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Edexcel IAL P1 Trigonometry Questions

Sine and cosine rules; area of a triangle = ½ab sin C; radian measure, arc length and sector area; graphs of sin, cos and tan and their symmetries; exact values.

Practise P1 trigonometry → All P1 topics

What the questions test

The 67 P1 trigonometry practice questions cover:

Worked example 1 · 5 marks · hard

Triangle $ABC$ has sides $AB = 4$ cm and $BC = 5$ cm, with angle $ABC = 60^\circ$. Triangle $ACD$ shares side $AC$ and has a right angle at $C$. If $CD = 7$ cm, find the exact length of $AD$.

Mark scheme

  1. M1 for using the cosine rule in triangle ABC to find $AC^2$: $AC^2 = 4^2 + 5^2 - 2(4)(5)\cos 60^\circ$.
  2. M1 for evaluating to get $AC^2 = 16 + 25 - 40(0.5) = 21$.
  3. M1 for recognising that triangle $ACD$ is right-angled at $C$, so Pythagoras' theorem applies: $AD^2 = AC^2 + CD^2$.
  4. M1 for substituting the known values: $AD^2 = 21 + 7^2 = 21 + 49 = 70$.
  5. A1 for finding $AD = \sqrt{70}$ cm.

Worked example 2 · 5 marks · hard

Two identical circles of radius $8$ cm intersect such that the circumference of each passes through the centre of the other. Find the exact area of the overlapping region.

Mark scheme

  1. M1 for recognising that lines drawn from the intersection points to the centres form two equilateral triangles, hence the central angle in each circle covering the overlap is $\frac{2\pi}{3}$.
  2. M1 for establishing the overlapping region consists of two identical segments, so Area $= 2 \times \frac{1}{2}(8^2)(\frac{2\pi}{3} - \sin\frac{2\pi}{3})$.
  3. M1 for substituting $\sin\frac{2\pi}{3} = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}$.
  4. M1 for expanding the expression $64(\frac{2\pi}{3} - \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2})$.
  5. A1 for the exact simplified area $\frac{128\pi}{3} - 32\sqrt{3} \text{ cm}^2$.

FAQ

What trigonometry is in Edexcel IAL P1?

Sine and cosine rules; area of a triangle = ½ab sin C; radian measure, arc length and sector area; graphs of sin, cos and tan and their symmetries; exact values.

Is P1 a calculator paper?

No. P1 is non-calculator, so every trigonometry question has to be done by hand, with exact values where the question asks for them.

How are P1 trigonometry questions marked?

With M marks for a correct method, A marks for accurate answers that depend on the M mark before them, and B marks for independent results, as in the worked examples on this page.

More P1 topics

Worked examples are checked line by line before they are published here. Other units: IAL P2 · IAL P3 · IAL P4 · IAL S1 · IAL M1