DfE statement N9 · Number

Standard form

Q: Is standard form on Foundation or Higher?

Both. It is Foundation content, so it can be asked on either tier.

Q: Can I use a calculator for standard form?

It depends on the paper. Paper 1 is non-calculator; Papers 2 and 3 allow one, and this topic is asked on both kinds.

Q: What is the single most common mistake here?

Writing A outside the required range, as in 43 × 10² or 0.62 × 10⁻³. A must be at least 1 and less than 10.

Q: Are these past paper questions?

No. Every question is original, written to this DfE content statement and checked before publication. We do not host past papers or mark schemes.

Both tiersEither paper

Standard form is content statement N9 of the DfE GCSE mathematics subject content, in the number area. It is on both tiers, and it appears on both the calculator and the non-calculator papers. Below is what the specification actually requires, the 3 mistakes that cost marks on this topic most often, and practice questions written to the statement — original questions, not past papers.

What the specification says

The DfE subject content for GCSE mathematics states, verbatim: "Calculate with and interpret standard form A × 10ⁿ, where 1 ≤ A < 10 and n is an integer." (statement N9). Every awarding organisation — Pearson Edexcel, AQA and OCR — must cover it, so the wording is the same whichever specification your school follows.
— Department for Education, Mathematics: GCSE subject content and assessment objectives, statement N9

Tier

Both tiers. This statement is Foundation content, which means Higher students are examined on it too — Higher is Foundation plus more, never instead of it.

Calculator

This turns up on both the non-calculator and the calculator papers, so practise it both ways — the written method for Paper 1 and the efficient calculator route for Papers 2 and 3.

Common mistakes

Writing A outside the required range, as in 43 × 10² or 0.62 × 10⁻³. A must be at least 1 and less than 10.
Getting the sign of the index backwards: small numbers take a negative index, large numbers a positive one.
Adding the indices when adding two numbers in standard form. The index law applies to multiplication, not addition — convert to ordinary numbers or match the powers first.

Sample questions (10 of 30)

N9 · Standard formQuestion 1 of 10 · 0 correct

Practice mode· no pressure · hints available

Number

Intermediate

A company's turnover is 5.6 × 10⁷ pounds, spread evenly across 3.5 × 10² shops. Work out the average turnover per shop, in standard form.

💡 Hints:

Foundation worksheet Higher worksheet Foundation number practice Higher number practice

Nearby statements

N1Ordering numbers and inequality symbols N2The four operations and place value N3Inverse operations and priority of operations N4Factors, multiples, primes, HCF and LCM N5Systematic listing and the product rule for countingpart Higher N6Powers and rootspart Higher N7Calculating with roots and indicespart Higher N8Exact calculation: fractions, surds and πpart Higher N10Fractions and decimals, including recurring decimalspart Higher N11Fractions in ratio problems N12Fractions and percentages as operators N13Standard and compound units N14Estimation and checking N15Rounding, significant figures and error intervals

Questions people ask

Is standard form on Foundation or Higher?

Both. It is Foundation content, so it can be asked on either tier.

Can I use a calculator for standard form?

It depends on the paper. Paper 1 is non-calculator; Papers 2 and 3 allow one, and this topic is asked on both kinds.

What is the single most common mistake here?

Writing A outside the required range, as in 43 × 10² or 0.62 × 10⁻³. A must be at least 1 and less than 10.

Are these past paper questions?

No. Every question is original, written to this DfE content statement and checked before publication. We do not host past papers or mark schemes.

Back to Number at Foundation or at Higher.