The Student Room Group

Still time to get 100UMS+ with this?

Just did an M1 pastpaper

I got 76%

I could do most of it and fell down on several marks due to carelessness.

Would I be able to get 100 UMS with just doing 1 past paper ever OTHER night? I don't have time to do one every night sadly. I would Like to nail C1 and M1 with 90UMS plus as I hate C2 and It'll bring my score down over all.

Thanks :smile: Also, how would you recommend I improve? Perhaps past papers are not the best method..
Reply 1
Solomons and really understand the content, I haven't touched past papers yet because I'm re-reviewing everything, I'm finished with my review in 2days then blasting out solomons papers then past papers. Through reviewing everything I've essentially became an expert on my weakest 2 areas, which were moments and dynamics
(edited 11 years ago)
Have you gone through the past paper thoroughly to see where you are making mistakes. If you find that you always mess up on the integration questions, for example, perhaps do a few questions from that section of the textbook. You may want to try some practice questions from a revision workbook as well. If you find that the main cause of mistakes is not reading the questions properly so you are losing silly marks for giving your answer in degrees rather than radians; or not working out the other root of a quadratic equation; or not finding all the values for theta between 0 and 360, giving only the first answer that appears on your calculator etc. then you need to work on your exam technique and so past papers are the way to go.
Try to aim to get all/ most of the past papers available done by a few days before your exam, so a paper every other night seems perfectly acceptable. But yes, make sure you revise other subjects too!
Original post by upthegunners
...


100 UMS plus???
Reply 4
Original post by Mr M
100 UMS plus???


Sorry, it's past my bed time :lol:
Reply 5
Original post by Robbie242
Solomons and really understand the content, I haven't touched past papers yet because I'm re-reviewing everything, I'm finished with my review in 2days then blasting out solomons papers then past papers. Through reviewing everything I've essentially became an expert on my weakest 2 areas, which were moments and dynamics


Moments and dynamics are surprisingly my strongest ones

I hate vector and suvat questions

I also don't like some impulse ones as it is very easy to get muddled up with signs.

Your plan sounds good. I worry that I will get a very unfamiliar question in the exam..
I think all A-level maths papers are scored out of 100 UMS? (At least on Edexcel and I think the other boards are the same too).

But for M1 just do all the Exam/Review Questions in the textbook and then work through all past papers, looking through mark schemes to see what is required for the marks and checking your answer are fully correct. (I never bother looking at the specification for exams and just do all available past papers for the exam).
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 7
Original post by Mr M
100 UMS plus???


Could I ask you a question Mr M? :colondollar:

I have just found out I have 4 days before my C2 exam, which is in fact my last exam of the year. Would doing a past paper every other night for C2 and then cramming those last 4 days be adequate revision? What would you encourage mediocre maths pupils to do? I am not amazing at maths but wouldn't say I am bad either. I got an A in GCSE with minimal effort if that means anything :smile: I also am getting around mid 70s(%) in past papers at the minute and my exam is on the 10th of June.
Original post by upthegunners
Could I ask you a question Mr M? :colondollar:

I have just found out I have 4 days before my C2 exam, which is in fact my last exam of the year. Would doing a past paper every other night for C2 and then cramming those last 4 days be adequate revision? What would you encourage mediocre maths pupils to do? I am not amazing at maths but wouldn't say I am bad either. I got an A in GCSE with minimal effort if that means anything :smile: I also am getting around mid 70s(%) in past papers at the minute and my exam is on the 10th of June.


I really can't say because I have no idea about your natural ability. It sounds a bit of a high risk strategy to me but I have no doubt that that amount of time would be sufficient for some.
Reply 9
Original post by Mr M
I really can't say because I have no idea about your natural ability. It sounds a bit of a high risk strategy to me but I have no doubt that that amount of time would be sufficient for some.


If this gives any indication:

I got Ds and Es in Maths GCSE and got an A in the real thing (9 ums of an A*)

I also started self teaching M1 around February by doing 3/4 hours a week and got that (76%) in a pastpaper..

If you think it is high risk, what would you say is not high risk? :smile:
Original post by upthegunners
If you think it is high risk, what would you say is not high risk? :smile:


Learn the material properly before even starting past papers.
Reply 11
Original post by upthegunners
Moments and dynamics are surprisingly my strongest ones

I hate vector and suvat questions

I also don't like some impulse ones as it is very easy to get muddled up with signs.

