AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012 !Poll, paper and unofficial MS (first post)!
Maths exam discussion - share revision tips in preparation for GCSE, A Level and other maths exams and discuss how they went afterwards.
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View Poll Results: How did you find the exam?
Pshh I could do it in my sleep! 14 5.56% Went pretty well 
29 11.51% It was okay... (maybe made silly mistakes?) 82 32.54% 
62 24.60% I died. 61 24.21% Fine I guess, couldn't careless. 4 1.59%
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012I'm doing Solomon Press papers for C3 and C4 as well as Aqa past papers. I'm now used to 9 and even 11 markers now!(Original post by Cath-ay)
=/ they started adding 9 mark questions though... those things scare me! Did you do exam papers
from other exam boards by any chance?
Say, I noticed that it's usually the guys who are achieving the super high ums, rarely ever the girls... you seen any girls getting 100 ums in AQA C3/C4 recently? Kinda random I know
Though everyone criticises me for doing them for some reason... -
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012People shouldn't criticise you at all for trying out more practise questions! If anything, doing a few papers from other exam boards can help, as they may have different ways of approaching a question which in turn could be a life saver in the exam! I just love how many Solomon Press papers there are, on top of the AQA past papers too!(Original post by JulietheCat)
I'm doing Solomon Press papers for C3 and C4 as well as Aqa past papers. I'm now used to 9 and even 11 markers now!
Though everyone criticises me for doing them for some reason...
Almost finish all the M1 Solomon papers, going to work through FP2, Core 4, S2 and M2 as they come, but they're definitely worth it if you can spare the time.
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012Yeah, I'm enjoying them too! I of course cross out the stuff which are not from AQA like parametric integration in C4. By the way C4 Solomon papers have some very interesting differential equation questions and 9, 10 and 11 markers are in abundance.(Original post by Oromis263)
People shouldn't criticise you at all for trying out more practise questions! If anything, doing a few papers from other exam boards can help, as they may have different ways of approaching a question which in turn could be a life saver in the exam! I just love how many Solomon Press papers there are, on top of the AQA past papers too! Almost finish all the M1 Solomon papers, going to work through FP2, Core 4, S2 and M2 as they come, but they're definitely worth it if you can spare the time.
And the C3 cosec integral question - that was taken from the Solomon papers!
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012No I'm AQA. People keep mentioning these 9 mark questions in January but I didn't notice them in C3 or 4 this Jan to be honest. Maybe I'm used to longer questions from further maths (where a 14 mark question is nothing out of the ordinary). I don't know any girl who got that but my sixth form's pretty small. One girl got 100 in C1 last year but that's it girls-wise.(Original post by Cath-ay)
=/ they started adding 9 mark questions though... those things scare me! Did you do exam papers from other exam boards by any chance?
Say, I noticed that it's usually the guys who are achieving the super high ums, rarely ever the girls... you seen any girls getting 100 ums in AQA C3/C4 recently? Kinda random I know
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012Lol cool(Original post by JulietheCat)
I'm doing Solomon Press papers for C3 and C4 as well as Aqa past papers. I'm now used to 9 and even 11 markers now!
Though everyone criticises me for doing them for some reason... AQA better not throw in a 11 mark question, that would just be madness! Is there like a zip folder of all the C4 solomon press papers anywhere on the net? Please excuse my ignorance -.-
Mmm I don't understand why anyone would criticise you for that 'cause they shouldn't. Doubt it could ever do much harm from getting more practice! -
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012No problem, here is the link.(Original post by Cath-ay)
Lol cool AQA better not throw in a 11 mark question, that would just be madness! Is there like a zip folder of all the C4 solomon press papers anywhere on the net? Please excuse my ignorance -.-
Mmm I don't understand why anyone would criticise you for that 'cause they shouldn't. Doubt it could ever do much harm from getting more practice!
C4 Solomon papers - http://www.freewebs.com/fisfos815/C4.zip
And their mark schemes - http://www.freewebs.com/fisfos815/C4%20markscheme.ZIP -
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012Ah really appreciate that ^_^, thanks so much(Original post by JulietheCat)
No problem, here is the link.
C4 Solomon papers - http://www.freewebs.com/fisfos815/C4.zip
And their mark schemes - http://www.freewebs.com/fisfos815/C4%20markscheme.ZIP
Time to use up all my dad's black ink
Last edited by Cath-ay; 22-05-2012 at 08:15. -
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012Dreading this paper after Core 3 in January. I was really confident for that exam and felt I understood everything. I did well in my mock and all my past papers. And then the actual exam was horrible and I ended up with a D. I fear it's going to be the same situation for Core 4 in June. They just keep making the papers harder.
The positive I have is that I got 89% last year, so to get my A I only need 71% across C3 resit, C4 and MS2. But saying that, I only managed 55% on C3 first time around.
Good luck to everybody/ -
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Yeah, that C3 paper was a meany. AQA should have given some sort of warning for the 7/9 mark questions they were adding. Thankfully, you get a second shot at it! Part of me wishes I had chosen to retake lol. Personally I've learnt not to walk into an exam being too confident as you never know what's going to happen!(Original post by pcorbett94)
Dreading this paper after Core 3 in January. I was really confident for that exam and felt I understood everything. I did well in my mock and all my past papers. And then the actual exam was horrible and I ended up with a D. I fear it's going to be the same situation for Core 4 in June. They just keep making the papers harder.
