The best apps and tools for A-level maths revision
Dr Lavan Ganeshkumar, PhD · updated 4 October 2026
There is no single best A-level maths revision app, because maths revision is different from revising the sciences: you cannot memorise your way to a grade. You learn a method from worked examples, then do enough questions that the method becomes automatic, then learn how the marks are awarded.
Students who are stuck in maths usually either read solutions without attempting questions, or attempt questions without ever studying why a method works. Both feel like revision and neither is. The fix is worked example, then your own attempt, then marking your working, in that order.
Job 1: learning the method
Watch someone solve a problem, pause, and predict the next step. Passive watching alone does not work, so always follow a worked example with one of your own.
- Maths Genie offers free worked solutions and topic questions, widely used for A-level.
- Seneca has free A-level maths courses with questions and progress tracking.
- Cognito and SnapRevise explain topics in short chunks with quizzes afterwards.
- Trayna teaches maths example-first: the idea, a worked example, a second example, then your turn, in a short video tutorial from Dr Lavan Ganeshkumar.
Job 2: remembering formulae and results
Maths has fewer facts than chemistry but they must be instant: differentiation and integration results, trigonometric identities, series and the formulae that are not in the booklet.
- Anki and Brainscape suit short lists of identities and standard results.
- Quizlet is good for quick tests of formulae.
- StudySmarter combines flashcards and quizzes and lets you upload your own notes.
- Trayna schedules the recall for you, so earlier topics come back at spaced intervals.
Job 3: practising questions
Question volume is what moves a maths grade. Work by topic until it is secure, then mix topics, then do full timed papers, because exam questions rarely tell you which topic they are testing.
- Physics & Maths Tutor (PMT) is free, with topic questions and past papers by exam board.
- Maths Genie has free topic questions with worked solutions.
- Save My Exams has notes, topic questions, past papers and flashcards by exam board.
- Trayna marks your answers and re-serves the questions you got wrong later, mixed in with other topics.
Job 4: earning the marks
In A-level maths a wrong answer with correct working still earns method marks, and a correct answer with no working can lose them. Written steps are not decoration; they are where the marks are.
Mark your own work against the official scheme and note each lost mark as either method or accuracy. If you lose method marks, the gap is understanding; if you lose accuracy marks, the gap is care, and the fix is checking and showing every line.
A routine if your grade is stuck
Do not download six apps; that is another way to procrastinate. Pick one tool per job and run a short loop each day.
- 20 minutes: study one worked example, then cover it and redo it.
- 20 minutes: do exam questions on the topic without notes.
- 5 to 10 minutes: mark against the scheme and sort each lost mark into method or accuracy.
- Next day: redo two questions you got wrong, then start the next topic.
Where Trayna fits, and where it does not
Trayna is a 24/7 online tutor in your pocket, on your tablet and on the web, for students who cannot afford 1-to-1 tutoring and want something that acts like it. Dr Lavan teaches you the topics in the app any time, anywhere, and an adaptive plan reinforces them each day from now to your exam. That covers the first three jobs, with the fourth built into how questions are marked. It is A-level only, for Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Biology, on iPad, phone and the web. Maths follows Edexcel.
It is for both Year 12 and Year 13. Year 13 students already use it, and Year 13 topics are being added as current students need them while Year 12 is the most complete, so check your topics in the app before you pay. If you only want free past papers, PMT does that better than we do, and we would rather you used it.
Common questions
What is the best app for A-level maths revision?
It depends on the job. Maths Genie, Seneca or Cognito for learning the method, Anki for formulae, Physics & Maths Tutor, Maths Genie and Save My Exams for questions, and Trayna for a single daily plan combining example-first video tutorials, spaced recall and marked questions for A-level maths.
How do I revise A-level maths if I keep losing marks?
Find out whether you lose method marks or accuracy marks. Method marks mean you need to relearn the method from worked examples; accuracy marks mean you need to slow down and show every step. Then do questions by topic and mix them.
Are there free apps for A-level maths revision?
Yes. Physics & Maths Tutor, Maths Genie, Seneca and Anki are free. Trayna has a 14-day free trial, then costs from 9.99 pounds a month.
Can I just watch videos to revise maths?
Not on their own. Watching feels like progress but the skill is solving, so after every video you should attempt questions without it. Trayna follows every tutorial with questions for that reason.
Which exam board does Trayna maths follow?
Edexcel. If you sit a different board, check the topic list in the app first.
Trayna does this automatically. You enter your subjects, your exam dates and how long you have each day, and it builds the route from today to those exams, then adapts it as you go. Maths follows Edexcel; Chemistry, Physics and Biology follow AQA.
Get Trayna on the App Store · on Google Play
Free for 14 days, then from £9.99 a month. Cancel any time.