IGCSE Maths – Higher Tier. Learn all the Foundation Key Facts and remember these Top Tips!

Laws of Indices Simultaneous Equations

Linear eg 2x + 3y = 1 Make y terms (or x) equal
3x – 5y = 11 Same Signs Subtract
Different Signs Add
Quadratic and Linear
Make y (or x) the subject in the linear equation
Substitute into the quadratic equation and solve
Calculus
Remember to work out the value of both letters
If y = xn then gradient = dy = nxn-1
dx
Surds
At a turning point dy = 0
dx
If s = f(t) (displacement is in terms of t)
then velocity, v = ds and acceleration, a = dv
dt dt Displaying Statistics
Histograms – remember that the frequency is
Solving Quadratics given by the area of each bar not the height.
first rearrange into ax2 + bx + c = 0 then either Use the clues given in the question to label the
• Factorise put into 2 brackets and one of area or to find frequency densities.
the brackets must = 0 Frequency Density = Frequency ÷ Class Width
• Use the Formula − b  b 2 − 4ac Cumulative Frequency- add up frequencies as you
x=
2a go and plot against the top of each group
• Complete the Square
Sets
Types of Graph n(A) means the number of elements in set A
A  B means that set A is a subset of set B
A’ represents the complement of A (i.e. “not A”)

Linear (y=mx+c) Quadratic (contains x2)

Functions
Domain is all values of x to which the function is
or applied.
Range is all values of f(x)
Cubic (contains x3) fg(x) means f(g(x)) i.e. apply g first followed by f.
f -1(x) is the inverse function

Triangles
Reciprocal (Look for 1/x) Circle (x2+y2=r2) Right-angled 3 sides use Pythagoras
a2 + b2 = c2
Bearings a c 2 sides and an angle
A bearing is an angle measured in a use SOHCAHTOA
clockwise direction from North. It is written b Area = base x height ÷ 2
as three digits eg East is a bearing of 090°
Not right-angled 2 sides, 2 angles use Sine Rule
B
Area of a Trapezium (LEARN this)
c a 3 sides, 1 angle use Cosine Rule
a Area = ½ (a + b) h
h C
b A b Area = ½ absinC

Alternate Segment Tangents

Circle Theorems Angle between radius
meeting at a
and tangent is 90° Theorem
Angles in the same point are
segment are equal equal in
A
B length
b C
a
Angle in a Angle in the centre is Opposite angles in a d
c
semicircle is 90° double the angle at the cyclic quadrilateral D
add up to 180° E ABxAE = ACxAD
circumference axd = bxc
IGCSE Maths – Higher Tier. Learn all the Foundation Key Facts and remember these Top Tips!
Similar Shapes Equations of Straight Lines
y = mx + c if you know the gradient and y-intercept
If the length scale factor is k y – y1 = m(x – x1) if you know the gradient and a point
the area scale factor is k2 on the line (x1, y1)
the volume scale factor is k3
Two lines are parallel if they have the same gradient

Vectors Two lines are perpendicular if the product of their

gradients is -1.
• The modulus/magnitude of a vector is
its length. Use Pythagoras. Transforming y = f(x)
−𝑎
• To find the resultant of 2 vectors, add y = f(x + a ) is a translation ቀ ቁ
0
them together.
0
y = f(x) + a is a translation ቀ ቁ
• ሬሬሬሬሬԦ
𝐴𝐵 = ሬሬሬሬሬԦ ሬሬሬሬሬԦ
𝑂𝐵 − 𝑂𝐴 𝑎

y = f(ax) is a stretch in x-direction, sf 1/a

Direct Proportion: replace ∝ with k×….
then use the given values to work out k and y = af(x) is a stretch in y-direction, sf a
sub it in the formula.
y = f(-x) is a reflection in the y-axis
e.g.
y is directly proportional to the square of x y = -f(x) is a reflection in the x-axis
y∝ x2 so y = kx2
Tree Diagrams
y is inversely proportional to the cube root of x
1 𝑘 • Multiply along the branches
𝑦 ∝ ∛𝑥 so 𝑦 = ∛𝑥
• Add between the branches
• Show all working
• Check whether there is replacement or not
Bounds

Start by writing down the upper and lower

Trig Graphs – LEARN the shapes and key values
bounds of the values in the question then
y = sin x
pick the appropriate ones.

If in doubt do all the combinations and look

for the maximum or minimum value.

Arithmetic (linear) Sequences

y = cos x
a = first term d = common difference

nth term = a + (n – 1)d

𝒏
Sum of first n terms = 𝟐 (𝟐𝒂 + (𝒏 − 𝟏ሻ𝒅ሻ

• You may need to use the clues given to

y = tan x
write down a pair of simultaneous
equations and solve them

• If stuck, write out what you know about

the sequence and fill in the gaps.