Higher Maths Paper 1: preparing for the non-calculator paper

Paper 1 is 1 hour 15 minutes, 55 marks, with no calculator. Any skill in the course can appear, so exact trigonometric values, surds, fractions and clean algebra carry the marks.

Time	1 hour 15 minutes
Marks	55 of the 120
Calculator	Not allowed
Questions	Short-answer and extended-response, all compulsory

Have these ready by hand

Exact values of sin, cos and tan for 0, 30, 45, 60 and 90 degrees and their radian forms, and related angles in each quadrant.
The factor theorem with synthetic division, and solving quadratics by factorising or the formula with surds left exact.
Laws of logarithms and indices, so that expressions such as log 8 + log 2 - log 4 simplify without a calculator.

Show the working

Marks are given for each stage of working, so write one step a line and keep exact values until the end. A bare answer can lose the method marks even when it is right.

Try 2 questions

Question 1Paper 1 style · no calculator

The angle

x

is acute and

\sin x

= \frac{1}{3}

. Find the exact value of

\sin 2x

Question 2Paper 1 style · no calculator

Evaluate

\log_2 48 - \log_2 3

Next step

Take the free test Start the trigonometric formulae lesson

Questions people ask

Which topics can be on Paper 1?

Any skill in the course. Questions are set so the arithmetic can be done by hand.

Do I need exact values?

Yes. Questions often ask for an exact value, which means a surd, a fraction or a multiple of π, not a rounded decimal.