01 — Explanation
What are the basic building blocks of geometry?
A point is an exact position with no size. A line extends without ending; a line segment has two endpoints (its vertices). Two lines are parallel () if they never meet and stay the same distance apart; they are perpendicular () if they cross at a right angle (). A perpendicular bisector cuts a segment exactly in half at a right angle. A plane is a completely flat surface extending in two dimensions, and a bearing is a direction measured clockwise from north.
02 — Explanation
How do I classify angles by size?
- Acute: between and
- Right angle: exactly
- Obtuse: between and
- Reflex: between and
A shape's interior angles are on the inside; its exterior angles are formed by extending one side outward.
03 — Explanation
What vocabulary describes triangles and quadrilaterals?
Triangles: equilateral (all sides/angles equal), isosceles (two sides/angles equal), scalene (no sides equal), right-angled (one angle).
Quadrilaterals: square, rectangle, rhombus (all sides equal, opposite sides parallel), parallelogram (opposite sides parallel and equal), kite (two pairs of adjacent equal sides), trapezium (one pair of parallel sides).
04 — Explanation
What does "similar" mean versus "congruent"?
Two shapes are similar if one is an enlargement of the other (same angles, sides in the same ratio — this ratio is the scale factor). Two shapes are congruent if they are exactly identical in size and shape (angles equal AND corresponding sides equal).
05 — Explanation
What terms describe polygons, nets and solids?
A polygon is a closed 2D shape with straight sides — regular if all sides and angles are equal, irregular otherwise. Named by side count: pentagon (5), hexagon (6), octagon (8), decagon (10). A net is a 2D shape that folds up into a 3D solid. Key solids: cube, cuboid, prism (uniform cross-section along its length), cylinder, pyramid, cone, sphere, hemisphere (half a sphere), and frustum (a cone or pyramid with the top sliced off parallel to its base). A solid's face is a flat or curved outer surface, its edge is where two faces meet, and its vertex is a corner point.
06 — Explanation
What vocabulary applies specifically to circles?
- Centre — the middle point, equidistant from every point on the circle.
- Radius (plural radii) — centre to edge; diameter — edge to edge through the centre ( radius).
- Circumference — the distance around the circle; semicircle — exactly half.
- Chord — a straight line joining two points on the circle (not necessarily through the centre).
- Tangent — a straight line that touches the circle at exactly one point.
- Arc — part of the circumference; major arc (the longer one) and minor arc (the shorter one).
- Sector — a "pizza slice" region bounded by two radii and an arc.
- Segment — a region bounded by a chord and an arc.
Exam tip
Examiners award marks for using this vocabulary correctly in reasons (e.g. "angle in a semicircle" or "tangent"), not just for getting the right numerical angle. Learn the exact words — vague descriptions like "the line touching the circle" instead of "tangent" can cost a mark even with the right diagram.
07 — Worked example
Worked example
(a) A cone has its top sliced off by a cut parallel to its base. Name the resulting solid. (b) A circle has two radii drawn from the centre to its edge, enclosing part of the circle's area between them. Name the shaded region.
- A cone with its top removed by a cut parallel to the base is a frustum.
- A region enclosed by two radii and the arc between them is a sector.