Maths

GCSE Maths Notes – Block 1 (9 Weeks)

Number Skills 1 (5–10 Lessons)

1. Basic Number Skills & Rounding

 Place Value: Understanding digit values (e.g., in 3,472, the 4 is worth 400).
 Rounding Rules:
o To the nearest 10, 100, etc.: Look at the digit to the right.
o To decimal places (dp): Round to a fixed number of decimal points.
E.g., 3.146 → 3.15 (2 dp)
o To significant figures (sf): Start from the first non-zero digit. E.g., 0.004567 →
0.00457 (3 sf)

2. Fractions and Converting between Fractions and Decimals

 To convert a fraction to a decimal: Divide numerator ÷ denominator

E.g., 3/4 = 0.75
 To convert a decimal to a fraction: Write as fraction then simplify
E.g., 0.6 = 6/10 = 3/5
 Recurring decimals: Use algebra to express as fractions
E.g., Let x = 0.¯3, then
10x = 3.¯3
Subtract: 10x - x = 9x = 3 → x = 1/3

3. Indices (Powers) Including Negatives and Fractions

 Laws of Indices:
o a^m × a^n = a^{m+n}
o a^m ÷ a^n = a^{m-n}
o (a^m)^n = a^{mn}
 Negative Indices:
o a^{-n} = 1 / a^n
 Fractional Indices:
o a^{1/n} = √[n]{a}
o a^{m/n} = √[n]{a^m}

4. BIDMAS / BODMAS (Order of Operations)

 Brackets
 Indices (Orders)
 Division & Multiplication (left to right)
  Addition & Subtraction (left to right)
E.g., 3 + 6 ÷ 2 = 3 + 3 = 6, not 1.5

5. Factors and Multiples (HCF & LCM)

 Factors: Numbers that divide exactly

E.g., Factors of 12 = 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12
 Multiples: Products in the times table
E.g., Multiples of 4 = 4, 8, 12, 16, ...
 HCF (Highest Common Factor): Largest shared factor
E.g., HCF of 12 and 18 = 6
 LCM (Lowest Common Multiple): Smallest shared multiple
E.g., LCM of 4 and 6 = 12

6. Basics of Surds

 A surd is an irrational square root that cannot be simplified to a whole number (e.g.,
√2, √3)
 Simplifying Surds:
√50 = √(25 × 2) = 5√2
 Adding/Subtracting Surds: Only like terms
3√2 + 2√2 = 5√2
 Multiplying Surds:
√a × √b = √(ab)

Algebra Skills 1 (4–7 Lessons)

1. Collecting Like Terms & Simplifying

 Combine terms with the same variables and powers. E.g., 3x + 2x = 5x; 4a^2 + 3a -
2a^2 = 2a^2 + 3a

2. Algebraic Substitution

 Replace letters with numbers. E.g., If a = 3, b = 2, then ab + b^2 = 3×2 + 2^2 = 6

+ 4 = 10

3. Solving Linear Equations

 Find the value of x that makes the equation true. E.g., 2x + 3 = 11 → 2x = 8 → x = 4

 With brackets: 3(x - 1) = 6 → x - 1 = 2 → x = 3
4. Changing the Subject of a Formula

 Rearranging to make a different letter the subject. E.g., A = bc → c = A/b If V = lwh,

make h the subject → h = V/(lw)

Brackets, Quadratics and Proof (4–7 Lessons)

1. Expanding Brackets

 Single bracket: a(b + c) = ab + ac E.g., 3(x + 4) = 3x + 12

 Double brackets (FOIL): (x + 3)(x + 2) = x^2 + 2x + 3x + 6 = x^2 + 5x + 6

2. Factorising

 Reverse of expanding brackets. E.g., x^2 + 5x + 6 = (x + 3)(x + 2)

3. Solving Quadratics

 Factorise and solve: x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0 → (x + 3)(x + 2) = 0 → x = -3 or -2

 Quadratic Formula:

4. Proofs

 Show steps logically to prove a result.

 E.g., Prove the sum of two odd numbers is even: Let odd numbers be 2n + 1 and 2m
+ 1 → (2n + 1) + (2m + 1) = 2n + 2m + 2 = 2(n + m + 1)

GCSE Maths Notes – Block 2 (9 Weeks)

Straight Line Graphs (4–9 Lessons)

1. Plotting Coordinates in 4 Quadrants

 Coordinates written as (x, y)

 Four quadrants:
o Top right: (+, +)
o Top left: (−, +)
o Bottom left: (−, −)
o Bottom right: (+, −)

2. Equations of Straight Lines

 General form: y = mx + c
 o m = gradient (steepness)
o c = y-intercept (where the line crosses the y-axis)
 Gradient = change in y ÷ change in x = (y₂ − y₁) / (x₂ − x₁)
 Example: y = 2x + 3
o Gradient = 2, y-intercept = 3

