Edexcel GCSE Maths — Past Papers, Mark Schemes, Grade Boundaries & Resources
Every higher tier Edexcel GCSE Maths past paper and mark scheme, plus grade boundaries by year — collected and kept up to date by Kevin Holdstock, a full-time private maths tutor for 14 years.
Studying for this course? See how weekly tuition works →
Starting A-Level Maths in September? See what to do next →
What weekly tuition looks like for GCSE Maths
I'm Kevin. I've been a full-time private maths tutor for 14 years — the first seven travelling house to house, and every year since 2019 entirely online. Lessons are usually one hour a week, always one to one, online and £120 an hour.
Where marks actually get lost
At Higher tier especially, the difference between a 6 and an 8 is rarely about content nobody's taught you — it's method marks left on the table, questions abandoned because they look unfamiliar, and small arithmetic slips under time pressure. Those are fixable, and they're what most of a session goes on.
If you're aiming for the very top grades, I ask every student to work through the CGP grade 8–9 targeted practice book alongside school, at a set pace through to the end of February, with session time going on whatever came up in it.
How I work with GCSE students
Weekly checking on school work
Each week we confirm what was covered in class actually landed, and I set extra practice wherever it didn't. If a topic was taught in a way that didn't click, I'll teach it again, my way.
Exam technique as a taught skill
Laying out working so method marks are there even when the final answer isn't, and knowing which questions to leave and come back to. Most students have never been shown this explicitly.
Building toward A-Level, if that's next
If you're likely to take Maths at A-Level, we can start bridging the gap in the final few months — the same head start the FSMQ and AQA Level 2 pages talk about, adapted to whatever time is left.
Edexcel GCSE Higher Level
Papers run oldest to newest on purpose — work through the earlier series first and save the most recent papers for timed practice close to your exam.
Starting A-Level Maths in September? See what to do next →
Marking a paper? The grade boundaries for every year are further down this page — worth checking what your score actually meant that year before you judge it. Jump to grade boundaries ↓
November 2017
| Paper 1 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
| Paper 2 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
| Paper 3 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
November 2018
| Paper 1 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
| Paper 2 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
| Paper 3 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
November 2019
| Paper 1 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
| Paper 2 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
| Paper 3 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
November 2020
| Paper 1 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
| Paper 2 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
| Paper 3 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
November 2021
| Paper 1 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
| Paper 2 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
| Paper 3 | Question Paper | Mark Scheme | Examiners Report |
Edexcel GCSE Maths grade boundaries
Overall qualification boundaries, out of 240 across all three papers, with the percentage in brackets.
Starting A-Level Maths in September? See what to do next →
Higher tier grade boundaries
| Series | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Published 20 August 2026 — added here on results day | ||||||
| 2025 | 217 (90%) | 186 (78%) | 156 (65%) | 121 (50%) | 87 (36%) | 53 (22%) | 36 (15%) |
| 2024 | 197 (82%) | 167 (70%) | 137 (57%) | 105 (44%) | 73 (30%) | 42 (18%) | 26 (11%) |
| 2023 | 203 (85%) | 174 (73%) | 145 (60%) | 112 (47%) | 79 (33%) | 47 (20%) | 31 (13%) |
What these numbers tell you
2025's Higher grade 9 needed 90% — the highest of these three series, and a nine-point jump on 2024. If you're working from 2023 or 2024 papers to judge where you stand, be aware the bar has moved: 90% is now the number to beat for the top grade, not the low-to-mid-80s these earlier series suggest.
One hour a week. One to one. Marks that get found.
Weekly online lessons that find exactly where marks are being lost — method, layout, or content — and fix that specifically, whether you're building toward a top grade or closing a gap for a resit.
£120 per hour