Wales · WJEC GCSE · Years 10 and 11

GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy help, Wales

Until September 2025, many pupils in Wales took two maths GCSEs: Mathematics and Mathematics-Numeracy. From September 2025 they take one, a double award called GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy, which is graded as two GCSEs on a scale from A*A* down to GG. Qualifications Wales describes it simply: "we are replacing the existing mathematics and mathematics-numeracy GCSEs with one GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy qualification". The most striking change is inside it. One of the three units is devoted to money: payslips, income tax and National Insurance, mortgages, interest rates, bills, exchange rates. The first units were available in summer 2026, and the first full results arrive in November 2026. This page explains the structure, the finance paper, the new tiering rules, and how to prepare.

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Live teaching since 2020 · 10,000+ students · From WJEC's specification and FAQs, and Qualifications Wales

In short

WJEC's GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy (Double Award), first taught in September 2025, replaces the separate Mathematics and Mathematics-Numeracy GCSEs in Wales. It is graded as a double award, from A*A* to GG, and assessed entirely by three written exams: Unit 1, Financial Mathematics and Other Applications of Numeracy, calculator allowed, 30 per cent; Unit 2, non-calculator, 30 per cent; and Unit 3, calculator allowed, 40 per cent. Each unit has a Higher tier (A* to D) and a Foundation tier (C to G), and pupils can sit different tiers for different units. Units 1 and 2 were first available in summer 2026; Unit 3 is first available in November 2026, when the first full awards are made. Modern Age Coders teaches the whole course live, with particular care on the finance content, payslips, tax, AER and APR, mortgages and bills, which is unfamiliar territory for many pupils. Lessons are in English. The first lesson is free, then USD 100 a month in a group or USD 150 one to one.

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Three courses for Mathematics and Numeracy

GCSE content, the finance unit, and broader practice. We teach the WJEC specification through courses written for more than one curriculum.

GCSE Maths course thumbnail

MN / 01

GCSE Mathematics

Number, algebra, geometry and statistics at both tiers, the core of Units 2 and 3.

Open the syllabus →
Business & Finance Mathematics course thumbnail

MN / 02

Business and Finance Mathematics

Pitched at older learners, but covers interest, loans, mortgages, VAT and budgeting, much of Unit 1.

Open the syllabus →
IGCSE Maths course thumbnail

MN / 03

IGCSE Mathematics

Extra depth in surds, algebra and trigonometry for Higher-tier pupils.

Open the syllabus →

One GCSE, two grades

One qualification, graded as two

From the WJEC specification, version 5, September 2025, and Qualifications Wales.

The three units
UnitCalculatorHigher tierFoundation tierWeight
1. Financial Mathematics and Other Applications of NumeracyAllowed1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks1 hour 30 minutes, 65 marks30 per cent
2. Non-calculatorNot allowed1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks1 hour 30 minutes, 65 marks30 per cent
3. Calculator-allowedAllowed2 hours, 90 marks1 hour 45 minutes, 75 marks40 per cent

Because it replaces two GCSEs, it is graded as a double award, on an eight-grade scale from A*A* down to GG, with results below that reported as U. There is no single-award option: WJEC's FAQs state plainly, "There is no Single Award GCSE for Mathematics." And there is no coursework either. Qualifications Wales notes that, "unlike most other GCSEs, it does not include non-examination assessment", which is one reason the exams are split into units that can be sat before the end of Year 11.

What changed from the old pair

One qualification instead of two, and less assessment overall than taking both old GCSEs, according to Qualifications Wales.

Content that mostly mirrors the old GCSEs, with some modern additions such as infographics alongside the usual charts and graphs.

What stayed the same

Tiering: pupils still sit Higher or Foundation papers, now with only those two tiers and no intermediate tier.

Written exams only, sat in the familiar summer series, now with a November series as well.

Source: WJEC GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy (Double Award) specification and FAQs, and the Qualifications Wales blog of 21 February 2025 explaining the new double award.

The finance paper

A whole paper on money

Unit 1 is set in personal and real-world contexts, and much of it is personal finance.

The specification says Unit 1 questions "will be set in personal and other real-world contexts", with a calculator allowed. Its section on personal and household finance and enterprise lists what pupils should be able to work with, and it reads like a first year of adult life.

Personal and household finance in the specification
AreaIncludes
EarningWages and salaries, including payslips; income tax and National Insurance
Saving and borrowingSavings and investments, loans and repayments, mortgages, finance schemes including buying by instalments
InterestSimple and compound interest with multipliers, calculations with multiple rates, AER and APR to compare products
Running a homeBudgeting, bank statements, utility bills, mobile phone and other bills
Shopping and sellingVAT, value-for-money comparisons, price comparison, discounts and price increases, buying and selling, profit and loss
Value over timeAppreciation and depreciation
TravelForeign currencies, exchange rates and commission

Mortgages, sensibly

WJEC's FAQs say pupils should be able to "compare mortgage products or determine the required deposit amount", and that harder information, such as monthly payments, will be provided in the question.

