Bright dots are GCSE topics; the dim ones are Years 7 to 9. Switch the view above to explore the same map as a constellation.
YEARS 10 AND 11
What this map shows
GCSE courses run through Year 10 and Year 11, ages 14 to 16. This map sets out the topics in six of them — Maths, Combined Science, English Language, English Literature, Geography and History — and joins each one to the ideas it depends on, all the way back to Year 7.
Which specifications
The map was written against six AQA specifications: GCSE Mathematics (8300), GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy (8464), GCSE English Language (8700), GCSE English Literature (8702), GCSE Geography (8035) and GCSE History (8145). Every GCSE topic carries the part of the specification it was written from; open a topic to see it. This is our own reading of those specifications. AQA has not reviewed or approved the map, and no teacher has reviewed it yet.
What Year 10 and Year 11 mean here
Schools teach their GCSE courses in different orders, so the two rings are our way of laying the topics out, not a timetable. As a rule, a topic examined on Paper 1 is placed in Year 10 and a topic examined on Paper 2 in Year 11. Maths has no such split: a Maths topic is placed in Year 10 if it builds only on Years 7 to 9, and in Year 11 if it builds on another GCSE topic. Your child may meet a topic earlier or later than the map places it.
Which subjects are here
Eight: Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English Language, English Literature, Geography and History. The three sciences follow Combined Science, not the separate GCSEs in each science. English Literature begins at Year 10 on this map: it has no topics of its own in Years 7 to 9 and builds on the English topics there.
What your child’s school chooses
Part of English Literature, History and Geography is the school’s choice. A class reads one Shakespeare play, one 19th-century novel, one modern text and one cluster of poems; takes one History study from each of four groups; and follows some of Geography’s options. The map does not hold everything AQA offers. It has 4 of AQA’s 6 Shakespeare plays, 4 of its 7 nineteenth-century novels, 4 of its 12 modern texts and all 3 poetry clusters; 15 of its 16 History studies; and every Geography option. So in these subjects many topics will not apply to your child, and if the school teaches a text or study that is not here, the map has no topics for it. Each optional topic names the choice it belongs to and says how many AQA offers; open a topic to see it. The map cannot yet be set to your child’s own texts and studies.
Foundation and Higher
Maths and Combined Science are examined at two tiers, and some of their content is on the Higher tier only. Each of their topics says where it sits: Foundation and Higher, Higher only, or a mix of the two. Open a topic to see its tier beside its specification reference. English Language, English Literature, Geography and History have no tiers, so their topics show none.
EVERY LINK SAYS WHY
Where GCSE begins
Very little at GCSE starts from nothing. 1059 of the links on this map run from a GCSE topic down into Years 7 to 9 — which is why those years are drawn underneath. Three of them:
“KS3 said atoms join into molecules; a shared pair of electrons is how.”
“An enzyme is a catalyst made by a living cell.”
“A fixed resistor is recognised by a straight line through the origin.”
THE MAP, AS CARDS
Four of the six courses have flashcards
There are GCSE decks for Maths, Combined Science, English Language and Geography, written against the same four specifications as their topics here. They are free to play in the browser with no account. A child with an aitutors.me account finds the same decks in their Atlas under Year 10 and Year 11. Some Geography decks cover an option a school may not have chosen; each of those names its option in its title. English Literature and History have no GCSE flashcards yet: their topics are on the map and their cards are still to be written.
What is not here yet: GCSE tutoring. Our tutors teach Key Stage 3. The GCSE map and the GCSE flashcards are open now; GCSE tutoring is still to come.
FOR PARENTS
GCSE map questions, answered
What is the GCSE Map?
A map of the GCSE topics for Years 10 and 11 in six AQA courses — Mathematics, Combined Science, English Language, English Literature, Geography and History — each joined to the topics it builds on. It continues the KS3 Map: the same layout and the same kind of links, carried on for two more years.
Which exam board does the GCSE Map follow?
AQA. It was written against AQA GCSE Mathematics (8300), Combined Science: Trilogy (8464), English Language (8700), English Literature (8702), Geography (8035) and History (8145). AQA has not reviewed or approved it. If your child’s school uses a different board, the references on this map will not match their specification, and their set texts and history studies may differ.
Does Year 10 on the map mean my child will be taught the topic in Year 10?
Not necessarily. Schools order their GCSE courses differently. Year 10 and Year 11 on this map are our own layout: as a rule, topics examined on Paper 1 are placed in Year 10 and those on Paper 2 in Year 11, and a Maths topic is placed in Year 11 when it builds on another GCSE topic.
Which subjects does the GCSE Map cover?
Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English Language, English Literature, Geography and History. The sciences follow Combined Science: Trilogy, not the three separate science GCSEs.
Why are there so many English Literature and History topics?
Because schools choose. A class studies one Shakespeare play, one 19th-century novel, one modern text and one cluster of poems, and one History study from each of four groups. The map holds some of those choices, not all AQA offers: 4 of 6 Shakespeare plays, 4 of 7 nineteenth-century novels, 4 of 12 modern texts, all 3 poetry clusters and 15 of 16 History studies. So a child studies only part of what is drawn, and a text or study their school teaches may not be here. Each optional topic names the text, study or option it belongs to. The map cannot yet be set to one child’s choices.
How do I see whether a topic is Foundation or Higher?
Open any GCSE Maths or science topic on the map. Its card shows the tier — Foundation and Higher, Higher only, or a mix of the two — beside the specification reference it was written from. English Language, English Literature, Geography and History have no tiers.
Why are the Year 7 to 9 topics dimmed?
They are the ground GCSE stands on. Tap a GCSE topic and its trail lights up through them, showing what has to be secure first. The same topics are shown at full strength on the KS3 Map.
Are there flashcards for these GCSE topics?
For Maths, Combined Science, English Language and Geography, yes. There are free GCSE flashcard decks for those four AQA courses on the flashcards page, and a signed-in child finds them in their Atlas under Year 10 and Year 11. There are no GCSE flashcards yet for English Literature or History.
Do you offer GCSE tutoring?
Not yet. Our tutors teach Key Stage 3, Years 7 to 9. The GCSE map and the GCSE flashcards are available now; GCSE tutoring is still to come.
Drafted by AI agents from the published AQA specifications for GCSE Mathematics (8300), Combined Science: Trilogy (8464), English Language (8700), English Literature (8702), Geography (8035) and History (8145), then checked by script and by re-reading a sample against the specification. No teacher has reviewed it yet. AQA has not reviewed or approved this map and is not affiliated with aitutors.me. Year 10 and Year 11 are our placement, not a school timetable.