Past Papers
Plus sample papers and mocks – all following the 2017 WJEC Specification
Topic Booklets - AS
Up to date with the 2017 WJEC Specification
Topic Booklets - A2
Yes, all up to date with that new 2017 WJEC Specification
Legacy Papers
Past papers, mark schemes & solutions from the previous legacy specification
Anything this helpful has to be epic!
a level
maths
The WJEC A Level Specification changed in 2017. Use our resources to boost your chances of exam success.
A LEVEL MATHS: What YOU NEED TO KNOW
The WJEC Maths A level specification changed for teaching from September 2017 and it is important that you understand the structure of your course.
Your A level is divided into four units. The first two units are AS units and are studied in year 12. Units 3 and 4 are then studied in year 13. (If you are doing Maths and Further Maths you may well do all of this in Year 12.)
- Unit 1: Pure Mathematics, 2 hours 30 minutes, 25% of the qualification, 120 marks
- Unit 2: Applied Mathematics A, 1 hour 45 minutes, 15% of the qualification, 75 marks (Section A is Statistics 40 marks and Section B is Mechanics 35 marks)
- Unit 3: Pure Mathematics B, 2 hours 30 minutes, 35% of the qualification, 120 marks
- Unit 4: Applied Mathematics B, 1 hour 45 minutes, 25% of the qualification, 80 marks (Section A is Statistics 40 marks and Section B is Mechanics 40 marks)
Calculators are allowed in all of the exams.
In each of the four units you need to be prepared for a variety of styles of questions: long and short; structured and unstructured and questions that assess your understanding of two or more topics at once.
The first Unit 1 and Unit 2 exam took place in the summer of 2018. These, together with the 2019 papers and the WJEC sample assessment material are available on this website here.
Past paper practice is absolutely crucial. It helps you know what to expect and enables you to identify your strengths and weaknesses so that you can amend your revision accordingly. Look at the length of the exams – there are a lot of questions! Look at the number of marks available and how much time you have to complete each exam. Try and work out how long you have to spend on each question by looking at how many marks it is worth. For instance, in Unit 1 you have 150 minutes to attempt 120 marks worth of question. So, allocating 5 minutes per 4 marks is about right. Obviously, this is only a rough guide as you will be quicker on some topics than others but do be mindful as if you find you are still stuck, 10 minutes into a 6-mark question you really must move on.
If you are interested, the Specification is here.