Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Mathematics (Specification A) · 4MA1 · Free · no account needed
Algebraic Fractions — exam questions
10 original Incandio exam-style questions on Algebraic Fractions, 24 marks, about 29 minutes of writing. Each one carries the command word, the tariff and the specification statement it assesses, exactly as a paper presents them. This is an original Incandio practice question, written to reflect the structure and demands of the qualification. It is not an official Pearson Edexcel past-paper question.
This is the practice set for Algebraic Fractions — the module that teaches it. Read the module first if the idea is new; come here when you want to find out whether you can turn it into marks. Completely free, no account needed to read.
What these questions ask of you
5 command words run through this set, and on Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Mathematics A each one means something precise. Answering the wrong command is the commonest way a candidate who understands the module still loses the mark.
- Simplify (1–3 marks)
- an equivalent expression in its simplest form
- Explain why (1–2 marks)
- one short justification — mathematics almost never asks for extended explanation
- Show that (2–5 marks)
- every step of a derivation to a value that is already printed in the question Misread as: stating the printed answer again instead of deriving it
- Solve (1–4 marks)
- the value(s) of the unknown that satisfy the equation
- Find (1–5 marks)
- a value or expression obtained by a method the learner chooses
Assessed on Paper 1 and Paper 2.
Where these sit in the specification
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Mathematics A (4MA1) — statement 2.2. Incandio is aligned to this specification; it is not published by, endorsed by or affiliated with Pearson, and it reproduces none of Pearson's wording.
The 10 questions
Answer them on paper, then open the module's exam practice to have them marked. The mark scheme, the accepted and rejected answers and the annotated model answer are in Incandio and are not printed here — an answer beside its question is not practice.
-
(1)Simplify
Simplify 10a³ ÷ 2a.
(Total for Question 1 = 1 mark)
-
(2)Simplify
Simplify (x² + 3x)/(x + 3).
(Total for Question 2 = 2 marks)
-
(2)Simplify
Simplify x/4 + x/6.
(Total for Question 3 = 2 marks)
-
(1)Explain why
Explain why the x terms in (x + 2)/(x + 5) cannot be cancelled.
(Total for Question 4 = 1 mark)
-
(2)Simplify
Simplify 3a/4 × 8/(9a²).
(Total for Question 5 = 2 marks)
-
(3)Simplify
Simplify (x² − 9)/(x² + 7x + 12).
(Total for Question 6 = 3 marks)
-
(3)Simplify
Simplify 3/(x − 1) + 2/(x + 4), giving your answer as a single fraction.
(Total for Question 7 = 3 marks)
-
(3)Show that
Show that (2x² + x − 6)/(x + 2) simplifies to 2x − 3.
(Total for Question 8 = 3 marks)
-
(3)Solve
Solve (x + 1)/3 − (x − 2)/4 = 2.
(Total for Question 9 = 3 marks)
-
(4)Find
Find the simplest form of (x² − 4)/(x² − x − 6), and find the value of x for which the original expression has no value.
(Total for Question 10 = 4 marks)
Have them marked, then defend the answer
Practice tells you the mark; teaching it back tells you whether you understand it. On Incandio a topic counts as mastered only once you have taught it and defended it.
- Mark these questions — 10 questions, marked on Incandio against the authored scheme, with the mistake you actually made named.
- Teach it — explain Algebraic Fractions to Ember, an AI pupil who does not have it yet and asks the awkward question.
- Defend it — argue it against François Viète over three rounds, marked against descriptors you can read first.
Completely free. No subscriptions, no paywalls, no account needed to start.
Back to the module
- Algebraic Fractions — Simplifying, combining and solving with fractions whose parts are algebra — factorise first, and they behave exactly like number fractions. Higher Tier.
- All of Incandio Mathematics · Incandio Exam Practice