Thorough preparation is key if you want to pass A Level Maths and get the best grade possible.

Here, we’ll share our top 11 tips on how to prepare for A Level Maths so you can reach your full potential and open up doors in your future studies and career. You got this!

A Level Maths preparation tips

Whether you’re aiming for an A* or you’re working to scrape a pass, there are a few things you can do in your A Level Maths preparation to set yourself up for success.

Here are our top 11.

1. Know what to expect

First things first, it’s important to know exactly what to expect in your A Level Maths exams.

This way, you can make sure to cover every element in your preparation. 

Plus, you can lower your exam stress knowing that there won’t be any unexpected surprises on the day.

The topics covered will typically be:

• Proof
• Algebra and functions
• Coordinate geometry
• Sequences and series
• Trigonometry
• Exponentials and logarithms
• Differentiation
• Integration
• Numerical methods
• Vectors
• Statistical sampling
• Data presentation and interpretation
• Probability
• Statistical distributions
• Statistical hypothesis testing
• Quantities and units in mechanics
• Kinematics
• Forces and Newton’s Laws
• Moments

Each exam board will work a bit differently. 

However, regardless of which exam board you’re with, you won’t usually have any coursework to do for your Maths A Level.

Rather, you’ll have three papers to sit at the end of the year. These will cover questions ranging from pure maths to statistics and mechanics.

2. Nail the basics

A Level Maths is a significant step up from GCSE.

So, it’s important that you have a strong foundation in maths to build on.

If there are any gaps in your knowledge or understanding, it’s easy to get left behind as your class starts going into greater depth and covers a broader range of topics.

Imagine if you had to learn algebra when you were still trying to get to grips with basic multiplication – moving from GCSE to A Level Maths can feel similar if you don’t have the basics honed.

With that in mind, stay alert and make sure you get extra help if your class has moved onto more advanced topics before you’ve got your head around the more basic concepts.

An A Level Maths tutor can help to fill any gaps in your knowledge, even if it means going back to square one. 

This can get you back on track so you’re ready to tackle the more complex work that A Level Maths entails. Which brings us onto…

3. Get the help of a tutor

Although your school will prepare you for the A Level Maths exams, nothing beats one-to-one attention.

An A Level Maths tutor is an experienced professional who’ll know how to help you fulfil your potential. In fact, many are trained teachers and examiners too!

Your tutor will create tailored lesson plans that take into account your strengths, weaknesses and learning style. 

In this way, they’ll help to prepare you fully for the exams and will be able to guide you to the best marks possible.

In fact, 90% of Tutorful students improve by at least one grade!

4. Start preparing for A Level Maths early!

It can be tempting to leave your A Level Maths preparation until just a few months – or even weeks – before the exams.

But you’ll get the best results if you start early and revise consistently throughout the year.

It’s never too soon to start revising, but we’d recommend starting at the beginning of year 11 at the latest.

After all, there’s a lot to learn. And this way, you can spread out your learning across the year instead of panicking when your exams are around the corner.

For instance, you could start with just an hour a week and then increase your time spent revising nearer to your exam date. 

This will give you time to remember everything you’ve learned at school, to consolidate your knowledge and to put it into practice. 

The chances are you’ll see a steady yet significant improvement in your results.

5. Review after every lesson

In a similar vein, we’d always recommend taking 10 minutes to review what you’ve learned after each lesson.

This doesn’t have to be directly afterwards – instead, you could wait until the next day or even the end of the week.

The important thing is to look through your notes and try some of the questions.

Why?

Well, you’ll be able to remind yourself how to solve the problem – which will give you a big headstart in your revision.

Plus, it will give you the chance to make sure you fully understand each topic before you go into more depth.

This way, you can catch any issues now and work to find a solution – rather than letting them build up and only spotting them a few weeks before the exam!

6. Make the most of A Level Maths past papers

You know the saying practice makes perfect. 

Well, it’s also true when it comes to maths. 

Yes, it’s important to spend time wrapping your head around key concepts and learning about the topics you’re likely to face in the exam. 

But it’s also important to spend as much time as possible actually doing maths! By this, we mean spending time answering questions.

Practice papers are golden as they’ll give you a really good idea of how marks are distributed and how the topics link together across a whole paper.

We’d recommend completing these under timed conditions – that way, you not only get to practice answering the questions, but you can also practise managing your time and dealing with the pressure of exam conditions.

This can boost your confidence and reduce exam stress when the big day rolls around.

7. Concentrate on your weak spots

It’s natural to enjoy the things you’re good at.

But when it comes to preparing for A Level Maths, you’ll want to spend the most time on your weaknesses – regardless of how painful it might feel!

