The 4 IGCSE Higher maths topics that GCSE does not teach
Most of IGCSE Higher is the same maths as GCSE Higher, but four topics are not. If your child has been learning from GCSE material, these are the four they will meet for the first time on the IGCSE paper, so we built one interactive lesson for each.
£7.99 per lesson, or all four for £21.99 (£31.96, save £10).
4lessons
26units
139worked examples
1,251practice questions
The 4 extra topics only, not a full IGCSE course
These lessons cover the topics on the Edexcel IGCSE Higher specification that GCSE does not teach: differentiation, arithmetic series, intersecting chords and set notation. They are for students who are already working through the GCSE Higher content, at school or at home.
Everything IGCSE shares with GCSE, such as algebra, graphs, trigonometry, vectors and probability, is in our GCSE Higher maths lessons.
Who these lessons are for
A good fit if your child
is sitting Edexcel IGCSE Maths Higher (4MA1)
learns from GCSE resources, a GCSE textbook or a tutor who teaches GCSE
has moved from a GCSE school to an IGCSE one, or is sitting IGCSE privately
is confident with GCSE Higher and needs the extra topics on top
Start somewhere else if your child
is sitting GCSE. None of these four topics are on the GCSE paper, so the GCSE Higher lessons are the right place.
is still finding GCSE Higher hard. Get that solid first, because these topics build on it. Differentiation uses index laws, and set notation uses Venn diagrams and probability.
The 4 topics, one lesson each
Every picture below is a real slide from the lesson your child gets, with the worked example on the left and practice questions on the right.
Lesson 1 of 4
Differentiation
Differentiation finds the gradient of a curve at any point. GCSE only asks students to estimate a gradient by drawing a tangent, so IGCSE is usually the first time they see dy/dx. The lesson starts with differentiating powers of x and builds up to tangents, turning points and speed problems.
Differentiating powers of x
Rewriting fractions and brackets before you differentiate
The gradient at a point, and the equation of a tangent
Stationary points, and whether each one is a maximum or a minimum
Rates of change, velocity, acceleration and optimisation
6 units, an Explore activity, 37 worked examples and 315 practice questions.
GCSE teaches the nth term of a sequence. IGCSE Higher goes one step further and asks for the sum of the terms, using the series formula. Exam questions often run backwards: they give the sum and ask for the number of terms, which leads to a quadratic.
The nth term formula, and finding the first term and the difference
The sum of a series
Working backwards from a sum to find n
Parts of a series, and linking two sums
Show that and proof questions
7 units, an Explore activity, 37 worked examples and 343 practice questions.
When two lines cross inside or outside a circle, the parts of each line multiply to the same answer. This rule is on the IGCSE Higher paper but not on GCSE, and it is not on the formula sheet, so it has to be learnt. The lesson teaches all three versions of the rule, then the harder exam questions that mix it with algebra.
Two chords crossing inside the circle, with numbers and with algebra
Two lines meeting outside the circle
A tangent and a line through the circle
The hardest exam types
5 units, an Explore activity where your child drags the point around the circle, 27 worked examples and 253 practice questions.
GCSE uses Venn diagrams with the symbols ∩ and ∪. IGCSE Higher adds much more notation: ∈, ⊂, n(A), the empty set ∅ and set builder notation such as {x : 3x − 2 < 20}. Each worked example splits the symbols into pieces with plain words underneath, so A ∩ B′ reads as "in A" and "not in B".
Describing sets and set builder notation
Intersection, union and complement
Venn diagrams, subsets and building sets
Counting, algebra and probability from a Venn diagram
The hardest IGCSE questions, then a 20 question final mix
8 units, 38 worked examples and 340 practice questions.
The IGCSE Higher Maths: The Extra Topics Bundle has all four lessons in one purchase. One email brings all four lesson links, and your child can come back to them for revision right up to the exam.
Worked example first. Your child clicks to reveal each line of a worked example, with the reason for each step written beside it.
Try it on paper. Practice questions are colour-coded easy, medium and hard. Your child works each one out on paper, then clicks to check their own answer.
Fresh questions when they want more. The New Questions button deals a new set, so your child can practise the same skill again with different numbers.
Exam-style finish. Each lesson ends with harder questions in the style of the Edexcel IGCSE Higher paper and a mixed review of every unit.
The lessons are built for a laptop or computer screen.
Questions parents ask
What is the difference between IGCSE and GCSE maths?
Most of the maths is the same. Edexcel IGCSE Higher (4MA1) is two papers of 2 hours, each out of 100 marks, and a calculator is allowed on both. Edexcel GCSE Higher is three papers of 1 hour 30 minutes, and the first one is non-calculator. Both are graded 9 to 1.
IGCSE Higher also includes a few topics that GCSE does not teach. The four lessons on this page cover them.
Is this a full IGCSE maths course?
No. It is the four extra IGCSE topics only. For everything IGCSE shares with GCSE, such as algebra, graphs and trigonometry, use our GCSE Higher maths lessons.
Are there any other IGCSE-only topics?
A few smaller ones are taught as extra units inside our GCSE Higher lessons, so they do not need a lesson of their own. These are domain and range (in the Functions lesson), simultaneous equations with an xy term (in Quadratic Simultaneous Equations) and the magnitude of a vector (in Vectors).
My child is doing Cambridge IGCSE (0580). Will this help?
Partly. Differentiation and set notation are on the Cambridge Extended syllabus too, so those two lessons will help. Arithmetic series and intersecting chords are Edexcel topics, so you can buy just the two lessons you need.
Can I buy just one topic?
Yes. Each lesson is £7.99 on its own. If you need three or more, the bundle is cheaper: three lessons on their own cost £23.97, and all four in the bundle cost £21.99.
How does my child get the lessons?
A link arrives by email straight after you pay. Your child opens it on a laptop or computer and can start straight away, with nothing to install.
Which year groups is this for?
Year 10 and Year 11 students sitting the Higher tier, whenever their school reaches these topics. They also work well as revision in the months before the exam.