Tax, not this year's rates

Tax questions may use pounds alongside other currencies, and the FAQs warn that "tax rates may not match current UK rates". Pupils must apply the rates given, not the ones they remember.

New vocabulary

AER, APR, National Insurance, commission: most fifteen-year-olds have never needed these words. WJEC promises glossaries, and unfamiliar terms in questions will be explained.

This is where many able mathematicians are caught out. The mathematics in Unit 1 is rarely hard; percentages, multipliers and proportion. What is new is reading a payslip, a bank statement or a tariff table quickly and knowing which numbers matter. That is a skill built by working with real-looking documents, not by more algebra.

Tiers and timing

Mixed tiers, and exams twice a year

Two changes that give schools more flexibility, and give families more decisions to understand.

When each unit is available
UnitFirst availableThen
Unit 1Summer 2026Every November and summer series
Unit 2Summer 2026Every November and summer series
Unit 3November 2026Every November and summer series
Full qualificationFirst awarded November 2026Awarded in November and summer

Mixed tiers

Pupils can sit different tiers for different units: Higher for the finance paper and Foundation for the non-calculator paper, for example. Raw marks are converted to a uniform mark scale for each unit, and those are added together to give the overall grade.

Qualifications Wales explains that the new Foundation tier also fixes an old frustration: "learners should be able to obtain a Grade C on the Foundation tier (which is not currently the case)".

The last of the old GCSEs

Pupils still finishing the old Mathematics or Mathematics-Numeracy GCSEs have resit opportunities in the transition. WJEC has moved the legacy Mathematics-Numeracy November 2026 series to January 2027.

A family unsure which qualification a child is on should check with the school before booking any resit preparation.

Because the first full awards are made in November 2026, there is not yet an examiners' report on the new units. We will revise this page when WJEC publishes one. Until then, the specification, the sample assessment materials and the FAQs are the only primary guidance, and they are what we teach from.

Preparing

How to prepare for three different papers

Each unit asks for something different, so preparation should differ too.

What each unit rewards
UnitWhat it rewardsHow to practise
1. FinanceReading real-world documents and applying percentages and rates accuratelyPayslips, bills, statements and tariff tables, worked with a calculator
2. Non-calculatorNumber, algebra, geometry and probability without a calculator, including context-free questionsShort daily non-calculator practice, fractions, surds and algebra by hand
3. CalculatorNumber, geometry, measures and algebra that need a calculator, plus statistics, in mixed contextsMixed questions across the whole specification, with efficient calculator use

The specification asks pupils to be aware that "premature rounding in problems involving multiple steps may affect the accuracy of the final answer", which matters most in the finance paper, where interest and tax calculations run over several steps. Keeping full calculator values until the end is a habit worth building from the first lesson.

What we do

Teach the full content at the tier each unit needs, with finance lessons built around realistic payslips, bills and product comparisons.

Keep non-calculator skills in daily practice for Unit 2, and cover Unit 3's statistics and calculator geometry thoroughly.

What we will not claim

Knowledge of how the first papers will be marked. The first examiners' report has not been published, and we will not guess at it.

A course written only for this qualification, or a grade. We teach the WJEC specification through broader courses, in English.

For computing in Wales, see the WJEC Computer Science page and the Digital Technology page; the Wales page sets out the wider system.

Progression

Four rungs through Years 10 and 11

Placement follows what a pupil can do without help, unit by unit, since tiers can differ.

What a Mathematics and Numeracy candidate should be able to do
RungWhenWhat should be true
1. Number fluencyEarly Year 10Fractions, percentages, ratio and multipliers by hand and on a calculator
2. MoneyYear 10Payslips, tax, bills, interest, AER and APR read and calculated accurately
3. Algebra and geometryYear 10 into Year 11Equations, graphs, trigonometry, probability and geometry at the right tier
4. Paper by paperBefore each seriesEach unit practised in its own style, with no premature rounding

Rung two is new for everyone

Few pupils have handled a payslip or compared APRs. A few weeks of realistic documents transforms Unit 1.

The wider order of topics is on the coding roadmap for pupils who code too.

Rung four repeats

With November and summer series, a pupil may sit units at different times. We plan back from each date.

Lessons lighten before each series and pick up after it.

The catalogue

Nine courses for Welsh GCSE pupils

Sorted by unit and purpose. The free lesson chooses the starting point.

I

Core GCSE content

Units 2 and 3

UK / MN1 / 02

IGCSE mathematics

Extra stretch for Higher-tier pupils.

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UK / MN1 / 03

Lower secondary maths

Foundations rebuilt for pupils who are behind.

Open the syllabus
II

Money and data

Unit 1 and statistics

UK / MN2 / 01

Business and finance maths

Interest, loans, mortgages and budgeting.

