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 two of them — Maths and Combined Science — and joins each one to the ideas it depends on, all the way back to Year 7.
Which specifications
The map was written against two AQA specifications: GCSE Mathematics (8300) and GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy (8464). Every GCSE topic carries the section 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.
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, in the sciences a topic examined on Paper 1 is placed in Year 10 and a topic examined on Paper 2 in Year 11; in Maths, a 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
Four so far: Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The three sciences follow Combined Science, not the separate GCSEs in each science. English, History and Geography are not mapped at GCSE yet; on this page they stop at Year 9.
Foundation and Higher
Some GCSE content is examined on the Higher tier only. Each topic 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.
EVERY LINK SAYS WHY
Where GCSE begins
Very little at GCSE starts from nothing. 522 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
Every GCSE topic here has flashcards
The GCSE decks are written against the same two specifications, topic by topic. 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.
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 in Mathematics and Combined Science for Years 10 and 11, 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) and AQA GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy (8464). AQA has not reviewed or approved it. If your child’s school uses a different board, the section references on this map will not match their specification.
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, science 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 and Physics so far. The sciences follow Combined Science: Trilogy, not the three separate science GCSEs. English, History and Geography are not mapped at GCSE yet.
How do I see whether a topic is Foundation or Higher?
Open any GCSE 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.
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?
Yes. There are free GCSE flashcard decks for AQA Maths and Combined Science on the flashcards page, and a signed-in child finds them in their Atlas under Year 10 and Year 11.
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) and GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy (8464), then checked by script that every section is covered and by re-reading a sample against the specification. 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.