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Oh **** maths

Is it at all possible to get from 8 marks in foundation paper in maths to at least a c in higher in less than 8 months ?

Also **** off if you think "oh just revise more" is a legitimate answer
Original post by DownWithGove
Is it at all possible to get from 8 marks in foundation paper in maths to at least a c in higher in less than 8 months ?

Also **** off if you think "oh just revise more" is a legitimate answer


Maths is much more practice than revision. Practice questions all the time and you will become a great engineer :biggrin:
Yeah its possible, it is also possible to from like a D to an A* in 1 month.
Definitely! My situation was a bit different, but back in year 10 I was somehow in the top set for maths (but I was probably the worst person in that class) and we were all entered for the actual exam in June. I didn't really care how I did so didn't revise very much at all and when I did, I didn't revise in the right way (e.g. I thought that reading a revision guide would somehow make me a maths genius). But then I had a mock in November and I got something like 24/100 on one paper and 18/100 on the other? I wasn't very happy (and neither were my parents).

I decided that I needed to change something if I wanted to avoid failing at the end of year 10. I realised that my biggest issue was not knowing how to revise. With maths the only thing you can really do is practice a hell of a lot. I bought the MathsWatch CD (I think it's an app now) and watched all their videos + did all the practice questions available. If I didn't understand something I'd find different videos. I did about an hour everyday after school. Once I did this for every topic I did all the past papers I could find (sometimes multiple times) and looked for help online if I didn't understand something (because I didn't feel that my teacher could help me - and it didn't help that she disliked me). Even before I started doing past papers, I noticed a big improvement - I no longer felt like my teacher was speaking a foreign language, I actually started to understand what was going on. In my march mock I got an A on one paper and a B on the other - it was such a big improvement that my teacher accused me of cheating and moved me to the back of the room where I sat alone. It wasn't until the next mock that she believed me (because it would've been impossible for me to cheat). I went from the very bottom of the class to the top and ended up with an A* in my actual GCSE exam and then I picked maths for A Level and the same revision technique worked again.

So really it's not about how much you revise, but HOW you revise. When it comes to maths, revision guides are probably the biggest waste of your time and money - workbooks are better but also not great. You can find all the questions you'll ever need online, you don't need to be spending £££ on unnecessary books! You have plenty of time to improve - work a little every single day and you should soon see an improvement. Don't give up! GOOD LUCK!! :smile:
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by DownWithGove
Also **** off if you think "oh just revise more" is a legitimate answer


Well what do you expect? If you don't do any work between in those 8 months then of course not.

You can't magically do well in an exam.
Original post by DownWithGove
Is it at all possible to get from 8 marks in foundation paper in maths to at least a c in higher in less than 8 months ?

Also **** off if you think "oh just revise more" is a legitimate answer


Lol the foundation paper in maths gcse is so dumb, so higher and you'll get a higher grade in a few months because you need less

Go through the C and B+ topics and you'll secure a C for sure
Reply 6
Original post by Naruke
go revise


hahahahaha
Genuine advice, aim higher than a C. If you go for a B you're more likely to secure the C. And if you get a higher grade then congrats!

You do need to do more revision, though, you need to make sure that you know what formulas do what, and what methods of working out do best for you. I would recommend asking to retry that paper, and do other past papers!
yes, and fyi a "C" is not a grade anymore in maths, there is 4 which is a low C and a 5 which is a high C.
Original post by DownWithGove
Is it at all possible to get from 8 marks in foundation paper in maths to at least a c in higher in less than 8 months ?

Also **** off if you think "oh just revise more" is a legitimate answer


Spend more time to understand the calculations and the steps. Take time to understand the steps and the logics. If you have problems to understand, looking for people who are able to help you to see the sense.
Original post by SuperHuman98
Yeah its possible, it is also possible to from like a D to an A* in 1 month.


Ever experienced such a case in your life? I am too curious, I know.*
Original post by Kallisto
Ever experienced such a case in your life? I am too curious, I know.*


Eh I used to be really bad at GCSE maths like D grades, then I started doing Past papers and mathswatch ended up with a B. Could have got an A* if I understood what I was doing rather than learning the method
Original post by KnowledgeIsBest
yes, and fyi a "C" is not a grade anymore in maths, there is 4 which is a low C and a 5 which is a high C.


Some students are still studying for legacy qualifications.
Original post by SuperHuman98
Eh I used to be really bad at GCSE maths like D grades, then I started doing Past papers and mathswatch ended up with a B. Could have got an A* if I understood what I was doing rather than learning the method


The original poster is working at a U grade at present. They are extremely unlikely to improve to a C in such a short period of time. They will have to make 5 grades progress in less than one year. Typical progress is just over 1 grade per year.
Original post by SuperHuman98
Eh I used to be really bad at GCSE maths like D grades, then I started doing Past papers and mathswatch ended up with a B. Could have got an A* if I understood what I was doing rather than learning the method


Fine. Understand what someone does in mathematics is the main problem in my opinion. Me for instance was average in mathematics, when I got the sense and realized what I do, I got good up to very good marks.*
And how do you do that?

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Original post by victoria98
Definitely! My situation was a bit different, but back in year 10 I was somehow in the top set for maths (but I was probably the worst person in that class) and we were all entered for the actual exam in June. I didn't really care how I did so didn't revise very much at all and when I did, I didn't revise in the right way (e.g. I thought that reading a revision guide would somehow make me a maths genius). But then I had a mock in November and I got something like 24/100 on one paper and 18/100 on the other? I wasn't very happy (and neither were my parents).

I decided that I needed to change something if I wanted to avoid failing at the end of year 10. I realised that my biggest issue was not knowing how to revise. With maths the only thing you can really do is practice a hell of a lot. I bought the MathsWatch CD (I think it's an app now) and watched all their videos + did all the practice questions available. If I didn't understand something I'd find different videos. I did about an hour everyday after school. Once I did this for every topic I did all the past papers I could find (sometimes multiple times) and looked for help online if I didn't understand something (because I didn't feel that my teacher could help me - and it didn't help that she disliked me). Even before I started doing past papers, I noticed a big improvement - I no longer felt like my teacher was speaking a foreign language, I actually started to understand what was going on. In my march mock I got an A on one paper and a B on the other - it was such a big improvement that my teacher accused me of cheating and moved me to the back of the room where I sat alone. It wasn't until the next mock that she believed me (because it would've been impossible for me to cheat). I went from the very bottom of the class to the top and ended up with an A* in my actual GCSE exam and then I picked maths for A Level and the same revision technique worked again.

So really it's not about how much you revise, but HOW you revise. When it comes to maths, revision guides are probably the biggest waste of your time and money - workbooks are better but also not great. You can find all the questions you'll ever need online, you don't need to be spending £££ on unnecessary books! You have plenty of time to improve - work a little every single day and you should soon see an improvement. Don't give up! GOOD LUCK!! :smile:

You have legit inspired me i feel so warm inside after reading that!!

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