A Level Maths · Statistics · Year 12 and 13
Hypothesis testing follows the same routine every time: hypotheses, test statistic or critical region, comparison, and a conclusion in context. Most lost marks are in the wording of that conclusion.
AS content is usually taught in Year 12. The full A Level adds the Year 13 content.
For a two-tailed test with $H_0: p = 0.5$, $H_1: p \neq 0.5$, $n = 20$, and $\alpha = 0.10$, find the critical region.
Then practise: skills to practise · open hypothesis testing practice questions.
Every board examines the same A Level Maths content, set by the Department for Education. Only the paper it appears on and the section numbering differ.
| Board | Specification reference | Examined in |
|---|---|---|
| AQA 7357 | AQA section O | Paper 3, Section B |
| Edexcel 9MA0 | Edexcel topic Statistics 5 | Paper 3, Section A |
| OCR A H240 | OCR reference 2.05 | Paper 2, statistics section |
Three examples from the question bank. Every question comes with a step-by-step mark scheme (M, A and B marks) once you start practising.
State what the letters $H_0$ and $H_1$ represent in a hypothesis test.
Mark scheme: in the 48-hour free trial.
A shop claims that 30% of visitors make a purchase. A random sample of 20 visitors is chosen. Let $X$ be the number who purchase. Under $H_0: p = 0.3$, and $X \sim B(20, 0.3)$, find $P(X \ge 10)$.
Mark scheme: in the 48-hour free trial.
A dice manufacturer claims each face is equally likely. A student throws the dice 60 times and gets a 6 on 15 occasions. Test at 5% significance whether the dice is biased in favour of 6.
Mark scheme: in the 48-hour free trial.
Questions are original and written in the style of Edexcel 9MA0, and cover content that AQA and OCR examine too. They are not past-paper questions.
These skills sit in the Statistics unit of the UK A Level practice engine. Pick any mix of them, set the difficulty, and check each answer against its mark scheme.
Hypothesis testing can come up on these papers (from each board's paper structure). We haven't mapped individual questions yet, so open a recent paper and look for it.
| Board | Recent papers that can test it |
|---|---|
| Edexcel 9MA0 | Paper 3: June 2024, June 2023, June 2022 |
| AQA 7357 | Paper 3: June 2023, June 2022, November 2021 |
| OCR H240 | Paper 2: June 2024, June 2023, June 2022 |
Papers are © the exam boards; each page links to the official question paper and mark scheme. All A Level Maths past papers →
Yes. Hypothesis Testing is part of the A Level Maths content that every board examines: AQA section O, Edexcel Statistics 5, OCR 2.05. It is assessed in AQA Paper 3, Section B; Edexcel Paper 3, Section A; OCR A Paper 2, statistics section.
Both. The AS content, usually taught in Year 12, is: The language of hypothesis testing: null and alternative hypotheses, significance level, critical value and region, p-value; One-tailed and two-tailed tests for the proportion in a binomial distribution. The full A Level adds: Testing for the mean of a normal distribution with known variance; Testing for zero correlation using the product moment correlation coefficient.
Say whether there is sufficient evidence to reject H₀ at the stated significance level, then say what that means in the context of the question. Avoid 'proves' or 'accept H₁'.
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