"Take advantage of online tools to assist with trig graphs and transformations. This is a great way to learn a challenging topic in a more interactive way."
Tutor tip
Pure 2 is the second Pure unit of the Edexcel International A-Level in Mathematics. Every topic below has exam-style questions and full worked solutions, free to download, plus interactive practice that generates unlimited new questions.
What's on Pure 2
Pure 2 covers nine topics: proof; algebraic methods including the factor theorem and algebraic division; coordinate geometry of the circle; exponentials and logarithms; the binomial expansion; sequences and series, both arithmetic and geometric; trigonometric identities and equations; and further differentiation and integration. Logarithms are the topic students find hardest, and the difficulty is usually the laws rather than the concept — splitting a log across a sum, or bringing a power down incorrectly. Almost every log question can be done if you can write the expression as a single logarithm first. Circles are the second common problem. Questions rarely ask only for the centre and radius; they ask for a tangent, a chord, or where a line meets the circle, which means completing the square and perpendicular gradients have to be secure before you start.
How Pure 2 is examined
Pure 2 is a written paper of 1 hour 30 minutes worth 75 marks, sat in the January, June or October series, counting for one sixth of the full International A-Level. Questions run in ascending difficulty and the later ones combine topics — a geometric series solved with logarithms, or a circle problem needing the factor theorem. Answers should be left exact where the question allows it. A calculator is permitted but must not do symbolic algebra or calculus.
Practise Pure 2 by topic
Algebra — factor theorem, algebraic division, proof Coordinate Geometry — circles, tangents and chords Exponentials & Logarithms Sequences & Series — arithmetic, geometric, binomial Trigonometry — identities and equations Differentiation Integration
Pure 2 questions — common questions
How long is the Pure 2 exam? 1 hour 30 minutes, worth 75 marks. Do I need Pure 1 before Pure 2? Yes in practice. Pure 2 assumes quadratics, straight lines, differentiation and integration from Pure 1, and questions frequently use them without saying so. What is the hardest topic in Pure 2? Students most often lose marks on the laws of logarithms and on circle problems that require completing the square before anything else can be done. Can I use a calculator in Pure 2? Yes, subject to the same restrictions as every unit — no symbolic algebra, calculus or stored formulae.