Fiducia TogetherVolume and surface area
How much space a solid takes up, and how much skin it has.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Volume is measured in cubic units; surface area is the total area of all faces, in square units.
Where it applies
Both tiers; cones, spheres and frustums are higher tier.
How it works
For a prism, volume is the cross-sectional area times the length — which covers cylinders and any uniform solid in one idea.
Surface area of a composite solid means adding the faces that are actually exposed, which is where marks are lost.
How to use it in your work
State the formula, substitute, then calculate. Method marks are for the first two.
Check units: cm³ for volume, cm² for area, and convert consistently before starting.
For composite shapes, sketch and label the parts. Doing it in your head is how faces get counted twice.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification and mark scheme.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The Maths Song The GCSE maths topics, in order.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.