Edexcel IGCSE Maths A — Past Papers, Mark Schemes, Grade Boundaries & Resources
Every Edexcel International GCSE Maths A (4MA1) higher tier past paper and mark scheme, including the regional variants — plus grade boundaries and examiners report by series. 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 IGCSE 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.
What's different about this exam
Both IGCSE papers allow a calculator — there's no non-calculator paper at all, which catches out anyone moving across from the UK GCSE. That changes what's being tested: less mental arithmetic, more accurate and fast use of the calculator itself, and more marks available for setting work out clearly.
A formulae sheet is printed on page 2 of every paper, but it's not comprehensive. Pythagoras, the trigonometric ratios, the area of a circle and all the coordinate geometry formulae aren't on it and still have to be known. Knowing exactly which side of that line each formula falls on is worth several marks a paper.
How I work with IGCSE 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 from scratch.
Twice the past papers
Because of the regional variants there are roughly twice as many past papers available for this qualification as for most others. Used in the right order that's a real advantage, and part of my job is sequencing them rather than letting you work through them at random.
Building toward A-Level, if that's next
IGCSE Maths A covers some content that overlaps with A-Level pure maths. If you're heading that way, we can use the final months to build on that overlap rather than stopping at the exam.
Edexcel IGCSE Higher Tier
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.
Papers marked R are regional versions, sat in Asia-Pacific time zones. They cover the same content at the same standard, so they're just as useful for practice — effectively double the number of past papers available to you.
The formulae sheet isn't a separate document for this qualification — it's printed on page 2 of every exam paper, so you'll find it at the front of any question paper below.
Starting A-Level Maths in September? See what to do next →
Marking a paper? The grade boundaries for every series are further down this page — worth checking what your score actually meant that year before you judge it. Jump to grade boundaries ↓
June 2018
Paper 1 (4MA1/1H)
Regional paper (1HR)
Paper 2 (4MA1/2H)
Regional paper (2HR)
Edexcel IGCSE Maths A grade boundaries
Overall qualification boundaries, out of 200 across both 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 | 172 (86%) | 144 (72%) | 117 (59%) | 92 (46%) | 68 (34%) | 44 (22%) | 32 (16%) |
| 2024 | 163 (82%) | 135 (68%) | 107 (54%) | 84 (42%) | 61 (31%) | 38 (19%) | 25 (13%) |
| 2023 | 152 (76%) | 123 (62%) | 95 (48%) | 75 (38%) | 55 (28%) | 35 (18%) | 25 (13%) |
Boundaries shown are for the standard (non-regional) paper set. Regional papers are graded separately and their boundaries differ slightly. Boundaries as published by Pearson Edexcel. Official Edexcel grade boundaries →
What these numbers tell you
The grade 9 boundary has climbed every year in this run — 76% in 2023, 82% in 2024, 86% in 2025. That's a consistent direction rather than noise, so if you're aiming for the top grade, plan on needing more than 2023's papers would suggest.
One hour a week. One to one. Wherever you are.
Weekly online lessons arranged around your time zone, working through the syllabus properly and using the full run of past papers in the right order — including the regional variants most students never touch.
£120 per hour