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STEP Support Programme

A-level notes

The files below contain notes for various parts of the A-level Mathematics and Further Mathematics specifications. They are mainly short(ish) notes with occasional examples, but also contain links to relevant NRICH and Underground Mathematics problems.

Underground Mathematics is hosted by Cambridge Mathematics. The project was originally funded by a grant from the UK Department for Education to provide free web-based resources that support the teaching and learning of post-16 mathematics.

There are notes on the parts of the STEP specification not included in the prescribed DfE content for A level Maths and Further Maths on This Page.

The separate files contain the following topics:

  • Algebra notes: manipulation, surds, quadratic equations, inequalities, polynomials, rational functions, logarithms, binomial expansions
  • Coordinate Geometry notes: coordinate systems, straight line geometry, the equation of a circle
  • Introduction to Calculus notes: gradients of curves, stationary points, tangents and normals, are under curves, improper and infinite integrals

More topics notes will be published later this year.

Algebra Notes: 
Coordinate Geometry Notes: 
Introduction to Calculus Notes: 

Useful Links

Underground Mathematics: Selected worked STEP questions

STEP Question database

University of Cambridge Mathematics Faculty: What do we look for?

University of Cambridge Mathematics Faculty: Information about STEP

University of Cambridge Admissions Office: Undergraduate course information for Mathematics

Stephen Siklos' "Advanced Problems in Mathematics" book (external link)

MEI: Worked solutions to STEP questions (external link)

OCR: Exam board information about STEP (external link)

AMSP (Advanced Maths Support programme): Support for University Admission Tests (external link)