What is it
Differentiation is the process of finding the rate of change of a function — its gradient at any point — covering the chain rule, product rule, quotient rule, and differentiating trigonometric, exponential and logarithmic functions.
Why it matters
Differentiation is arguably the single most important skill in the entire A-Level Maths syllabus — it's the mathematical language of change, used in optimisation problems, curve sketching, and throughout mechanics and further study in any STEM subject.
Exam tip
When a question combines multiple rules (e.g. product rule with chain rule inside it), identify and label which rule applies to which part before differentiating — attempting it all in one step is where most differentiation errors happen.
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