3. Midpoints

 Midpoint of (x₁, y₁) and (x₂, y₂) =

 Example: Midpoint of (2, 3) and (6, 7) = (4, 5)

4. Distance Between Two Points

 Use Pythagoras’ theorem:

 Example: Between (1, 2) and (4, 6) →

5. Equations of Perpendicular and Parallel Lines

 Parallel lines: Same gradient, different intercept

o E.g., y = 2x + 1 and y = 2x − 3
 Perpendicular lines: Gradients multiply to −1
o If line 1 has gradient m, line 2 has gradient −1/m
o E.g., y = 2x + 1 ⟷ perpendicular → y = −½x + c

Quadratic Graphs with Completing the Square (4–7 Lessons)

1. Drawing Quadratic Graphs

 Shape is a parabola:
o If a > 0 → U-shaped
o If a < 0 → ∩-shaped
 Example: y = x² − 4 → vertex at (0, −4)

2. Completing the Square

 Write quadratic in the form:

 Example:
o y = x² + 6x + 5 → (x + 3)² − 4
 Use to find minimum/maximum point (turning point)
o For above: turning point = (−3, −4)
3. Solving Quadratics Using Completing the Square

 Set expression equal to 0

o E.g., (x + 3)² − 4 = 0 → (x + 3)² = 4 → x + 3 = ±2 → x = −1 or −5

4. Sketching Using Formula and Completing the Square

 Use formula to find roots (where graph crosses x-axis)

 Use completing the square to find turning point
 Use y-intercept (set x = 0) for an extra point

Graph Sketching (3–5 Lessons)

1. Sketching Cubic Graphs

 General form: y = ax³ + bx² + cx + d

 Shape: 'N' or reversed 'N'
 Intercepts:
o x-intercepts: Solve y = 0 (can factorise)
o y-intercept: set x = 0
 Example: y = (x − 1)(x + 2)(x − 3)
o Crosses x-axis at x = 1, −2, 3

2. Sketching Reciprocal Graphs

 Form: y = 1/x or y = k/x

 Shape:
o Two branches: one in quadrant I, one in III
o Vertical asymptote at x = 0
o Horizontal asymptote at y = 0

3. Sketching Circles

 Form: x² + y² = r²
 Centre: (0, 0)
 Radius = √r² = r
 Example: x² + y² = 25 → radius = 5
 If (x − a)² + (y − b)² = r² → centre at (a, b)
 CSE Maths Notes – Block 3 (10 Weeks Before Test + 4 Weeks After)
 Statistics (10–19 Lessons)

 1. Types of Data

 Quantitative: Numerical (e.g., height, weight)

o Discrete: Countable (e.g., number of students)
o Continuous: Measurable (e.g., height, time)
 Qualitative: Descriptive (e.g., hair colour, car brand)

 2. Averages and Range

 Mean: Add all values ÷ number of values

 Median: Middle value when data is in order
 Mode: Most frequent value
 Range: Highest − lowest value

 3. Diagrams

 Stem and Leaf: Shows data split into 'stem' and 'leaf'
 Box Plots:
o Shows minimum, Q1, median, Q3, maximum
o Useful for comparing distributions
 Histograms:
o Used for continuous grouped data
o Area of bar ∝ frequency (Use frequency density)
o Frequency Density = Frequency ÷ Class Width
 Pie Charts:
o Whole circle = 360°
o Angle = (Frequency ÷ Total) × 360
 Frequency Polygons:
o Plot midpoints of intervals vs frequency
o Join points with straight lines
 Cumulative Frequency Graphs:
o Plot upper class boundary vs cumulative frequency
o Used to find median, quartiles, interquartile range

 4. Comparing Two Sets of Data

 Use:
o Mean/Median: Measure of central tendency
o Range/IQR: Measure of spread
o Box plots for visual comparison

 Simultaneous Equations and Inequalities (6–11 Lessons)

 1. Solving Quadratic Equations Recap

 Factorise where possible

 Use quadratic formula:
 Complete the square for non-factorisable equations

 2. Solving Simultaneous Equations

 Linear + Linear:
o Elimination or substitution methods
o Example:
 x + y = 10
 x−y=4
 Add: 2x = 14 → x = 7 → y = 3
 Linear + Quadratic:
o Substitute linear into quadratic equation
o Solve resulting quadratic
o Example:
 y = 2x + 1 and y = x² + 3x
 Set 2x + 1 = x² + 3x → solve x² + x − 1 = 0

 3. Solving Inequalities

 Same as equations, but reverse inequality sign when multiplying/dividing by a

negative
o E.g., −2x > 6 → x < −3

 4. Graphing Linear Inequalities

 Rearrange to y = mx + c
 Draw boundary line (solid if ≤ or ≥, dashed if < or >)
 Shade region satisfying the inequality
o Use test point method (e.g., try (0, 0))