As well as being able to do all the items listed in the posts How to get a Grade A at GCSE Maths, How to get a Grade B at GCSE Maths and How to get a Grade C at GCSE Mathematics. If you want to get a grade A* at GCSE Mathematics, you also need to understand and be able to:
Number
- Calculate and work with negative and fractional indices
- Expand brackets involving surds
- Solve more complex, multi-step problems involving upper and lower bounds
Algebra
- Solve equations including algebraic fractions
- Solve simultaneous equations where one is linear and one quadratic, using the substitution method
- Sketch transformations of graphs
- Solve quadratic equations by completing the square, and find the minimum and maximum points
- Recognise equations of circles, work with them to solve problems and draw circles
- Prove statements using algebra
Geometry
- Prove statements using vector geometry
- Find volumes of frustrums of cones
- Use trigonometry and Pythagoras’s theorem to solve 3D problems
- Solve trigonometric equations, and find multiple solutions using graphs
- Sketch graphs of trigonometric functions after transformations
- Calculate the area of circle segments
To help you plan your studies and revision, download the checklist as a guide to what you need to know in order to get a grade A* at GCSE Mathematics