Introduction
You will be starting an A-Level Maths course in September, and it is important that you are ready for the step up. The best way to prepare yourself is to make sure you have a firm grasp of the knowledge and skills you have already developed at GCSE level.
There are a number of key skills which you need to make sure you are confident with before starting the A-Level course - these are used regularly in the Core 1 and Core 2 modules and it is essential that you are not struggling with basic skills when you are trying to learn more advanced material for the first time.
This set of resources is designed to help you check if you are up to speed and to help you fill in any gaps. If you do this you will put yourself in a good position to start the A-Level Maths course in September.
Skills You Should Have
Below is the list of the skills you should be confident with before starting the A-Level Maths course:
Basic Algebra (non-calculator)- simplifying algebraic expressions by collecting like terms
- general laws of indices
- expanding and factorising expressions (one term outside)
- laws of indices for all rational exponents (positive, negative, fractions)
- plotting graphs of quadratic functions
- expanding and factorising quadratics (two brackets)
- solving quadratic equations by factorising
- solving quadratic equations using the formula
- solving simultaneous linear equations by elimination
- solving simultaneous linear equations by substitution
- solving linear inequalities
- using the sine rule to find missing sides and angles
- using the cosine rule to find missing sides and angles
- using sine rule, cosine rule, trig ratios and pythagoras in problems
These are all GCSE topics so there is nothing here which you have not already covered. Please note, though, that you need to be able to do all of the work apart from Sine Rule and Cosine Rule without a calculator, as calculators are not allowed in the Core 1 AS-Level module.
Resources To Help You
For each of the topic areas listed above, there is an interactive review resource which will introduce the aspects of the topic and then give you the opportunity to try some questions. Even though these resources are online, you should have a pen and paper nearby for your working. There are also links below to some paper-based resources which you can print and work through if you need extra practice.
These resources are written assuming that you have already encountered all these topics in your GCSE course - they do not start from scratch. This should not be a problem, but if you are finding the level too hard you could go back to a GCSE revision book to help you get up to speed.
For some questions in the interactive resources you have to give answers which include powers, fractions, roots and other symbols - there are special editors to let you do this which require Flash Player 8 or higher - you can find out more about them here.
| Section | Interactive resources | Other useful material |
| Basic Algebra (non-calculator) |
Interactive resource for section 1 |
MEP GCSE Text Book Chapter 1 1.3: Index Notation 1.6: Further Index Notation
MEP GCSE Text Book Chapter 2
MEP GCSE Text Book Chapter 10 |
| Quadratic Functions (non-calculator) |
Interactive resource for section 2 |
MEP GCSE Text Book Chapter 10 10.7: Expanding Brackets 10.10: Factorisation 2 10.11: Solving Quadratic Equations by Factorisation 10.12: Solving Quadratic Equations by the Formula |
| Equations And Inequalities (non-calculator) |
Interactive resource for section 3 |
MEP GCSE Text Book Chapter 10 10.8: Simultaneous Linear Equations
MEP GCSE Text Book Chapter 16 |
| Sine Rule And Cosine Rule (calculator allowed) |
Interactive resource for section 4 |
MEP GCSE Text Book Chapter 4 4.1–4.8: Trigonometry |