After all, these are the areas that could hold you back from getting the grade you want.

If you’re not sure which areas you need to work on the most, go through past papers and take a look at where you lost marks. 

These are likely topics you need to spend time honing.

An A Level Maths tutor will also be able to pinpoint areas where you could make the biggest improvements before exam day.

8. Know the ‘why’ behind the method

If you want to pass A Level Maths, you can’t just memorise techniques.

Instead, you’ll need to really understand why you’re doing what you’re doing.

This is because the more difficult questions are designed to really interrogate your understanding.

Plus, at A Level, the questions won’t generally spell out what abilities you should use to solve the question. Instead, you’ll need to be able to decipher what skill to use, before using your mathematical skills to come to the right answer.

With that in mind, it’s really important to get your head around the reasoning behind each concept you’re learning.

If you don’t, our handpicked tutors are here to help. They’re experts at explaining tricky concepts in a way that clicks for you.

9. Use A Level Maths resources

Your A Level Maths textbook from school is a great place to start when it comes to A Level Maths preparation.

But it’s not the only resource available.

You can also find maths revision books, websites, videos and practice questions elsewhere. And many are free!

Exam Solutions is just one of our favourite maths revision websites. It has resources specific to each exam board, including videos, past papers and links to the exam specifications.

But there are plenty more resources where this came from.

Head over to our list of top maths resources for GCSE for more ideas – many of the resources listed also cover A Level Maths preparation.

10. Work on your exam technique

Preparing for your A Level Maths exams isn’t just about honing your mathematical skills. You’ll also need to think about your exam technique.

A lot of this comes down to time management.

As a general rule, you’ll want to spend the most time on the questions that are worth the most, and vice versa.

This will give you the best chance of unlocking all available marks and getting the highest grade possible.

Similarly, it’s important to attempt every question. But you’ll want to figure out when it’s worth moving on from a question you’re stuck on.

The last thing you want is to run out of time and miss out on other questions you could have aced!

If you find you’re going around in circles and keep using the same technique without being able to spot a mistake, that might be a sign that it’s time to move on.

11. Don’t panic!

Last but not least, don’t panic. 

Nerves can sometimes affect exam performance, so take some deep breaths and try some of our techniques for overcoming exam fear.

It’s important not to rush.

Rather, work through the exam paper calmly and methodically and be sure to read each question through carefully.

We always recommend reading each question twice so you can be absolutely certain you’ve understood it properly – the last thing you need is to make any silly mistakes.

With hard work and the right support, we believe you can achieve anything!

Find a tutor to help you study A Level Maths

As you can see, acing your A Level Maths exams isn’t rocket science.

Rather, it’s all about thorough preparation, making sure you understand all the concepts covered, and staying calm in the exam room.

To give yourself the best chance of passing A Level Maths with flying colours, why not find a maths tutor to support you every step of the way?

An A Level Maths tutor will give you the one-on-one attention you need to help you wrap your head around any tricky concepts and reach your full potential.

FAQs

How to pass A Level Maths?

To pass A Level Maths, it’s important that you have a strong foundation to build on.

So, make sure you’re really confident with the basics before you move onto more complex concepts. 

A tutor can help you fill any gaps in your knowledge so you have what’s needed to tackle the more in-depth questions.

How do you get an A* in A Level Maths?

Getting an A* in A Level Maths requires hard work, dedication and careful preparation.

Here are some things to try:

• Know what to expect
• Nail the basics
• Start revising early
• Review what you covered after each lesson
• Attempt past papers
• Prioritise areas of weakness
• Understand the reasoning behind each technique
• Use A Level Maths resources
• Work on your exam technique
• Don’t panic

An A Level Maths tutor can also help you to unlock the top grades with tailored lesson plans that take into account your strengths, weaknesses and learning style.

Is getting an A in A Level Maths hard?

Getting an A in A Level Maths is certainly challenging. However, a high proportion of students tend to access the top grades, showing that there’s good potential to do well.

In 2024, a whopping 42% of students taking their Maths A Level got a grade A or A* (according to FFT Education Datalab).

Is A Level Maths very difficult?

Yes, A Level Maths is generally seen as a challenging subject and is a big jump up from GCSE.

However, how hard you find it will depend on lots of factors, like your aptitude for the subject, your work ethic and how you’re taught.

Head over to our guide on whether A Level Maths is hard to learn more.

How hard is it to pass A Level Maths?

A Level Maths is often regarded as one of the most difficult subjects you can take for A Level. However, very few students tend to fail.
FFT Education Datalab shows that, in 2024, 96.1% of students got at least a grade E in A Level Maths – which is the minimum A Level pass grade.