What score do I need for a grade 9?

It changes each year with the grade boundaries, but across the three Higher papers a 9 has typically needed somewhere around 80% and occasionally less. That means dropping very few marks on grade 4 to 7 questions, which is why the earlier grades matter as much as the topics on this page.

Are there only nine grade 9 topics?

Yes, in this library. Grade 9 questions are rarely a new topic; they are familiar Higher topics with an extra step, a proof to write, or two methods combined. The nine sheets here are the question types that reliably appear as the hardest on a paper, and the twelve grade 8 sheets are the methods they combine.

Do grade 9 questions differ between AQA, Edexcel and OCR?

The topics are the same because the Higher content is national. Edexcel tends to put more weight on algebraic proof and functions, AQA on multi-step geometry, but all three examine everything listed here. The questions on the sheets are original and board-neutral.

I am aiming for A-level maths. Which of these matter most?

Completing the square, algebraic fractions, simultaneous equations with a quadratic, surds, the equation of a circle and its tangent, and the sine and cosine graphs. All of them reappear in the first term of A-level, so a Year 11 who is secure on those has a much easier start in Year 12.

Free GCSE maths · grades 8 and 9

GCSE maths grade 9 worksheets

Free worksheets for every GCSE maths grade 9 topic, and the grade 8 topics that lead into them. Original exam-style questions, an answers sheet and solutions written out by hand for each. Print them or answer online. No account needed.

Grade 9 is not a separate syllabus. The nine grade 9 topics in our GCSE maths library are the hardest versions of Higher-tier content: algebraic proof with quadratics, the tangent to a circle, turning points by completing the square, probability with algebra, multi-step circle theorem reasoning. Every one of them rests on a grade 8 topic, so this page lists both, the nine grade 9 sheets and the twelve grade 8 sheets underneath them. Each sheet has 10 original questions, an answers sheet and a solutions sheet written by hand with every line of algebra shown.

A grade 9 usually needs around 80% on the Higher papers, so there is no room to skip the grade 6 and 7 work either. Treat the list below as the top of a pyramid, not the whole of it.

The grade 9 topics and their grade 8 foundations

Do the grade 8 sheet first if the grade 9 sheet scores under 80%: nearly every grade 9 question is a grade 8 method with one more twist.

Grade 9

Grade 8

Open grade 9 in the library My RAG sheet

How to use the worksheets

Print it. Every topic has three PDFs: the worksheet, an answers sheet for quick marking, and a solutions sheet with every step written out by hand. Print the worksheet first and keep the solutions back until all the questions have been attempted.

Or answer online. Open the topic page, type each answer into the box and check it. The page marks it straight away and keeps your best score in this browser. Score 80% or more and the topic is ticked as done on the GCSE library; you can also tick a topic by hand once you are happy with it.

Use the solutions properly. The solutions are hand-written, one step per line, the way a tutor writes next to a student. If an answer is wrong, cover the solution, find the first line that differs from your working and redo the question from there. Forty of the topics also open with a short method guide before the questions.

Keep a RAG sheet. The GCSE RAG sheet colours each topic red, amber or green from your scores. Work through the reds first, then the ambers, then use a weekly check sheet to prove the grade holds up when the topics are mixed.

The grade 8 and 9 check sheets. When the topic sheets are green, print the grade 8 weekly check and then the grade 9 weekly check: 20 mixed questions each, about 50 marks, with answers and hand-written solutions. These are the closest thing here to the last six questions of a Higher paper.

Frequently asked questions

What score do I need for a grade 9?: It changes each year with the grade boundaries, but across the three Higher papers a 9 has typically needed somewhere around 80% and occasionally less. That means dropping very few marks on grade 4 to 7 questions, which is why the earlier grades matter as much as the topics on this page.
Are there only nine grade 9 topics?: Yes, in this library. Grade 9 questions are rarely a new topic; they are familiar Higher topics with an extra step, a proof to write, or two methods combined. The nine sheets here are the question types that reliably appear as the hardest on a paper, and the twelve grade 8 sheets are the methods they combine.
Do grade 9 questions differ between AQA, Edexcel and OCR?: The topics are the same because the Higher content is national. Edexcel tends to put more weight on algebraic proof and functions, AQA on multi-step geometry, but all three examine everything listed here. The questions on the sheets are original and board-neutral.
I am aiming for A-level maths. Which of these matter most?: Completing the square, algebraic fractions, simultaneous equations with a quadratic, surds, the equation of a circle and its tangent, and the sine and cosine graphs. All of them reappear in the first term of A-level, so a Year 11 who is secure on those has a much easier start in Year 12.