Edexcel Higher Maths lesson notebooks by topic
118 teach-from-scratch chapters, written by our maths tutors and organised into six free PDF notebooks, one for each Edexcel content area. Every chapter explains the idea, shows the method worked through, sets independent practice, and gives the answers with method guidance for each question.
These are not revision cards and not past papers. They are the lesson: written for a student who has been shown a method once, did not quite get it, and needs it taught properly from the beginning, all the way up to the grade 9 material that Higher papers reserve for the final questions.
Free to download. No sign up, no email required. Independent resources aligned to Pearson Edexcel GCSE Mathematics 1MA1, not produced, approved or endorsed by Pearson or Edexcel.
Which Higher topics can I learn?
All six Edexcel content areas at Higher tier: Number, Algebra, Ratio and Proportion, Geometry and Measures, Probability, and Statistics. Download each notebook free as a PDF and print what you need. Once a chapter is secure, practise it under exam demand with our Edexcel Higher exam questions library. Sitting Foundation instead? Use the Edexcel Foundation lesson notebooks.
Number
Ordering real numbers and directed calculation, operation structure and reciprocals, primes, HCF and LCM, the product rule for counting, integer and fractional indices, surds and rationalising denominators, recurring decimals as exact fractions, standard form, percentage operators and reverse percentages, compound-measure conversion, estimation and error, and bounds in multi-step calculations.
Download the Number notebookAlgebra
Notation and substitution, algebraic index laws, expanding and factorising quadratics, algebraic fractions, rearranging complex formulae, identities and proof, functions, composites and inverses, straight lines, quadratic, cubic, reciprocal, exponential and transformed graphs, circle equations and tangents, quadratic equations and the formula, completing the square, simultaneous equations including linear and quadratic systems, iteration, inequalities and sequences.
Download the Algebra notebookRatio, Proportion and Rates of Change
Compound unit conversion, scale diagrams and bearings, multiplicative comparison, ratio sharing and difference problems, percentage comparison and reverse percentages, compound interest and depreciation, direct and inverse proportion in algebraic form, power relationships and proportional scaling, speed, density and pressure, similarity with length, area and volume ratios, average and instantaneous rates of change, and growth, decay and iterative processes.
Download the Ratio notebookGeometry and Measures
Angle facts, parallel lines and polygons, constructions, loci and bearings, transformations and congruence, area, surface area and volume, circles, arcs and sectors, Pythagoras and right-angled trigonometry, exact trigonometric values, enlargement with fractional and negative scale factors, nine dedicated circle theorem chapters building to multi-theorem proof, the sine and cosine rules, three-dimensional Pythagoras and trigonometry, and vector geometry and proof.
Download the Geometry notebookProbability
The 0 to 1 scale, theoretical and experimental probability, sample spaces and systematic listing, mutually exclusive events, expected frequency, combined events, tree diagrams with and without replacement, two-way tables, frequency trees and Venn diagrams, counting principles, the general AND and OR rules, conditional probability and the meaning of given, set notation, and reverse probability with algebraic branches.
Download the Probability notebookStatistics
Populations, samples and bias, frequency and two-way tables, bar charts and pie charts, averages and range, weighted means, grouped data and estimated averages, stem-and-leaf diagrams, scatter graphs and correlation, time series and misleading graphs, histograms and frequency density, cumulative frequency curves, box plots and interquartile range, comparing distributions, capture-recapture, and grouped-data interpolation.
Download the Statistics notebookHow is each chapter organised?
Meaning first, method second, practice third. Every chapter is four pages in the same order, so a student always knows where they are: understand the idea, follow the method, apply it to a real context, then practise it alone. The answers and method guidance for every chapter are collected at the end of each notebook.
The four pages in every chapter
- Understand the idea: the key vocabulary, an original diagram, and a short explanation of why the method works, ending with three quick check questions to answer mentally and a prompt to state the rule in your own words
- Method and examples: the reliable method as a short checklist, two fully worked examples with the reasoning shown before the answer, a self-check question, and a guided try to attempt with support
- Apply and reason: a real-world model of the idea, the three most common mistakes and how to repair each one, an exam communication standard, and a reasoning prompt that asks for a sentence of justification
- Independent practice: eight questions to complete without notes, then a reflection line to mark the chapter secure, almost, or reteach
What else is inside
- a five-pass study routine at the front of every notebook: read the idea without a calculator, cover and reproduce each solution, practise independently, mark and repair, retest after 2 to 7 days
- a fast-reference method bank for each content area, with the instruction to understand each formula before memorising it
- a specification coverage map giving the Edexcel 1MA1 content references for every chapter
- answers for every practice question with method guidance, so a wrong answer points back to the process that produces it
- an error log routine: label each error as concept, operation, arithmetic, calculator entry, accuracy, unit or interpretation, then write the corrected step
- complete Higher tier coverage: shared foundations and Higher-only extensions are integrated into one teaching sequence, so nothing on the paper is missing from the notebooks
- an exam answer standard on every page: exact values kept until rounding is requested, working another person can follow, and a final sentence when the result must be interpreted
What do the 118 chapters cover?
