How to get a grade 7 in GCSE Maths Higher (Edexcel)

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A grade 7 means being accurate on all the grade 4 to 6 questions and handling most of the grade 7 algebra, geometry and statistics in the second half of each paper. You need to attempt nearly every question and get into the hardest ones. The difference between a 6 and a 7 is often careless marks dropped early, not a missing topic.

What a grade 7 asks of you

Near-full marks on the first half of every paper, with no easy marks thrown away.
Confident algebra: quadratics in every form, algebraic fractions, rearranging formulae and simultaneous equations.
Multi-step problems where you choose the method yourself, often combining two topics, such as a sector with a triangle or a cone with a hemisphere.
Written reasoning: circle theorem reasons, “show that” questions and straightforward algebraic proofs.

Topics to secure first

Number: surds (simplifying and expanding brackets), negative and fractional indices, recurring decimals to fractions, upper and lower bounds, growth and decay.
Algebra: factorising ax² + bx + c, the quadratic formula, completing the square, simultaneous equations with one linear and one quadratic, algebraic fractions, composite and inverse functions, iteration, cubic, reciprocal and exponential graphs, algebraic proof.
Ratio and rates: direct and inverse proportion with equations (such as y = kx²), combining ratios, gradients and areas on distance–time and velocity–time graphs.
Geometry: sine rule, cosine rule and ½ab sin C, Pythagoras and trigonometry in 3D, circle theorems, arcs and sectors, volume and surface area of cones, spheres and pyramids, area and volume of similar shapes, vectors, congruence.
Probability and statistics: histograms, cumulative frequency and box plots, tree diagrams without replacement, conditional probability from tables and Venn diagrams, capture–recapture.

Question types to master

5 and 6 mark area, volume and trigonometry problems that combine two or three topics.
“Show that” a quadratic equation comes from a context (such as an area), then solve it.
Angle chains using circle theorems, with a reason for every step.
Histograms: finding frequencies from areas and estimating how many values lie in part of a class.
Bounds problems, where you have to decide which bound of each value to use.
Vectors: writing a route in terms of a and b, and simple proofs that points lie on a straight line.
Interpreting gradients and areas under graphs in context, such as acceleration or distance travelled.

Revision week by week (10 weeks)

Aim for five sessions a week of 45 minutes, plus the Daily 5 every day.
Week 1: sit all three mock exams on this site, timed, spread across the week. Use Progress to list your weakest subtopics.
Weeks 2 and 3: algebra (quadratics, simultaneous equations, algebraic fractions, rearranging, functions, iteration). Notes and worksheet first, then custom papers on Medium, then Hard.
Weeks 4 and 5: geometry (sine and cosine rules, 3D problems, circle theorems, vectors, volume, similar shapes).
Week 6: number and ratio (surds, indices, bounds, proportion, growth and decay).
Week 7: probability and statistics, then redo every question you dropped marks on from Progress.
Weeks 8 and 9: two timed papers a week, mixing the site’s mocks with Pearson past papers from your teacher. Follow each one with a Hard custom paper on the subtopics where you lost marks.
Week 10: tick off the grade 6 and 7 checklist, go through your mistakes list, and reread the exam technique guide.

How to use this website

Notes: work through the grade-by-grade skill lists up to grade 7 and tick the checklist honestly. Every unticked skill is a subtopic for this week.
Use each subtopic’s cheatsheet for quick review and its worksheet (with answers) before trying exam-style questions.
Custom paper: once you score around 80% on Medium, move to Hard (around grades 7 to 9). Build mixed papers of 20 to 30 marks across several subtopics so you practise spotting the topic.
Mock exams: one timed paper a fortnight, alternating Paper 1 with Papers 2 and 3.
Progress: work down the weakest-first list and redo the questions you dropped marks on until you get full marks.
Daily 5 keeps your weakest topics coming back; Flashcards keep quick skills such as index laws and exact values fast.
Use the Whiteboard for sketches and diagrams while you work on screen.
For extra help with a stubborn topic, book a free 30-minute trial lesson with Chhetri Academy.

Timing strategy in the exam

Aim to finish the first half of the paper in about 35 minutes, without rushing into slips.
That leaves about 45 minutes for the harder second half and 10 minutes to check.
If you are stuck for more than 2 minutes beyond a question’s marks, write what you have, circle it and move on.
On the last few questions, go for the first process marks on every one rather than all the marks on just one.

Traps at grade 7

Sign errors: −3(x − 2) = −3x + 6, and in the quadratic formula −b is positive when b is negative.
Losing a solution: a quadratic usually has two, and square-rooting gives ±.
Rounding partway through a sine or cosine rule problem. Keep the full value in your calculator.
Assuming a line is a diameter, a tangent or parallel without a reason, or leaving out circle theorem reasons.
Reading a histogram bar’s height as its frequency instead of using its area.
Tree diagrams without replacement: forgetting to reduce the second denominators, or missing one of the orders (red then blue and blue then red).
Similar shapes: using the length scale factor for area or volume instead of squaring or cubing it.
Composite functions: fg(x) means apply g first, then f.

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