Cambridge A Level Mathematics

Component-based qualification

* Candidates sit one of the components marked with an asterisk, not all of them.

† At AS Level, candidates sit one of the components marked with a dagger, not all of them.

Source: official Cambridge specification, verified 2026-09-17. A genuinely route-based specification, per the official PDF's "Structure of AS Level and A Level Mathematics" table (Syllabus overview, pp.14-16) and Assessment overview (p.14, re-read 2026-09-17 for the AS weightings below). Full A Level is always Paper 1 + Paper 3 (both compulsory, 30%+30%=60%) + Paper 5 Probability & Statistics 1 (compulsory, 20%) + EITHER Paper 4 Mechanics OR Paper 6 Probability & Statistics 2 (each 20%, mutually exclusive – Paper 6 cannot be combined with Paper 4 because it depends on Paper 5 content) – shown here as alternatives, so the total is exactly 100%. Paper 2 Pure Mathematics 2 does NOT count toward the A Level at all (shown here with a weighting of 0%) – it exists only for the separate standalone "AS Level, Pure Mathematics only" route (Paper 1 + Paper 2), "Offered only as part of AS Level" (p.14). AS Level is instead Paper 1 (60% of the AS Level) + ONE of {Paper 2, Paper 4, Paper 5} (each 40% of the AS Level; only Papers 1+4 or 1+5 can be carried forward as the first stage of a staged A Level) – the AS weightings and alternatives are shown separately, so an AS route also sums to exactly 100%. Paper 3 and Paper 6 carry no AS weighting: Paper 3 is "Compulsory for A Level" only (not offered at AS at all) and Paper 6 is "Offered only as part of A Level" (p.15) – neither has any AS-route figure to show. Durations/marks per paper (all externally assessed written exams): Paper 1 1h50/75 marks, Paper 2 1h15/50 marks, Paper 3 1h50/75 marks, Papers 4-6 each 1h15/50 marks. Examination-series window 2026-2027 (June, November, and March-in-India series); no separate first-teaching date published.