Cambridge A Level Maths (9709)
How to Get an A* in Cambridge A Level Maths (9709)
To get an A* in Cambridge A Level Maths (9709) you need roughly 222 to 234 out of 250, about 90%, across Paper 1, Paper 3 and your two applied papers. Get there by securing Paper 1 early, practising past papers topic by topic before timed full papers, showing every step of working and fixing the accuracy errors examiners flag.
Part of the guide Cambridge A Level Maths 9709: Papers, Routes, Grading and How to Prepare
Key takeaways
- Target 225 out of 250 (90%) in practice: June 2026's A* thresholds ran from 222 to 234.
- A* is a total, so a strong applied paper can cover a weaker pure paper.
- Practise by topic first, then full papers under exam timing: 1 h 50 min for Papers 1 and 3, 1 h 15 min for the others.
- Unsupported calculator answers score nothing: write the factorisation, the substitution and each step.
- Keep 4 significant figures in working and give 3 significant figures at the end.
An A* in 9709 is not about knowing secret topics. Every question is on the syllabus. It is about scoring around 90% across four papers without leaking marks to working and accuracy. Here is a plan built on the official thresholds and what Cambridge’s examiners say goes wrong.
How many marks do you need?
The full A Level is out of 250: Paper 1 and Paper 3 out of 75 each, and two applied papers out of 50 each. In June 2026 the A* threshold for the one-series routes was 222 to 234, depending on variant. In November 2025 it was 204 to 230. (Full tables: 9709 grade boundaries.)
Plan for 225 out of 250. One way to split it:
| Paper | Out of | A* target | Marks you can drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 75 | 68 | 7 |
| Paper 3 | 75 | 66 | 9 |
| Paper 4 or 6 | 50 | 45 | 5 |
| Paper 5 | 50 | 46 | 4 |
| Total | 250 | 225 | 25 |
That is about six to eight small slips across the whole A Level. Most students who miss an A* lose those marks to presentation and accuracy, not to topics they have never seen.
Step 1: Make Paper 1 automatic
Paper 1 is the foundation for every other paper, and it is 30% of the A Level. Quadratics, functions, coordinate geometry, trigonometry, series, differentiation and integration all come back in Paper 3. If completing the square, inverse functions or the binomial expansion still slow you down, Paper 3 will feel much harder than it is. Start with the Paper 1 guide.
Step 2: Practise by topic, then by paper
- Learn the method from your notes or a lesson.
- Do past paper questions on that topic only, until you can do them without looking anything up.
- Mark each one against the mark scheme and note why you lost each mark: method, accuracy or misreading.
- Switch to full papers under exam timing once the topics are routine: 1 hour 50 minutes for Papers 1 and 3, 1 hour 15 minutes for Papers 4, 5 and 6.
- Use the most recent series last, so you finish on papers closest to what you will sit.
Keep a mistake log. When the same kind of error shows up three times, it is a habit, not bad luck, and it needs fixing on purpose.
Step 3: Write working the way examiners mark it
Every 9709 paper says on the front that no marks are given for unsupported answers from a calculator. In the June 2024 examiner report, Cambridge spelled out what that means:
- Quadratic equations: show the factorisation, the formula with values substituted, or completing the square. Writing the roots from your calculator is not enough.
- Formulas: quoting the formula alone is not enough. Show the values going in.
- Definite integrals, gradients, intersections and sums of series that appear with little or no working are not accepted, even when correct.
- Cubic and quartic equations in Paper 3 must be factorised. Calculators are for arithmetic, standard functions, and simultaneous linear and quadratic equations.
- “Show that” questions need every step, because the answer is already given.
Step 4: Stop leaking accuracy marks
- Give non-exact answers to 3 significant figures (1 decimal place for angles in degrees) unless told otherwise.
- Keep at least 4 significant figures in your working. Examiners repeatedly report premature rounding, especially in normal distribution questions.
- When a question asks for an exact answer, a rounded decimal scores nothing for that mark.
- Check your calculator mode: degrees versus radians costs marks every series.
- Use the correct words: for transformations, “translation” with a column vector, or “stretch” with its factor and direction.
Step 5: Use MF19 and know what is not on it
MF19 is supplied in every paper. It gives you the trig identities, standard derivatives and integrals, suvat and the statistics formulas, but not the sine and cosine rules, the circle equation, log laws, the chain rule or F = ma. See what MF19 gives you and what to memorise.
Step 6: Read the examiner reports
After each series Cambridge publishes a report on how candidates answered each question. Reading the report for a paper you have just practised shows you exactly where marks are lost. The most common points are collected in 9709 common mistakes from examiner reports.
How long does it take to prepare for an A*?
- First year (AS content): Paper 1 plus your first applied paper, topic by topic. Full Paper 1 practice by the end of the year.
- Second year, first term: Paper 3 topics. Keep doing one Paper 1 a fortnight so it stays sharp.
- Last 10 to 12 weeks: full timed papers for all four components, reviewing every lost mark, finishing on the latest series.
If you would rather work through it with a teacher setting the pace, see the open batches.
Back to the Cambridge A Level Maths 9709 guide.
Frequently asked questions
- What percentage is an A* in A Level Maths 9709?
- It changes each series. In June 2026 the A* threshold was 222 to 234 out of 250 for the one-series routes, which is about 89% to 94%. In November 2025 it was 204 to 230.
- Can I get an A* if I do badly on one paper?
- Yes, because the A* is based on your total across all four papers. A weaker paper has to be balanced by near-full marks elsewhere, which leaves little room for error.
- How many past papers should I do for an A*?
- There is no magic number. Work through topic questions until each topic is routine, then do full timed papers until you are consistently above 90% on recent series, and review every lost mark against the mark scheme.
- Which 9709 paper is hardest?
- Paper 3 is usually the most demanding: it carries the newest content (complex numbers, differential equations, vectors) and its thresholds are often lower. In June 2026 an A on Paper 3 variant 1 needed 56 out of 75, against 59 on Paper 1 variant 1.
Sources
Checked against these official documents on 26 Oct 2026. Boards update them, so check the latest version before your exam.
