Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Is it worth buying a graphic calculator for FP1 and FP2?

I am thinking of buying a Casio 9850 GC-PLUS graphic calculator for my upcoming FP1 and FP2 edexcel exams and I would like to ask whether it's worth it or not. Some friends tell me it's good and others say it's a waste of money since graphs are already given.

What do you think is it worth it's money, and is it allowed for the specific examination?

Reply 1

Dreamweaver

Didn't really use mine in FP1 although i had it with me. It's incredibly useful for C3/C4/FP2/FP3. It's also a nice tool to have for stats and decision if you get to grips with it. You can find quartiles, s.d and sort lists into order very quickly to check your answer at the end.

It's definitely allowed for Edexcel, not sure about other boards. You can always sell it after you are done with it if it's the price that is putting you off.

Reply 2

tamimi

I'm on OCR and I find mine very handy.

They're expensive and chew on batteries like biscuits but I've definitely gained close to 25 marks over the year just from having one.

Reply 3

ms93

It is very useful for FP2! Not so much for FP1.

for fp2 yes.

For FP1 I found a graphic calculator to be quite a good investment, although I still would have completed the paper without it, it gave me peace of mind when checking my answers as I used it to check questions I felt unsure on. For me, FP2 has yet to come.

Reply 6

jhonwds

What functions does it have that will help me in my FP2 exam? Because the only reason I could think are polar graphs, but people say you are never required to draw graphs