GCSE Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield GCSE facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What does ASCII stand for? → American Standard Code for Information Interchange
2. In electrolysis of a molten ionic compound, which electrode do positive ions migrate to? → The cathode (negative electrode)
3. What is the half-life of a radioactive substance? → The time for half of the radioactive nuclei in a sample to decay
4. What does the term 'tone' refer to in a piece of writing? → The writer's attitude or feeling conveyed through word choice
5. What is the formula for calculating the number of moles of a substance? → Moles = mass ÷ Mr
6. What is a 'writer's method'? → A technique or choice the writer makes to achieve a specific effect on the reader
7. What is the difference between speed and velocity? → Speed is a scalar (magnitude only); velocity is a vector (magnitude and direction)
8. What is 40% written as a fraction in its simplest form? → 2/5
9. What is the purpose of a check digit? → To detect errors in data entry or transmission
10. What caused the Great Depression of the 1930s? → The Wall Street Crash of 1929, which caused a global economic collapse
11. Write 0.000325 in standard form. → 3.25 × 10⁻⁴
12. Calculate the compound interest on £2,000 at 5% per year for 2 years. → £210.50
13. Which layer of the TCP/IP model is responsible for routing data packets across networks? → Internet layer
14. What does HTTP stand for? → HyperText Transfer Protocol
15. Simplify the expression 3x + 5y - 2x + 4y. → x + 9y
16. What is a 'semantic field'? → A group of words linked by a common theme or topic
17. In AQA GCSE English Language Paper 1, Question 2, what skill is primarily being assessed? → Analysing the effects of language
18. What is direct proportion? → As one quantity increases, the other increases at the same rate, so y = kx
19. What does the pH scale measure? → The acidity or alkalinity of a solution (1 = strong acid, 7 = neutral, 14 = strong alkali)
20. What is the gradient of a line segment from (1, 2) to (4, 8)? → 2
21. What is the relationship between the wavelength and frequency of a wave? → As wavelength increases, frequency decreases
22. What does 'selection' refer to in programming? → Making decisions using conditions such as IF statements
23. In genetics, what does the term 'heterozygous' mean? → Having two different alleles for a gene
24. What does the term 'pixel' stand for? → Picture element
25. What is the result of the binary addition 1011 + 0101? → 10000
26. What is 'pathetic fallacy'? → Using the weather or environment to reflect or enhance a character's emotions
27. Which event is considered the immediate trigger for the start of World War I? → The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo
28. What is the purpose of a topic sentence in an analytical paragraph? → To clearly state the main point of the paragraph
29. Factorise: x² + 5x + 6 → (x + 2)(x + 3)
30. What is the area of a trapezium with parallel sides of 6 cm and 10 cm, and a height of 4 cm? → 32 cm²