GCSE Maths Formula Sheet 2026: Given vs Memorise
The GCSE maths formula sheet is confirmed for 2025, 2026, and 2027 exams. Every student will receive one with their question paper. But here is the part that catches parents off guard: the sheet covers only a fraction of the formulae your child actually needs. The rest must still be memorised.
This guide explains exactly what is on the formula sheet, what is not, and how your child should use it effectively. If you are a parent trying to understand what your child needs to know for their GCSE maths exam, this is the breakdown you need.
What Is the GCSE Maths Formula Sheet?
The GCSE maths formula sheet is an official document provided to every student in the exam room alongside their question paper. It lists specific mathematical formulae that students do not need to memorise. Exam boards call it an “Exam Aid.” There are two versions: one for Foundation tier and one for Higher tier (which includes additional formulae).
The sheet is not something students bring themselves. It is printed and distributed by the exam board as part of the exam materials, just like the question paper and answer booklet.
From what I observed working with maths students, the formula sheet creates a dangerous false sense of security. Students see it and assume they do not need to practise those formulae at all. The reality is different: you need to know what each formula does and when to use it. The sheet gives you the recipe, but you still need to know how to cook.
AQA, Edexcel, and OCR all provide the same formulae. The only difference is format: AQA and Edexcel give a separate printed sheet, while OCR embeds the formulae directly into the relevant questions. Your child does not need to memorise these formulae regardless of which board they are with.
Why It Exists
Before COVID, students had to memorise every formula. When exams resumed in 2022 after the pandemic disruption, the government introduced formula sheets as a support measure to account for the learning time students had lost. The sheets were originally planned to be removed after 2024, returning exams to pre-COVID conditions.
In October 2024, the DfE reversed that decision. They announced that formula sheets would continue for 2025, 2026, and 2027 exams. The reasoning was that current students had still experienced significant disruption during their primary and early secondary years, and removing the sheets would unfairly disadvantage them.
Will It Continue After 2027?
Nobody knows yet. The DfE has said it will confirm longer-term expectations after the Curriculum and Assessment Review concludes. If your child is taking GCSEs in 2028 or later, they should not assume the formula sheet will still be provided. For students sitting exams in 2025, 2026, or 2027, the sheet is guaranteed.
What Formulae Are on the Sheet?
The formula sheet is deliberately concise. It covers the formulae that the government judged were most reasonable to provide, given the disruption students experienced. Here is exactly what appears on it.
Foundation and Higher: Both Tiers
| Formula | What It Does |
|---|---|
| a² + b² = c² | Pythagoras' theorem, finds the missing side of a right-angled triangle |
| sin θ = opp/hyp, cos θ = adj/hyp, tan θ = opp/adj | Trigonometric ratios, finds angles or sides in right-angled triangles |
| Area of trapezium = ½(a + b)h | Area of a trapezium given parallel sides a, b and height h |
| Total = N × (1 ± r/100)ⁿ | Compound interest, growth, and decay |
These formulae appear on both the Foundation and Higher formula sheets.
Higher-Only Formulae
Higher tier students receive the same sheet as Foundation students, plus five additional formulae. These are the more complex formulae that Higher students would otherwise need to memorise:
| Formula | What It Does |
|---|---|
| x = (−b ± √(b² − 4ac)) / 2a | Quadratic formula, solves any quadratic equation |
| a/sinA = b/sinB = c/sinC | Sine rule, finds sides or angles in non-right-angled triangles |
| a² = b² + c² − 2bc cosA | Cosine rule, finds a side or angle when sine rule cannot be used |
| Area = ½ab sinC | Area of a triangle using two sides and the included angle |
| P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) − P(A and B) | Addition law of probability for non-mutually exclusive events |
These five formulae appear only on the Higher tier formula sheet.
Formulae Given Within Questions
Separately from the formula sheet, certain formulae have always been provided within questions when they are needed. This was the case even before COVID and the introduction of the formula sheet. These are typically complex 3D formulae:
| Formula | Context |
|---|---|
| Curved surface area of a cone = πrl | Given when a cone question appears |
| Surface area of a sphere = 4πr² | Given when a sphere question appears |
| Volume of a sphere = (4/3)πr³ | Given when a sphere question appears |
| Volume of a cone = (1/3)πr²h | Given when a cone question appears |
| Volume of a pyramid = (1/3) × base area × height | Newly added from 2025 onwards |
These formulae are embedded in questions, not on the separate formula sheet. The pyramid formula was added from 2025 onwards.
Before 2025, students had to memorise the volume of a pyramid. Pearson confirmed that given the DfE's decision to continue formula sheets, they brought the pyramid formula in line with the other 3D formulae. Your child no longer needs to memorise this one.
What Is NOT on the Formula Sheet
This is the section that matters most. The formula sheet gives your child a handful of formulae. Everything else must still be committed to memory. And “everything else” is a significantly longer list.
