Edexcel International A Level (IAL) Mathematics (WMA11–WMA14) Past Papers 2026

Pure Mathematics 1 (WMA11)

Duration: 1h 30m

Pure Mathematics 2 (WMA12)

Duration: 1h 30m

Pure Mathematics 3 (WMA13)

Duration: 1h 30m

Pure Mathematics 4 (WMA14)

Duration: 1h 30m

Proof (by contradiction, by exhaustion, disproof by counter-example)

WMA12 June 2023 explicitly: 'Proof again seemed to be a particular area that candidates struggled with on this paper.' WMA12 June 2024: 'proof continues to confound the majority of candidates' and 'This proof question proved to be challenging for many students and very few were able to gain more than 3 out of 6 marks.' WMA14 2024 part (b) on disproof was 'discriminating at the very highest grades'.

P2, P4

Vectors in 3D — perpendicularity, reflection, area of triangle, shortest distance

WMA14 June 2023: 'Questions on vectors tend to be very discriminating' and parts (c) and (d) 'were often omitted and/or incorrect'. WMA14 June 2024: 'A score of 1, 0, 1 was common when candidates assumed they could just write down a given answer.' Common errors include using OC instead of PC for perpendicularity, and wrong direction for reflections.

P4

Calculus in context — modelling questions on rates of change, related rates, exponential decay, segment areas

WMA12 June 2023: 'the question on calculus in context was an area that candidates really struggled to demonstrate that they understand the techniques they are applying.' WMA14 June 2024 on related rates: 'Candidates struggled with the area of the segment, even though it is a WMA11 topic. Many only found the area of the sector or the triangle and guessed the value for K.'

P2, P4

Trigonometric equations with composite arguments (2x, kx + α)

WMA12 June 2023 Q9: 'A lot of candidates failed to find an angle for x as they had not appreciated that they needed to divide their value(s) by 2. Many who achieved x = 48.2 and x = 311.8 as their answer lost 3 marks.' WMA13 June 2024 Q4(c)(ii) on 'second smallest value': 'Most, however, set 2x+α = π/2 or 3π/2 with x = 0.5536 being the most common incorrect answer.'

P2, P3

Functions — inverse, composite, range and domain after a composition

WMA13 June 2024 Q5: 'this task to the range of g they had found duing part (c) and considered what results came from the fraction = 0 and/or 3. Even among those who used 3, and found the value 2 + 5ln3, most still gave this as one end with 2 or 0 often given as the other end. Fully correct responses to this part were very rare.' WMA13 June 2023 also flagged f(|x|) graph reflections as 'most challenging'.

P3

Logarithmic and exponential modelling — log–log graphs, base conversions, equating exponential models

WMA13 June 2024 Q3(i): 'sketching a log graph was challenging for many candidates with many not seeing the connection between a straight-line graph and the information given in the question. It was rare for candidates to gain all three marks with a significant number scoring zero.' WMA12 June 2024 Q10(c): 'Very few fully correct solutions were seen' on equating two exponential models with logs.

P2, P3

Indices, surds and rationalising denominators (non-calculator)

WMA11 June 2023 Q4: 'there was widespread mishandling of the conversion of the radicals.' WMA11 June 2024 Q2: 'A significant number of candidates did not show the working for rationalising the denominator and hence lost the final two marks.' WMA12 June 2024 Q3 on logarithm laws also showed many candidates writing log(2−x) = log2 − log x.

P1, P2

Iterative root-finding and the continuity statement

WMA13 June 2023 Q1: 'lack of reference to continuity in (a) being the primary culprit for the loss of a mark.' Many candidates correctly evaluated g(3) and g(4) and noted the sign change but failed to state that g is continuous on the interval, losing one mark on a routine question.

P3