FSMQ Additional Maths

Who this is for

Students on track for a grade 8 or 9 in GCSE Maths who want something more, either because school offers it alongside GCSE or because they’re taking it independently.

I took FSMQ myself and it made the first term of A-Level Maths feel like revision.

What we cover

• Algebra — the factor and remainder theorems, algebraic division, harder simultaneous equations
• Coordinate geometry — straight lines, circles, tangents and normals, intersections
• Trigonometry — exact values, identities, solving equations across a range, the sine and cosine rules in 3D
• Calculus — differentiation from first principles, stationary points, integration, areas under curves
• Binomial expansion — including its use in probability
• Numerical methods — the trapezium rule, sign-change methods
• Enumeration — permutations, combinations, and where they show up

Why it’s worth doing

FSMQ is genuinely demanding — it’s a Level 3 qualification sat by Year 11 students. That’s exactly what makes it valuable: it proves you can handle A-Level content early, which is a strong signal on a sixth-form or apprenticeship application, and it means you start Year 12 already fluent in the calculus everyone else is meeting for the first time.