Edexcel Foundation Maths lesson notebooks by topic
79 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 a repair note 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.
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 Foundation topics can I learn?
All six Edexcel content areas at Foundation tier: Number, Algebra, Ratio and Proportion, Geometry and Measures, Probability, and Statistics. Download each notebook free as a PDF and print what you need. Sitting Higher instead? Use our Edexcel Higher exam questions library.
Number
Place value and directed numbers, the four operations and BIDMAS, factors, primes, HCF and LCM, powers and roots, fractions, decimals and percentages, standard form, rounding and estimation, units and compound measures, and error intervals and bounds.
Download the Number notebookAlgebra
Notation and expressions, substitution and formulae, expanding and factorising, linear equations, inequalities, sequences and nth terms, straight-line graphs, quadratic, cubic and reciprocal graphs, rearranging formulae, quadratics, simultaneous equations, functions, identities and proof, double brackets and index laws.
Download the Algebra notebookRatio, Proportion and Rates of Change
Ratio notation and simplification, sharing in a ratio, ratios as fractions and percentages, direct and inverse proportion, recipes, scale drawings and similarity, percentage multipliers and finance, speed, density and pressure, rates of change on graphs, unit pricing, and length, area and volume scale factors.
Download the Ratio notebookGeometry and Measures
Angle facts, parallel lines and polygons, constructions, loci and bearings, transformations and congruence, perimeter and area, circles, arcs and sectors, 3D shapes, surface area and volume, Pythagoras, right-angled trigonometry and exact values, vectors, nets, plans and elevations, and pyramids, cones and spheres.
Download the Geometry notebookProbability
The 0-to-1 scale, theoretical probability and equally likely outcomes, sample spaces and systematic listing, mutually exclusive events and complements, relative frequency, expected frequency, combined events, tree diagrams with and without replacement, two-way tables, frequency trees and Venn diagrams.
Download the Probability notebookStatistics
Populations, samples and bias, frequency and two-way tables, pictograms and bar charts, pie charts, mean, median, mode and range, frequency distributions, grouped data and estimated means, stem-and-leaf diagrams and comparing distributions, scatter graphs and correlation, time series and misleading graphs, and choosing the right chart.
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 repair notes 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 before moving on
- Method and examples: the reliable method as a short checklist, two fully worked examples with the reasoning shown before the answer, 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, 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, cover and reproduce the 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 a method cue, so a wrong answer points back to the step that caused it
- an error log routine: label each error as concept, operation, arithmetic, calculator entry, accuracy, unit or interpretation, then write the corrected step
- Foundation-assessable content only: Higher-only material is left out of the core lesson sequence unless clearly labelled as optional enrichment
- calculator and non-calculator methods both represented, with exact values kept until rounding is requested
What do the 79 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.
| Notebook | Chapters | Practice per chapter | Edexcel 1MA1 content references |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 13 | 8 questions with answers | N1 to N16 |
| Algebra | 16 | 8 questions with answers | A1 to A25 |
| Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change | 12 | 8 questions with answers | R1 to R16 |
| Geometry and Measures | 16 | 8 questions with answers | G1 to G25 |
| Probability | 11 | 8 questions with answers | P1 to P8 |
| Statistics | 11 | 8 questions with answers | S1 to S6 |
The notebooks follow the Foundation-assessable content identified in the Pearson Edexcel 1MA1 specification, grades 1 to 5. 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. Foundation does not mean superficial: grade 4 and 5 questions 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.
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 Foundation marks are lost to the same handful of errors, and seeing yours named is half the repair.
If you are aiming for grade 5
Work every chapter's reasoning prompt in writing, not just in your head. Grade 5 on Foundation is separated by the ability to explain a method in a sentence, and the last chapter of each notebook, the mixed synthesis, is where to test that.
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 are written for the Edexcel Foundation tier, grades 1 to 5.
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 a method cue pointing back to the step in the chapter 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?
Grades 1 to 5, the full Foundation range. Higher-only content is left out of the core sequence, so a student will not be sent down a topic that cannot appear on their paper. Where a Foundation chapter touches the edge of Higher content, such as exact trigonometric values, it is included because Edexcel assesses it at Foundation.
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, for grades 4 to 9. These notebooks teach the method from scratch, with explanation before practice, for grades 1 to 5. A student sitting Higher who has a gap in a Foundation-level skill can still use the relevant chapter here to close it.
Is there a non-calculator paper I should practise for?
Yes. Edexcel Foundation is assessed by three papers of equal weight and Paper 1 is non-calculator. The notebooks show both calculator and non-calculator methods, and the first page of every chapter is meant to be read without a calculator so the idea is understood before the arithmetic is automated.
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, 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.