Eduqas GCSE Maths (C300): papers, calculator rules and grade boundaries

Eduqas GCSE Maths at a glance

WJEC Eduqas is the exam board that offers WJEC qualifications in England. Its GCSE Mathematics (entry codes C300PF for Foundation and C300PH for Higher) is regulated by Ofqual, taught from 2015 and first awarded in 2017. It is linear, so both papers are sat at the end of the course in the same series, and you are entered for one tier.

Foundation covers grades 5 to 1 and Higher covers grades 9 to 4, with an allowed grade 3 for a Higher student a small number of marks below the grade 4 boundary. Each paper has short and longer questions, both structured and unstructured, on any part of the content, and a significant number of questions test more than one topic.

What the papers test

The content is number, algebra, geometry, probability and statistics, and any topic can appear in either paper. The assessment objectives are weighted differently by tier:

Formulae and calculators

The specification’s formula pages list three groups: formulae in the content that you are expected to know and memorise, which will not be given in the exam; formulae you should derive or understand; and formulae that will be provided in the exam. The first list includes the quadratic formula, the circumference and area of a circle, Pythagoras’ theorem and the trigonometric ratios, so learn these.

Calculators are allowed in Component 2 only, and Appendix B of the specification describes the features a permitted calculator must have. Half of the qualification is the non-calculator paper, so practise arithmetic, fractions, surds and algebra by hand.

Worked examples in Eduqas style

Component 1: surds without a calculator

Write √72 in the form a√2, then rationalise the denominator of 6 ÷ √3.

Spot the largest square factor, and multiply the top and bottom by the root. Practise algebra in our course:

Component 2: compound interest with a calculator

£2500 is invested for 4 years at 3% compound interest. Use a multiplier of 1.03 for each year:

Give money to the nearest penny and write the working. The amount of interest is £2813.77 − £2500 = £313.77 if the question asks for interest instead of the total.

Ratio and proportion

Share £420 in the ratio 3 : 4. There are 7 parts in all and each is worth £420 ÷ 7 = £60, so the shares are £180 and £240. Check that they add back to £420.

How Eduqas differs from OCR

Both boards offer a linear GCSE Maths with Foundation and Higher tiers. Eduqas has two papers of 120 marks and 2 hours 15 minutes, with one calculator and one non-calculator paper. OCR has three papers of 100 marks and 1 hour 30 minutes, with one non-calculator paper and two calculator papers. Eduqas also has a summer and a November series every year. Use past papers from your own board; the OCR GCSE Maths guide covers the other course.

Grades and June 2026 grade boundaries

Eduqas adds your two component marks into a total out of 240 and compares it with the boundaries for your tier. Component boundaries are notional, a guide for analysis rather than official grades. These tables are from Eduqas’ GCSE Grade Points document for June 2026. Eduqas says it releases boundaries on results day after awarding.

Higher tier boundaries

Foundation tier boundaries

Worked through: a Higher student with 70 and 68 marks has 138 out of 240, which is above the grade 7 boundary of 116 and 12 marks short of grade 8 (150).

Using the daily paper as a short timed mock

Uni-Sine publishes a free daily paper on both the Maths Foundation and Maths Higher tracks, with a new one every day. Each is a short timed paper of 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, marked instantly with worked answers. It is not an Eduqas paper and it is far shorter than a 2 hour 15 minute, 120 mark paper.

• Foundation covers: probability, area and perimeter, fractions, decimals and percentages, angles, ratio, sequences, coordinates and straight line graphs, averages and charts, expressions and equations, money and units.
• Higher covers: circle theorems, histograms, vectors, similarity, tree diagrams, quadratics, Pythagoras and trigonometry, proportion, indices and surds, graphs, inequalities and simultaneous equations.
• To mimic Component 1, put the calculator away for the whole daily paper and show every step.

For more on mocks, see our GCSE Maths mocks guide, the Foundation and Higher guides and the GCSE Maths guide.

Exam answers

Uni-Sine does not publish official answers or mark schemes for Eduqas GCSE Maths papers. The answers and a worked mark scheme for each question come with today’s paper once you have submitted it and it has been marked, so you can see where every mark was won or lost.

Common mistakes in Eduqas GCSE Maths

• Leaving the calculator to do everything. Half of your marks come from the non-calculator paper.
• Not learning the formulae listed as ones you must know.
• Rounding mid-calculation. Keep the full value until the last line.
• Skipping working. Method marks are available when a final answer is wrong.
• Missing units and context in problem solving questions.

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UK · GCSEEduqas GCSE Maths grade boundaries 2026 by tierEduqas's official June 2026 GCSE Maths boundaries for Foundation and Higher, three years of marks side by side and the new formulae sheet layout.