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level 8 for maths.

hi, I just started year 9 and i got level 7C for my end of year maths exam in year 8. Can someone give me some good advise to get a level 8 because maths is really my only strong subject and probably my future.

thanks in advance.

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Reply 1
First, you might want to check whether you could have got an 8. I know it sounds stupid, but I thought our end-of-Year-8 Science exams went up to level 7 because all our end-of-module exams did. I was convinced, and I got 94/100 - then when we got our target SATs cards, I noticed I'd got a 6. It was weird and confusing until they explained it properly.

I got a high 7 (literally a mark or two off an 8) in my Maths mocks because we'd been taught nothing of the higher level stuff because of mixed ability classes and the fact the 6-8 classes were at a bad time for me/they'd only been going about 2 weeks anyway. But as soon as I had the concepts explained to me I immediately understood them - if I'd known them before the exam I would have got a Level 8. You sound quite bright when it comes to Maths so I'd expect you to get new concepts quickly - get hold of your paper, take it to your teacher and ask them to explain everything you got wrong. Do it with any mocks you get as well - and make sure your teachers teach you all the material. If they don't it's really frustrating to know that there wasn't really anything you could do about it and it's somebody else's fault! With this - and to be honest it was only the work of a lesson or two - I raised my mark to a high 8, so it does make a huge difference if you know the basic material.

At the end of the day, though, SATs are irrelevant. Nobody's going to complain about you doing Maths with a Level 7 - chances are nobody's going to know. But it's nice to do justice to yourself, so good luck :smile:
Reply 2
Mostly you should just listen and work hard throughout year 9. If you don't understand you should try and get it worked out, so you don't struggle at the end. Before your SATs, revise hard and you should definetly achieve a level 8! :smile: Most of the level 8 material is learnt in year 9 anyway, so you've got it all to look forward to! :p:
Reply 3
thank you for your replies, but are there any more tips of when I should start revising and which revision book is the best to revise from.
Reply 4
I did next to no revision because that was what I felt comfortable doing. We did a week or two of working through past papers in class (informal, not exam conditions) in Maths minus however many lessons I missed for music (I had a bad record for missing Maths - it was on all the days I had music lessons!), but on my own I did about half an hour a week or so before the exam just to remind myself of all the techniques (no practice Qs though I did look at Bitesize once and some of the GCSE questions are useful for things like factorisation that their SATs bit doesn't have). Obviously if you listen in the lessons and absorb/remember new concepts well you'll need to do less revision, but just do how much you feel comfortable doing and remember to chase up what you haven't been told!

I didn't use a revision guide myself though we were constantly recommended CGP books. Frankly, I would have rather beaten myself to death with a CGP book than actually read the thing (we got free guides from school for Year 6 SATs - I hated the naff jokes and found the questions badly worded and irritating), but it's a matter of opinion and some people love them. If not, I saw a couple of friends with modern-ish look revision guides but sorry, I can't remember the name!
Reply 5
Got to say i did almost no revision for the year 9 SAT's, the level 8 just happened, my only revision was the night before the exam... obviously not the best choice unless you can revise like that too. Just work hard all year and you shouldn't need to revise much.
Reply 6
yeh um sats that just happened i cant say i revised for them coz i didnt' what is a Level 7C lol isthat a high 7 or a low 7
Reply 7
It is a low level 7. i got 99 out 150 marks.
Reply 8
It all depends how hard you had to work for the 7c. I got a level 8 in Maths without doing all that much work, because in year 9 Maths was my forte. Having said that once I got to GCSE Maths rapidly became much much harder and I hated it which was sad. Anyway I digress, revise like you would for any exam so about 4-6 weeks before and ask your teacher what revision book they would recommend. It will depend on how they are teaching the syllabus, or even which syllabus. Anything by Letts is normally quite good.

Just remember however important it seems now nobody post year 9 will probably ever ask about your SATS results ever again. So try and relax. Good luck! :smile:
Reply 9
so around how many marks do you need 2 get for a level 8 and how many marks are they out of?
Reply 10
spamking
It is a low level 7. i got 99 out 150 marks.


The marks sound much nearer to a high level 7 to me...I know that from around 100 upwards it is a level 8, though perhaps if these are end of Year 8 tests they're marked differently. Also, a 7c is for some reason a high level 7 (don't ask me why, I questioned getting 94% and a 6c in my end of Year 8 Science and they told me somebody was nuts and called the highest band of any level C for no apparent reason :rolleyes: ).
Reply 11
SATs are relatively pointless, they mean nothing to employers or anything.

But if you want to get an 8...I'm not sure how many marks you need, but I got one and I got about 121/150 or something like that.
Reply 12
To be honest, no one will ever know or care what you got for year 9 SATs. I got a level 8 (90%) and it has made no difference to me!!! We had a breakfast club to learn the extra material...pretty good cos we got crumpets...mmmmm. Anyway, if you really want one buy book or something and learn the material and youll pass easily!
Reply 13
hey. sorry 4 poppin in. i'm in yr12.

i really admire u guyz 2 actually REVISIN at year 9. i gt a level 7 maths wid no revision :eek: but 5 in science and 6 in english but surely yr9 was the best year of skool. it was a laugh. every1 really enjoyed themselves cuz it was da last yr b4 GCSE's. i wish i had even more fun in yr9 cuz thts wat being a skoolkid is all about...as well as learning.

but good on u guyz 2 b thinkin bout ur future and REVISION! at yr9
Reply 14
The only reason i want 2 get level 8 for maths is cuz so i can do my maths gcse in yr 10 and then work hard for my other subjects in yr 11. Because i want 2 get B's, A's and mabey a few A*s in my gsce. :smile:
spamking
It is a low level 7. i got 99 out 150 marks.


This years paper was 99/150 for a Level 8 so you would have got a Level 8 lol :smile:
Reply 16
lol kl
Dont matter what you get... sats are forgotten.
Reply 18
stratomaster
Dont matter what you get... sats are forgotten.

agreed
Wow! I was never like this in year 9...

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