Each notebook numbers its chapters from 1, and every chapter states its Edexcel 1MA1 content references, so you can cross-check coverage against the specification or a school scheme of work. The chapters follow a teachable sequence, not the order of the specification list, and each notebook closes with a synthesis chapter that connects the whole content area.
| Notebook | Chapters | Practice per chapter | Edexcel 1MA1 content references |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 16 | 8 questions with answers | N1 to N16 |
| Algebra | 20 | 8 questions with answers | A1 to A25 |
| Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change | 17 | 8 questions with answers | R1 to R16 |
| Geometry and Measures | 30 | 8 questions with answers | G1 to G25 |
| Probability | 17 | 8 questions with answers | P1 to P9 |
| Statistics | 18 | 8 questions with answers | S1 to S6 |
The notebooks follow the complete Higher tier content identified in the Pearson Edexcel 1MA1 specification, including Higher-only material such as surds, the circle theorems, the sine and cosine rules, conditional probability and histograms. Specification references identify curriculum alignment only; every explanation, example, diagram, question and solution is independently authored, and no examination paper, mark scheme or commercial textbook page is reproduced.
How should a student use these?
One chapter at a time, in the four-page order, and always with the answers covered until the practice is done. Higher tier rewards connected reasoning: the questions that separate grade 6 from grade 8 combine several familiar skills or hide the operation inside a context, so the "why" page matters as much as the "how" page.
If a topic was never really taught
Start at chapter 1 of that notebook and work forward. Do not skip the check questions on the first page: if they cannot be answered mentally, the rest of the chapter will not stick. Two chapters a week is a realistic pace alongside school, and the coverage map shows exactly what remains.
If a mock has just gone badly
Use the mock paper to list the topics where marks were lost, then go straight to those chapters. Read the common mistakes page first; most Higher marks are lost to the same handful of errors, and seeing yours named is half the repair.
If you are aiming for grade 8 or 9
Work every chapter's reasoning prompt in writing, not just in your head, and finish each notebook with its synthesis chapter, where the skills are combined the way the hardest exam questions combine them. In Geometry, the circle theorem and vector proof chapters are where the top grades are decided.
Guide: revising GCSE Maths
How to structure Maths revision so practice actually moves the grade, rather than re-reading notes.
Read the revision guideGuide: official past papers
Where to find the real Edexcel past papers and mark schemes to sit once the chapters are secure.
Find past papersGuide: last-minute revision
What to do with the final weeks when there is no time left to cover everything.
Read the last-minute guideLesson notebook questions
The short version: the notebooks are free for personal use, they teach each topic from the beginning with worked examples and answered practice, and they cover the complete Edexcel Higher tier, grade 4 to 9.
Are these textbooks or practice books?
They sit between the two. Each chapter teaches the idea and the method like a textbook, with an explanation, a diagram, worked examples and a guided try, then finishes with eight independent practice questions and their answers. They are designed for a student working alone or with a parent, not as a workbook to be set by a teacher.
Do the notebooks include answers?
Yes. Every practice question has an answer at the end of the notebook, and each answer carries method guidance identifying the process that produces it. The instruction is to rework any wrong question from a blank line rather than copy the final value.
Are they free? What is the licence?
The Free Website Edition is free for personal and household educational use. Tutors and schools must obtain the appropriate licence before copying for learners, and resale, paid redistribution and third-party uploading are prohibited.
Which grades do they cover?
Grade 4 to 9, the full Higher range. The chapters integrate the shared foundations with the Higher-only extensions, so surds, rationalising denominators, the circle theorems, the sine and cosine rules, completing the square, iteration, conditional probability, histograms and vector proof are all taught in sequence rather than left as bolt-ons.
How are these different from your Edexcel Higher practice books?
They do different jobs. The Higher practice books assume the method has been taught and exist to practise it under exam-style demand, with 2,700 questions across 60 modules. These notebooks teach the method from scratch, with explanation before practice. The natural route is to learn a topic here, then test it there.
I am sitting Foundation. Can I still use these?
The early chapters of each notebook cover content shared with Foundation, so they can help, but they move quickly into Higher-only material that cannot appear on a Foundation paper. A Foundation student is better served by our Edexcel Foundation lesson notebooks, which stay inside the grade 1 to 5 assessable content and pace the explanations accordingly.
My child reads the chapter but still cannot do the practice. What next?
Go back to the guided try on the method page and do it together, out loud, before returning to the practice. If a chapter is still marked reteach after two honest attempts, that is the point to get the method explained by a person, whether a teacher at school or a tutor. Fifteen of our tutors teach GCSE Maths and the first 30 minutes are free.
The notebook explains it. A tutor makes it stick
Fifteen of our tutors teach GCSE Maths, including three qualified teachers. Lessons are one to one on Zoom, £30 each with no premium for Higher tier, and the first 30 minutes are free with no card details. If a chapter keeps coming back marked reteach after two attempts, that is usually the sign to get the method explained in person rather than read again.