WJEC GCSE Maths
WJEC GCSE in Mathematics
The Wales-only Welsh Government-regulated GCSE. Most Welsh students sit it alongside its sibling, WJEC GCSE Mathematics – Numeracy (3310); the two together form the "double" maths result.
Two written units per tier, each 50% of the qualification. Unit 1 is non-calculator and Unit 2 allows a calculator. Higher / Intermediate: 1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks each. Foundation: 1 hour 30 minutes, 65 marks each. Plus 2 marks per paper for organising, communicating and writing accurately (OCW).
- Foundation:Grades D–G
- Intermediate:Grades B–E
- Higher:Grades A*–C
Official resources
Specification, papers, mark schemes and grade boundaries - straight from WJEC.
- Past papers: WJEC bundles mark schemes alongside each past paper on this portal.
Formulae are printed inside the question paper in Appendix A of the spec; there is no separate booklet. Foundation receives the trapezium area only; Intermediate adds the volume of a prism; Higher additionally receives sphere and cone formulae, sine and cosine rules, ½ab sin C, the quadratic formula and the AER (Annual Equivalent Rate) formula.
Assessment objectives
How marks are split across the three things examiners look for.
Demonstrate recall, selection and use of mathematical knowledge in a variety of contexts.
Choose and apply appropriate mathematical methods in routine and non-routine situations.
Devise strategies for non-routine problems, communicate mathematically, construct arguments and proofs, and interpret findings.
What WJEC tests
The WJEC specification organises content into the sections below. Each one shows the GCSEwiz topics that practise material from that strand.
Place value and calculation, fractions / decimals / percentages, ratio and proportion, indices, standard form, surds (Higher), upper / lower bounds, and financial maths.
Expressions, formulae, linear / simultaneous / quadratic / cubic equations, sequences, graphs of functions, inequalities, and (Higher) algebraic proof.
2D and 3D shape properties, angles, Pythagoras, trigonometry (sine and cosine rules at Higher), circle theorems (Higher), transformations, loci, perimeter / area / volume, compound measures, and vectors (Higher).
The statistical problem-solving cycle: specifying, collecting (sampling), processing and representing (charts, averages, spread), interpreting and discussing. Includes the probability scale, mutually exclusive and independent events, tree diagrams and (Higher) conditional probability and sampling without replacement.
Topics that appear on the Higher paper but not Foundation.
- Surds and rationalising denominators
- Recurring decimals to exact fractions
- Factorising ax² + bx + c and the quadratic formula
- Sine and cosine rules in 2D and 3D
- Circle theorems and the alternate segment theorem
- Volumes and surface areas of spheres and cones
- Vectors and geometric proof
- Conditional probability and sampling without replacement
- Histograms with unequal class widths and stratified sampling
- AER / APR financial calculations
Worth knowing
Welsh students typically also sit GCSE Mathematics – Numeracy, which re-tests the numeracy core in everyday real-world contexts. AO weightings are deliberately flipped to emphasise applied method (AO2 50–60%).
Open linkFrom September 2025, Year 10 cohorts begin a new combined qualification, GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy (Double Award), which replaces both 3300 and 3310 for first assessment in 2027.
Open linkWJEC in other GCSE subjects
Maths is the deep dive above; here is what WJEC offers across the rest of the GCSE catalogue - each subject's specification, its code and how the papers are structured, with the full syllabus guide a click away.
WJEC GCSE English Language (Wales) (3700QS)
Wales-only qualification (2015 spec): 2 written exam papers (Unit 1 and Unit 2) covering unseen reading and writing, supporting the Curriculum for Wales, plus an oracy/spoken component. Untiered, all examination texts unseen. NOTE: from September 2025 this 2015 spec is being replaced by a new combined 'GCSE English Language and Literature (Single and Double Award)' for first teaching 2025 / first award 2027; the 2015 spec is still being examined for current cohorts in 2026.
WJEC GCSE English Literature (Wales) (3720QS)
Wales-only qualification (2015 spec): 2 written exam papers covering a Shakespeare play, a 19th-century novel, poetry and a prose text from a different culture, with thematic essay and source-based questions; closed book. Untiered. NOTE: from September 2025 this 2015 spec is being replaced by a new combined 'GCSE English Language and Literature (Single and Double Award)' (first teaching 2025, first award 2027); the 2015 Literature spec is still examined for current cohorts in 2026.
WJEC GCSE Biology (3400U)
2 written components, each 1h45, 90 marks, 50% each; tiered Foundation/Higher; linear. No NEA - specified practical work is mandatory and assessed within the written components.
WJEC GCSE Chemistry (Wales)
Tiered Foundation/Higher. Assessed by two written exam units (Unit 1: Chemical substances, reactions and essential resources; Unit 2: Chemical bonding, application of chemical reactions and organic chemistry) plus Unit 3: a separately assessed Practical Assessment (an externally marked practical task, with WJEC setting two tasks per year of which learners complete one). For Wales-based centres only.
WJEC GCSE Physics (Wales)
Three units, tiered F/H, linear: Unit 1 'Electricity, Energy and Waves' and Unit 2 'Forces, Space and Radioactivity' (both written), plus Unit 3 'Practical Assessment' - a separately assessed, WJEC-marked practical component. A 40% terminal rule applies. Approved by Qualifications Wales; not available to centres in England (which use the Eduqas version).
WJEC GCSE Science (Double Award) (3420QS)
Six unit assessments across biology, chemistry and physics, tiered Foundation/Higher; linear; no NEA (the 2016 spec for centres in Wales). Double award (two GCSE grades). A new WJEC GCSE The Sciences (Double Award) is being introduced for teaching from 2026 for centres in Wales, regulated by Qualifications Wales.
WJEC GCSE Computer Science (Wales)
Untiered, linear; assessed by Component 1 and Component 2, no NEA. This is WJEC's Qualifications Wales-approved GCSE for centres in Wales (distinct from the Eduqas version used in England). A redeveloped WJEC spec is for first teaching from September 2025, with first award in summer 2027.
WJEC GCSE Geography (for centres in Wales) (3110QS/3110CS)
Untiered, linear. The legacy 2016 spec uses 3 components - Unit 1 Changing Physical and Human Landscapes (1h30, ~83 marks), Unit 2 Environmental and Development Issues, and Unit 3 Applied Fieldwork Enquiry. Note: WJEC has a NEW Made-for-Wales GCSE Geography for first teaching September 2025 / first award 2027, approved by Qualifications Wales; the 2016 spec is being phased out.
WJEC GCSE History (Wales, approved by Qualifications Wales) (3410QS)
For centres in Wales. Four units: Unit 1 a Study in Depth (one of four, Wales within Britain), Unit 2 a Study in Depth (non-British / wider world), Unit 3 a Thematic Study (one of four, with a Welsh context), and Unit 4 'Working as an historian' Non-Examination Assessment (NEA) - two tasks on source evaluation and interpretations. Untiered.
WJEC GCSE Religious Studies (for Wales)
Untiered, 100% exam. Unitised qualification for Wales balancing core beliefs, teachings and practices of at least two religions (Christianity plus one of Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism) with their application to philosophical and ethical themes; includes non-religious beliefs (atheism, humanism). A short course is also offered.
WJEC GCSE in Physical Education (Wales)
Two-component model mirroring Eduqas: a written examination component plus an NEA practical/performance component (~50/50). Untiered, linear. The Wales-approved version is being succeeded by 'GCSE Physical Education and Health' for teaching from 2026 (first award 2028).
Studying for a different board?
The core content overlaps heavily - pick another board to see the specifics.