GCSE Maths Calculator Guide: Models, Skills and Worked Answers

Which GCSE Maths papers let you use a calculator, which calculators are allowed, and the keys worth practising before the exam. The calculator below is loaded with a calculator-paper question, so you can see it working first.

It is set to degrees, as GCSE trigonometry needs. Type your own expression or use the keys.

Which papers allow a calculator

Each board sets three papers per tier, and each paper carries one third of the marks, so two thirds of your marks come from calculator papers. The boards number and mark them differently, as the chart shows.

Blue papers allow a calculator. From the AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications.

AQA (8300): three papers, each 1 hour 30 minutes and 80 marks. Paper 1 is non-calculator; Papers 2 and 3 allow a calculator. Foundation and Higher follow the same pattern.
Edexcel (1MA1): Paper 1 is non-calculator and a calculator is allowed for Papers 2 and 3. Each paper is 1 hour 30 minutes and 80 marks.
OCR (J560): Foundation Papers 1 and 3 and Higher Papers 4 and 6 allow a calculator; Foundation Paper 2 and Higher Paper 5 do not. Each paper is 1 hour 30 minutes and 100 marks.

Do not use a calculator on a non-calculator paper. Check your board's specification for your own papers.

What calculators are allowed

The JCQ rules for exams say that, during an examination, a calculator must not be able to offer any of these facilities:

language translation
symbolic algebra manipulation
symbolic differentiation or integration
communication with other machines or the internet

A calculator must also not give access to information stored before the exam, which includes mathematical formulae and text. A computer algebra system (CAS) offers symbolic algebra, so a CAS calculator is not allowed as it stands. The JCQ rules add that some calculators have an “exam mode”, which is acceptable where the mode is activated and makes the calculator meet the rules above.

OCR's specification allows “a scientific or graphical calculator” on its calculator papers. A scientific calculator is what most students use.

Casio models

Casio's examination leaflet lists these as permitted:

fx-83GT CW and fx-85GT CW: “permitted in all UK, Irish and IB Diploma examinations”. The fx-85GT CW adds a built-in solar cell to a battery; the fx-83GT CW runs on a battery. Both have a number table, prime factorisation, statistics and ratio calculations.
fx-991CW and fx-991EX: “permitted in all UK examinations”. The leaflet notes that the fx-991EX has been discontinued. The fx-991EX has a spreadsheet and can display QR codes.

Key skills for the calculator papers

1. Fractions

Enter a fraction with the fraction key, and check your model's manual for how to switch an answer between fraction and decimal form. Here is a sum to try:

\begin{aligned} \frac{3}{4} + \frac{2}{5} &= \frac{15}{20} + \frac{8}{20} \\ &= \frac{23}{20} = 1\frac{3}{20} \end{aligned}

Cut both fractions into twentieths: 15 twentieths plus 8 twentieths is 23 twentieths, one whole and 3 twentieths more.

2. The ANS key

ANS holds the result of your last calculation, which helps in multi-step problems. For example:

\frac{4.7 \times 3.2}{1.8 + 2.6}

Work out the top first (15.04), then divide it by the bottom with ANS ÷ (1.8 + 2.6). The calculator at the top gives 3.41818181818.

3. Powers and roots

\begin{aligned} \sqrt{144} &= 12 \\ \sqrt[3]{27} &= 3 \\ 5^3 &= 125 \end{aligned}

4. Trigonometry in degrees

Check the calculator is in degree mode before a trigonometry question:

\begin{aligned} \sin(30°) &= 0.5 \\ \cos(60°) &= 0.5 \\ \tan(45°) &= 1 \end{aligned}

In degree mode sin(30) is 0.5. In radian mode the same keys give -0.988, because 30 is read as 30 radians.

5. Standard form

Use the key that enters ×10 to a power (EXP or ×10^x, depending on the model):

\begin{aligned} &(3.2 \times 10^5) \\ \times\, &(4.1 \times 10^{-3}) \\ =\, &1312 = 1.312 \times 10^3 \end{aligned}

6. Compound growth

Growth and decay questions use a power, such as $5000 \times 1.035^{10}$ . The calculator gives 7052.9938.

The value of 5000 at 3.5% a year, each year for 10 years. Each bar is the one before multiplied by 1.035.

Common calculator mistakes

Forgetting brackets

For a fraction such as $\frac{a + b}{c + d}$ , put brackets around both the top and the bottom. The calculator follows BIDMAS, so a + b ÷ c + d divides first.

The same numbers keyed in two ways. With brackets the answer is 4.6303; without them the calculator divides first and the answer is 41.58.

The wrong angle mode

If the calculator is in radians, trigonometry answers are wrong: $\sin(30)$ is 0.5 in degrees and -0.988 in radians. Check the mode indicator before a trigonometry question.

Rounding and copying

When a question says to give the answer to 3 significant figures or 1 decimal place, write down the full calculator display first, then round it. Check each digit when you copy it to the answer line.

Answers to the examples in this guide

Key each one in yourself and check the display matches.

Calculation	Answer
(4.7 × 3.2) ÷ (1.8 + 2.6)	3.4182 (the top is 15.04)
(5.3² + 7.1) ÷ (2 × 3.8)	4.6303
5000 × 1.035¹⁰	7052.9938
3.2 × 10⁵ × 4.1 × 10⁻³	1312
sin(30) in degrees, then in radians	0.5, then -0.988

For the fraction sum, try the Fraction Calculator; for percentages, the Percentage Calculator; for practice with the keys, the GCSE Maths Calculator.

Exam-day checklist

Fresh batteries, or a solar model in good light
Degree mode on
Nothing stored on it: a calculator must not give access to stored formulae or text
A spare calculator if you can
You know where the fraction, power, root, trig and ANS keys are
You have practised with this model

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a graphing calculator for GCSE Maths?

OCR's specification allows “a scientific or graphical calculator” on its calculator papers, as long as it meets the JCQ rules above. Most students use a scientific calculator.

Do I need to show my working on a calculator paper?

Yes. OCR's specification says learners are expected to support their answers with appropriate working. Write down the calculation you did, not just the final answer.

Is the Casio fx-991EX allowed?

Casio's leaflet lists the fx-991CW and fx-991EX as permitted in all UK examinations, and says the fx-991EX has been discontinued.