The positive I have is that I got 89% last year, so to get my A I only need 71% across C3 resit, C4 and MS2. But saying that, I only managed 55% on C3 first time around.
Good luck to everybody/
You should take a look at the download links julie posted earlier on in the thread, if you haven't already. The questions from those papers are pretty challenging!
Good luck to you too!
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012Asking me...?(Original post by tom472)
What did you get in C3? I'm resitting after getting 73 :/ Almost missed out the whole of the integration 9 marker and a couple of the other questions at the end.
Got an A... Need 94ums in C4 to get the grade I want.
Have you tried doing that paper since? -
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012I found this out last year. I got full marks in one of my chemistry mocks, went into the exam way too overconfident, panicked at the first question because it was set out weird and ended up only getting 70% and having to resit again this year.(Original post by Cath-ay)
Yeah, that C3 paper was a meany. AQA should have given some sort of warning for the 7/9 mark questions they were adding. Thankfully, you get a second shot at it! Part of me wishes I had chosen to retake lol. Personally I've learnt not to walk into an exam being too confident as you never know what's going to happen!
You should take a look at the download links julie posted earlier on in the thread, if you haven't already. The questions from those papers are pretty challenging!
Good luck to you too!
I don't really know what happened with Core 3. I'm gonna re-do the Jan 12 paper when I restart my revision (having a day off tomorrow) and see if I can actually can it and whether it was just being a bit rubbish on the day. -
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012*Being extremely noobish and lazy here* What are Solomon papers? How do they differ from our past papers for AQA? And are there are any for Core 3?(Original post by JulietheCat)
No problem, here is the link.
C4 Solomon papers - http://www.freewebs.com/fisfos815/C4.zip
And their mark schemes - http://www.freewebs.com/fisfos815/C4%20markscheme.ZIP -
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012Yep, they are papers for C1, C2, C3, C4, S1, S2, M1, M2 and some further Maths ones (though the Further Pure ones are off the old spec). Solomon Papers are written by a company called Solomon Press and they are based on Edexcel papers.(Original post by pcorbett94)
*Being extremely noobish and lazy here* What are Solomon papers? How do they differ from our past papers for AQA? And are there are any for Core 3?
These papers differ from Aqa past papers is that they ask the questions differently and you really got to think about the question in hand. They combine question parts together so sometimes you are left to do e.g. a differential equation all in one for 8/10/11 marks. They're harder than the real thing and if you can master Solomon papers or at least get Cs in them, you should be fine in the exam.
They don't cover mid ordinate or Simpsons rule though. And they combine topics on both papers so I suggest to look at both C3 and C4 e.g. compound angles appear on the C3 Solomon papers. -
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012Thankyou so much for this. Hopefully if I work through all of these I won't be as phased in the C3/C4 exams as I was in January. You may well have just ensured I get the grades to study Medicine(Original post by JulietheCat)
Yep, they are papers for C1, C2, C3, C4, S1, S2, M1, M2 and some further Maths ones (though the Further Pure ones are off the old spec). Solomon Papers are written by a company called Solomon Press and they are based on Edexcel papers.
These papers differ from Aqa past papers is that they ask the questions differently and you really got to think about the question in hand. They combine question parts together so sometimes you are left to do e.g. a differential equation all in one for 8/10/11 marks. They're harder than the real thing and if you can master Solomon papers or at least get Cs in them, you should be fine in the exam.
They don't cover mid ordinate or Simpsons rule though. And they combine topics on both papers so I suggest to look at both C3 and C4 e.g. compound angles appear on the C3 Solomon papers.
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Jan 2012? I've posted them on here: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/show....php?t=1962500(Original post by ebmaj7)
Has anybody got the January paper? -
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012Thanks for sharing those past paper,is good to prepare the AQA C4 exam as the C4 paper is become more difficult,like C2(Original post by JulietheCat)
Yep, they are papers for C1, C2, C3, C4, S1, S2, M1, M2 and some further Maths ones (though the Further Pure ones are off the old spec). Solomon Papers are written by a company called Solomon Press and they are based on Edexcel papers.
These papers differ from Aqa past papers is that they ask the questions differently and you really got to think about the question in hand. They combine question parts together so sometimes you are left to do e.g. a differential equation all in one for 8/10/11 marks. They're harder than the real thing and if you can master Solomon papers or at least get Cs in them, you should be fine in the exam.
They don't cover mid ordinate or Simpsons rule though. And they combine topics on both papers so I suggest to look at both C3 and C4 e.g. compound angles appear on the C3 Solomon papers.
I was confident to get high A before the C2 exam,but now may be drop to low A
After my M1/Physics unit 2 exam in this week,I will work through all of those,thanks again
Last edited by kenau; 23-05-2012 at 09:56. -
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Re: AQA Core 4 Exam Discussion 14/06/2012Cathy are you going to get A* in maths?(Original post by Cath-ay)
Asking me...?
Got an A... Need 94ums in C4 to get the grade I want.
Have you tried doing that paper since?
Almost finish all the M1 Solomon papers, going to work through FP2, Core 4, S2 and M2 as they come, but they're definitely worth it if you can spare the time. 
I was confident to get high A before the C2 exam,but now may be drop to low A
After my M1/Physics unit 2 exam in this week,I will work through all of those,thanks again
