We classified every mark in the published Edexcel Decision Mathematics 1 papers from 2019 to 2025 — 525 marks across 179 questions, seven series. Decision Mathematics 1 is one half of an option pair (with Decision Mathematics 2) — candidates take Core Pure 1 & 2 plus two of the four option pairs.
Further Maths tutoringThe headline: Optimization is 29.7% of Decision Mathematics 1. Across the published papers from 2019 to 2025, no other subtopic comes close. The top three subtopics — Optimization, Project Management, and Algorithms — together account for 63.4% of the marks in the whole paper.
This is an aggregate classification of every mark in the published Edexcel Decision Mathematics 1 papers that have already been sat, not a prediction of any future paper. Every question was assigned to one topic and one subtopic from the official Edexcel Further Maths specification, and its full mark value attributed to that subtopic. Historical mark share is one of the more reliable signals available for deciding what to work on first.
| Topic / subtopic | Marks | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Linear Programming | 156 | 29.7% |
| Algorithms on Graphs II | 106 | 20.2% |
| Route Inspection | 72 | 13.7% |
| Travelling Salesman Problem | 34 | 6.5% |
| Critical Path Analysis | 101 | 19.2% |
| Algorithms & Graph Theory | 88 | 16.8% |
| Algorithms | 76 | 14.5% |
| Graph Theory | 12 | 2.3% |
| Algorithms on Graphs | 74 | 14.1% |
Weight your revision toward Optimization. At 29.7% of the marks, it is the single highest-leverage subtopic in this paper — more time here moves your expected mark more than the same time spent anywhere else in Decision Mathematics 1.
The thin tail is a genuine saving. Graph Theory has carried 2.3% of the marks between it across the seven published series. That is a real permission to deprioritise once the larger subtopics above are secure.
Choosing your Further Maths options? The exam analysis hub compares all ten option papers side by side, including Decision Mathematics 2 — the other half of this pair.
Across the published papers from 2019 to 2025, Optimization alone accounts for 29.7% of the marks in Decision Mathematics 1. The top three subtopics together — Optimization, Project Management, and Algorithms — make up 63.4% of the paper.
525 marks across 179 questions, from every published Edexcel Decision Mathematics 1 paper across the 2019 to 2025 series — 7 papers in total.
Yes — the thinnest subtopics (Graph Theory) have carried 2.3% of the marks between them across the published papers, which is a real basis for spending less time there once the bigger subtopics are secure.
The harder half is knowing where you stand against it — and having someone turn that into a plan with an order and a deadline.
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