with only the two Foundation formulae in front of you.

Exam answers

Today's paper comes with worked answers and a mark scheme once it has been marked. We do not publish CCEA's official mark schemes or past paper answers.

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UK · GCSECCEA GCSE Maths: units M1 to M8, grades and 2027 datesCCEA GCSE Maths explained: units M1 to M8, the completion test, C* grades, calculator rules, 2027 dates and a short daily timed mock.