Edexcel A-level Maths (9MA0): papers, content and grade boundaries

Edexcel A-level Maths papers at a glance

The specification is the Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Mathematics (issue 4, February 2020). You must answer all questions on each paper, and all assessment is in May/June of a single year. Papers 1 and 2 may contain questions on any topic from the pure mathematics content, so the two pure papers are not split by topic: revise all of pure for both. Calculators can be used in the assessment. Pearson provides a large data set, which supports the assessment of statistics.

What Edexcel A-level Maths covers

• Pure (Papers 1 and 2): ten topics from proof to vectors. Proof, algebra, calculus, trigonometry and exponentials are where most of the marks are.
• Statistics (Paper 3, Section A): statistical sampling, data presentation and interpretation, probability, statistical distributions and statistical hypothesis testing.
• Mechanics (Paper 3, Section B): quantities and units in mechanics, kinematics, forces and Newton's laws, and moments.

The three overarching themes are mathematical argument, language and proof, mathematical problem solving, and mathematical modelling, and they apply across all content. Deeper topic guides:A-level Maths: calculus,A-level Maths: mechanicsandA-level Maths: statistics.See theEdexcel A-level Maths formula booklet guide.

Worked examples in Edexcel style

Pure: the binomial expansion

Find the first three terms of (1 + 2x)⁵ in ascending powers of x:

Check the next terms in the Binomial Expansion Calculator.

Pure: integration by parts

Find ∫ x e^{2x} dx. Take u = x and dv/dx = e^{2x}, so du/dx = 1 and v = ½e^{2x}:

Pure: proof by contradiction

To prove that √2 is irrational, assume √2 = a/b in lowest terms. Then a² = 2b², so a is even, say a = 2k, which gives b² = 2k² and so b is even too. That contradicts "lowest terms", so √2 cannot be written as a fraction. The mark scheme looks for the assumption, the deduction and the explicit contradiction.

Statistics: a one-tailed hypothesis test

A coin is flipped 10 times and lands on heads 9 times. Test at the 5% level whether it is biased towards heads. Let p be the probability of heads, with H₀: p = 0.5 and H₁: p > 0.5. The probability of 9 or more heads is:

Since 0.0107 is less than 0.05, reject H₀. At the 5% level the result suggests the coin favours heads. Always finish with a conclusion in context.

Mechanics: moments

A uniform beam PQ of mass 15 kg and length 3 m rests horizontally on supports at R, 0.5 m from P, and S, 1 m from Q. Take g = 9.8. The weight is 147 N at the midpoint, which is 1.0 m from R, and S is 1.5 m from R. Moments about R give:

Practise trigonometry in our Trigonometry course, then press Mark to check your answer in the course:

Edexcel A-level Maths grade boundaries

These are Pearson's overall A level boundaries from its document "Grade boundaries: Edexcel GCE AS/A Level, June 2026". Each figure is the minimum mark, out of 300, at which a grade can be achieved.

An A* needed 254 of 300, which is 85%, and an A needed 210. A mark one below a boundary gets the grade below. Boundaries change every year, so use them as a guide.

How Edexcel A-level Maths differs from AQA

AQA A-level Maths (7357) is also three 2-hour, 100-mark papers, but it puts pure content on all three: Paper 2 adds vectors and mechanics and Paper 3 adds statistics. Edexcel keeps statistics and mechanics together in Paper 3 and uses two pure papers. A calculator is allowed in both. See theAQA A-level Maths guide.

Use the daily paper as a short timed mock

Uni-Sine publishes free daily papers on four A-level Maths tracks:Algebra and Functions,Calculus,StatisticsandMechanics. Each is a short timed paper of 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, not a full Edexcel paper, and it is not written by Pearson. Use the first two for Papers 1 and 2, and the last two for the two sections of Paper 3. They cover logarithms, sequences, the binomial expansion, transformations, trigonometry, partial fractions, proof, differentiation and integration techniques, sampling, hypothesis tests, distributions, SUVAT, forces, moments and projectiles.

Using the three papers in revision

Pure maths is two thirds of the papers by count, because Papers 1 and 2 are both pure, and Paper 3 splits its 100 marks between statistics and mechanics. A sensible split is to do a timed pure paper each week from your own past papers, alternate statistics and mechanics practice for Paper 3, and use the large data set before the statistics questions so that you know its columns and units. After each paper, sort lost marks into three piles: knowledge gaps, method slips and misreading, and fix the pile that is biggest.

Common mistakes in Edexcel A-level Maths

• Not writing a conclusion in context after a hypothesis test.
• Radian and degree mix-ups in trig and calculus.
• Skipping the method on proof and "show that" questions.
• Using g = 9.81 when the question says 9.8. Follow the value given.

Exam answers

The answers and a worked mark scheme come with today's paper once it is marked. We do not publish official or past paper answers. Every question on the daily paper is our own.

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UK · A-levelEdexcel A-level Maths formula booklet: what is on itThe Edexcel A-level Maths formula booklet for 9MA0: every formula on it, the statistical tables, what you must memorise, and worked examples of using it.