Geometry Formulae to Memorise
| Formula | Notes |
|---|---|
| Area of a rectangle = length × width | Fundamental, used constantly |
| Area of a triangle = ½ × base × height | Not the same as ½ab sinC (which IS on the sheet for Higher) |
| Area of a circle = πr² | One of the most commonly tested formulae |
| Circumference = 2πr (or πd) | Frequently paired with circle area questions |
| Volume of a prism = cross-section × length | Applies to cuboids, triangular prisms, and more |
| Volume of a cylinder = πr²h | Think of it as circle area × height |
| Surface area of a cuboid | Calculate from individual faces (2lw + 2lh + 2wh) |
None of these geometry formulae appear on the formula sheet. Every one must be memorised.
Algebra, Statistics, and Number Formulae to Memorise
| Formula | Category |
|---|---|
| Gradient = (y₂ − y₁) / (x₂ − x₁) | Algebra |
| y = mx + c | Algebra |
| x² + y² = r² (Higher only) | Algebra |
| nth term = a + (n−1)d | Algebra |
| Mean = sum of values ÷ number of values | Statistics |
| Mean from frequency table = Σfx / Σf | Statistics |
| Speed = distance ÷ time | Number |
| Density = mass ÷ volume | Number |
| Pressure = force ÷ area | Number |
| Percentage change = (change ÷ original) × 100 | Number |
These algebra, statistics, and number formulae are not on the formula sheet.
Many students (and parents) assume the formula sheet means they do not need to memorise anything. This is wrong. The sheet covers the trigonometric and algebraic formulae that are hardest to remember, but all the “bread and butter” formulae for circles, volumes, speed, density, and gradients must still be known by heart.
The Formula Sheet Is Not a Cheat Sheet
Having the formula in front of you is only the first step. The exam will not say “use the cosine rule here.” Your child must be able to do three things with every formula on the sheet:
1. Recognise
- •Identify which formula applies from the context of the question
- •Know when Pythagoras applies vs trigonometry
- •Spot compound interest scenarios without being told
2. Substitute
- •Correctly place values into the right positions
- •Handle units correctly (e.g. cm vs m)
- •Deal with values that need converting first
3. Rearrange
- •Rearrange the formula when solving for a different variable
- •Make the cosine rule find an angle, not just a side
- •Isolate variables in compound interest problems
Students who simply glance at the formula sheet during the exam without practising these three skills beforehand will struggle. The sheet saves them from recalling the formula, but the actual work of applying it remains entirely on them.
How to Use the Formula Sheet Effectively
Download and print it now
Get the official formula sheet from your child's exam board website (AQA, Edexcel, or OCR). Print a copy and keep it at their revision desk. Familiarity with the layout saves precious seconds in the exam.
Practise past papers WITH the sheet
When doing past papers at home, always have the formula sheet available, just as in the real exam. This trains your child to use it naturally rather than scrambling to find formulae under pressure.
Redirect memorisation effort
Since the sheet handles Pythagoras, trigonometry, and the quadratic formula, your child should redirect their memorisation time toward the formulae that are NOT on the sheet: circle formulae, volume formulae, speed/distance/time, and gradient.
Practise recognising which formula to use
The exam will never say "use the cosine rule." Give your child problems where they must decide which formula applies. This decision-making skill is where most marks are won or lost.
Do not treat it as a crutch
A student who understands the formula deeply will always outperform a student who is reading it for the first time in the exam. The sheet is a safety net for the formulae it covers, not a substitute for understanding.
OCR Differences
If your child sits the OCR exam board, the format is slightly different. Rather than providing a separate standalone formula sheet, OCR embeds the relevant formulae directly into the questions where they are needed. The practical effect is the same: students do not need to memorise the listed formulae. However, OCR students will not have a single sheet to refer back to; the formulae appear only where the question requires them.
Even though OCR provides formulae within questions, your child should still know which formulae exist so they can recognise when a question is testing them. Practising with past OCR papers is the best way to build this awareness.
What Parents Can Do Right Now
This Week
- •Download the formula sheet from your exam board's website
- •Print it and stick it on your child's revision wall
- •Go through the sheet together and check your child knows what each formula does
- •Identify which formulae are NOT on the sheet using the tables above
Ongoing
- •Use the formula sheet when doing every past paper
- •Spend revision time on the 20+ formulae that must be memorised
- •Practise recognising which formula to use, not just recalling it
- •Test your child regularly on the must-memorise list
The formula sheet is a genuine help. It removes the need to memorise some of the trickiest formulae in GCSE maths. But it covers less than a third of what students actually need. The students who do best are those who use the sheet as one tool among many, not as a replacement for solid preparation.
For a complete breakdown of every topic your child needs to cover (including which tier each topic appears on), see our complete GCSE maths topic list. If you want to understand how the foundation and higher tiers differ and which is right for your child, our foundation vs higher guide covers this in detail. And for a structured revision plan, our GCSE revision guide for parents provides a step-by-step approach.