Open the syllabus

UK / MN2 / 02

Statistics and probability

Charts, averages and probability explained clearly.

Open the syllabus

UK / MN2 / 03

Maths for data

Reading infographics and real data with confidence.

Open the syllabus
III

Beyond the GCSE

For confident pupils

UK / MN3 / 01

A level maths

For pupils heading to AS and A level mathematics.

Open the syllabus

UK / MN3 / 02

Competition mathematics

Problem solving for those who enjoy a challenge.

Open the syllabus

UK / MN3 / 03

Maths through coding

Mathematics explored by writing programs.

Open the syllabus

How lessons work

Three papers, three kinds of practice

Our teachers are in India, which keeps the same clock all year, so Wales is four and a half hours behind in summer and five and a half in winter. Lessons are booked in UK time.

After school

The usual time for Years 10 and 11.

Evening

Around clubs, sport or a part-time job.

Weekend

Space for a full paper and its review.

Real documents

Payslips, bills and bank statements used in finance lessons, so Unit 1 contexts feel familiar.

Rates as given

Tax and interest worked from the rates in the question, never from memory.

By hand for Unit 2

Non-calculator number and algebra practised every week.

Whole course for Unit 3

Statistics, geometry and measures covered in full, not left to the end.

Tier by unit

Each unit taught at the tier the school has chosen for it.

Small groups

Five to ten pupils at one rung, comparing methods.

Student work

Projects from our students' classes

Four projects from lessons, none of them assessed. More in student labs.

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An AI nutrition coach that reads what you eat and works you toward a target.

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Misti AI chatbot for maths and coding screenshot

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Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

by Harshit · Open it

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GuardianX

An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

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A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

by Krish

Fees

Fees for GCSE maths lessons

Charged monthly in US dollars, at the single rate every family outside India pays. A first lesson costs nothing, and billing only starts once you have picked a course and a weekly slot.

Free first class

USD 0

no card required

  • A lesson on real WJEC-style questions
  • A view on the right tier for each unit
  • A phone number is enough
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Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

  • Five to ten pupils on one rung
  • The same teacher across the course
  • Finance and non-calculator work weekly
  • Fewer lessons near each series
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One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

  • A teacher for one pupil
  • Planned around mixed tiers and dates
  • Suits a pupil resitting a unit
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Questions about GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy

What families in Wales ask

What is GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy?

A WJEC double award GCSE, first taught in September 2025, that replaces the separate Mathematics and Mathematics-Numeracy GCSEs in Wales. It is assessed by three written exams.

How is it graded?

As a double award, on an eight-grade scale from A*A* down to GG. Results below the minimum are reported as U.

What is on the finance paper?

Unit 1 covers personal and household finance: payslips, income tax and National Insurance, savings, loans and mortgages, interest including AER and APR, bills, VAT, value-for-money comparisons, exchange rates and more, with a calculator.

Can my child take different tiers?

Yes. Each unit has a Higher tier, A* to D, and a Foundation tier, C to G, and pupils can be entered at different tiers across the three units.

Can a Foundation pupil get a C?

Yes. Qualifications Wales changed the tiering so that a Grade C is available on the Foundation tier, which was not the case before.

When are the exams?

Units 1 and 2 were first available in summer 2026 and Unit 3 in November 2026. After that, all three are available every November and summer, and the first full awards are made in November 2026.

Is there a single award?

No. WJEC states that there is no Single Award GCSE for Mathematics. Pupils not ready for the double award may follow an Entry Level route instead.

Is there coursework?

No. It is assessed entirely by written exams, unlike most other GCSEs, which is one reason it is split into units.

Do you teach in Welsh?

No. Our lessons are in English. WJEC publishes its papers in both languages, and Welsh-medium pupils are welcome, but will learn the terms in English.

What does it cost?

Your first lesson is free. Regular lessons are then one monthly fee in US dollars, lower for a group place than for one to one, shown in the fees section, and we never charge in advance.

Elsewhere on this site

Other pages for families in Wales

Computing in Wales, the wider system, and maths beyond the GCSE.

WJEC GCSE Computer Science

The Unit 2 exam that hands pupils a program they did not write.

WJEC GCSE Digital Technology

The computing GCSE that is mostly made in school.

Coding and AI classes in Wales

The Welsh system from primary school up.

Maths olympiad training

For pupils who want harder problems.

UKMT Kangaroo rounds

Competition practice open to pupils across the UK.

Coding classes in the UK

The UK hub, linking every page.

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Book a free first lesson

Leave a number and we will phone at a UK time that suits you. The lesson includes a short finance task and ends with a view on tiers.

Prefer to read first? Every course page sets out its content, how we teach says who our method suits, and student labs shows real student work.

WhatsApp us · +91 91233 66161 · contact@modernagecoders.com

WhatsApp is quickest and free from a UK mobile. It reaches our office in India, so look for a number starting +91.

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