Your plan sounds good. I worry that I will get a very unfamiliar question in the exam..


It happened with the edexcel core 1 exam, it can happen to any exam, but the best preparation for the unexpected is key understanding and solomon papers, you get a wealth of new content from the solomon papers that has being particularly notorious to come up fairly often. I used to hate vectors but now they're fine, and with suvat I always draw a diagram and make note of 1 fact that if you want the maximum height an object reaches, v=0.

Impulses piss me off some times, but they rarely come up so that's a bonus.

I have two books, one I used to teach the material (the exam board one) and then CGP for consolidating my revision, it seems to work well for all my exams, since its showing that more stress is looming on 1-2 history exams than all 5 maths exams combined
Original post by Robbie242
It happened with the edexcel core 1 exam, it can happen to any exam, but the best preparation for the unexpected is key understanding and solomon papers, you get a wealth of new content from the solomon papers that has being particularly notorious to come up fairly often. I used to hate vectors but now they're fine, and with suvat I always draw a diagram and make note of 1 fact that if you want the maximum height an object reaches, v=0.

Impulses piss me off some times, but they rarely come up so that's a bonus.

I have two books, one I used to teach the material (the exam board one) and then CGP for consolidating my revision, it seems to work well for all my exams, since its showing that more stress is looming on 1-2 history exams than all 5 maths exams combined


I am on an Irish board (CCEA). There papers are quite different to the edexcel M1 papers. A lot less emphasis on vectors (which I like). However, we do have calculus in kinematics where we have to differentiate and integrate velocity speed and acceleration. I find it easier than vectors which is a bonus.

I think I may do solomon papers from now on, I am dreading my C2 exam. I mean I can do the past papers okay but If I get an unfamiliar question I can kiss farewell to the 90UMS+ I have been hoping for all year.

Furthermore, the stress is really starting to loom in on me as well. I have just realized I have 3 exams in 1.5 months I have not lifted a book for. I am also repeating a Chemistry unit in which I got 93/120 UMS, which actually was a B. A high B, but none the less it was a B. So it's the least of my worries.

Biology F212 OCR will be hard. So much to remember so little time.

Chemistry Unit 2, however, Is going to be extremely tough. Very tough. C1 should be okay. Just need to brush up on inequalities and perhaps a few other topics. Other than that I feel confident-ish.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Mr M
Learn the material properly before even starting past papers.


Are these rumors that exam boards are trying to toughin' up A-level exams true?
Reply 14
Original post by upthegunners
I am on an Irish board (CCEA). There papers are quite different to the edexcel M1 papers. A lot less emphasis on vectors (which I like). However, we do have calculus in kinematics where we have to differentiate and integrate velocity speed and acceleration. I find it easier than vectors which is a bonus.

I think I may do solomon papers from now on, I am dreading my C2 exam. I mean I can do the past papers okay but If I get an unfamiliar question I can kiss farewell to the 90UMS+ I have been hoping for all year.

Furthermore, the stress is really starting to loom in on me as well. I have just realized I have 3 exams in 1.5 months I have not lifted a book for. I am also repeating a Chemistry unit in which I got 93/120 UMS, which actually was a B. A high B, but none the less it was a B. So it's the least of my worries.

Biology F212 OCR will be hard. So much to remember so little time.

Chemistry Unit 2, however, Is going to be extremely tough. Very tough. C1 should be okay. Just need to brush up on inequalities and perhaps a few other topics. Other than that I feel confident-ish.


Ah that comes later in edexcel mechanics for us.

Same with C2, its my hardest out of my 5, there are really awkward topics in there for me like differentiation and radians, you have to know loads of formulas before the exam to master those, and then apply it to the question. I expect from lowes to highest ums it will be C2,M1,,FP1,S1 , S2. Absolutely dreading 13th may though, Econ 2 in the morning, mechanics in the afternoon, go to sleep and then history in the morning
ughh

Aha it really does hit you though, if you don't study for alevels you get immensely stressed, I did this with my gcses and only got a few b's and c's as a result, whilst this time round I feel ready for everything apart from history
(edited 11 years ago)

Quick Reply

Latest