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Systematic listing counts the number of possible outcomes or combinations by listing them in an organised way, avoiding repeats or omissions — the basis of the product rule for counting. It's a core topic in GCSE and iGCSE Maths with Edexcel and the other major boards. This free interactive course teaches the method with worked examples and gives instant-feedback practice questions to lock it in.
How you do it
Work through the possibilities in a fixed order rather than at random — hold the first item still and vary the second, then move the first item on. That way you can see you have them all and none are repeated.
Before you start
It draws heavily on basic counting. It sets up the product rule and probability.
What you learn
When a question asks for all the possibilities, working systematically — in a fixed order — means you never miss one or repeat one. The secret is to work in a fixed order so nothing is missed or repeated — just like counting up. To list combinations of two sets, take the first item from set 1 and pair it with every item from set 2, then move on. Once you trust the pattern, you don’t need to list every case — just multiply the number of choices at each stage. The course works through listing in order, listing combinations and counting by multiplying. Every section has instant-feedback practice questions matched to Edexcel iGCSE 4MA1 and the other major GCSE boards, and the course finishes with full exam-style questions you mark yourself.
Related Topics
In our GCSE maths courses, Systematic Listing belongs to Number and is met in Foundation tier. The course is built from 3 concept sections, 2 worked examples and 3 check points before the exam-style set. Nearby topics in the same strand are Upper & Lower Bounds, Approximation, Compound Growth & Decay and Compound Interest & Decay. Endless extra practice on this strand is available on the Number revision engine, which generates a fresh question each time.
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