Year 8 · Australian Curriculum

Year 8 maths: what's covered and how to help

Year 8 maths builds on Year 7 and adds Pythagoras, rates and more algebra. Here's every topic in the Australian Curriculum for Year 8, where students get stuck, and free worksheets and tests for each one.

Year 8 worksheets Year 8 maths test Every topic ↓

What’s new in Year 8

Algebra moves from writing expressions to manipulating them: expanding brackets, factorising and solving linear equations.
Pythagoras' theorem appears, the first big formula students use across lots of problem types.
Percentages get applied to money: profit, loss, discounts and mark-ups.
Measurement widens to circles, rates, time zones and speed, distance and time.

Where students get stuck

Expanding brackets with a negative in front. Practise it →
Knowing which side is the hypotenuse in Pythagoras. Practise it →
Percentage increase and decrease in money problems. Practise it →
Area of composite shapes, and which measurements to use. Practise it →

Every Year 8 maths topic

Grouped by strand, as in the Australian Curriculum. Each topic has worked examples, a question to try and a free worksheet.

Number

5 topics

PercentagesIncreases, decreases, GST, percentage error.
ExponentsMultiply, divide, power-of-a-power: the four index laws.
Fractions and decimalsConvert between fractions and decimals, from neat terminating ones to the tricky repeating kind.
Integer operationsAdd, subtract, multiply and divide integers.
Profit, loss and discountsApply percentages to real money situations.

Algebra

3 topics

AlgebraExpanding, factorising and simplifying linear expressions.
Linear equations and graphsPlot, solve, sketch. The core Year 8 algebra skill set.
Linear relations in real-life problemsConnect algebra to the real world.

Measurement

7 topics

Pythagoras' theoremFind the hypotenuse, find a shorter side, apply to word problems.
CirclesArea and circumference: the full Year 8 circle skill set.
Area and perimeterIrregular and composite shapes: the trickier Year 8 problems.
VolumeRight prisms, capacity, real-world volume problems.
RatesSpeed, density, unit pricing: the everyday rate problems.
Time and time zones12- and 24-hour time, duration, world time zones.
Speed, distance and timeConnect the formula triangle to real problems.

Space

2 topics

Congruence and similaritySSS, SAS, AAS: which conditions prove triangles match?
Properties of quadrilateralsUse congruent triangles and angle properties to unlock every quadrilateral family.

Statistics

1 topic

StatisticsPopulation vs sample, data collection methods, bias.

Probability

2 topics

ProbabilityTree diagrams, two-way tables, Venn diagrams.
Complementary events and probabilityIdentifying an event and its complement

Quick check

4 Year 8 questions

One from each of these topics. Try each one, then open the answer.

Algebra
Simplify $7a + 3b - 2a + 4b$ .
Answer
$5a + 7b$
Pythagoras' theorem
The shorter sides of a right-angled triangle are $9$ cm and $12$ cm. Find the hypotenuse.
Answer
$15$ cm
Area and perimeter
Find the area of a triangle with base $14$ cm and perpendicular height $9$ cm.
Answer
$63 \text{ cm}^2$
Congruence and similarity
Two triangles have sides $5, 7, 9$ cm and $9, 5, 7$ cm. Are they congruent, and by which test?
Answer
Yes, SSS

Try the full Year 8 sample test →

How to help with Year 8 maths at home

Ask what topic their class is on this week, and do one worksheet on it.
Have them check algebra by expanding their answer again. It catches most sign mistakes.
For word problems, ask them to say what the question wants before they start calculating.
Redo wrong questions a few days later. Mistakes fixed once tend to come back; fixed twice, they usually stick.

Year 8 maths questions

What maths do Year 8 students learn in Australia?

Algebra (expanding, factorising and linear equations and graphs), number (percentages, index notation, integers, profit and loss), measurement (Pythagoras, area, volume, circles, rates, time zones and speed), space (congruence and quadrilaterals), statistics and probability.

Why does Year 8 maths matter?

Year 8 algebra and Pythagoras are used constantly in Years 9 and 10, in quadratics, trigonometry and graphing. Gaps that start here usually show up later as trouble with harder topics.

How can I help my child with Year 8 maths if I don't remember it?

You don't need to teach it. Use worksheets with full worked solutions, have your child mark their own work, and ask them to explain one wrong answer to you. Explaining it is often where it clicks.

Better maths marks start with the next wrong answer.

Tuterly turns every missed maths question into practice tailored towards the student, not just a generic worksheet.

Coming soon on iPhone. Android soon after.

Free to download · 7-day free trial on monthly · Years 7 to 10 maths · On iPhone. Android coming soon
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