The Student Room Group

I can't pass GCSE Maths!

Okay so firstly, I'm in year 12 of sixth form and I'm not an awfully stupid kid; in my GCSE's I got mainly A's and B's. I'm doing my A Levels now however i have one problem. I still can't pass my Maths GCSE. In year 11 (my first time doing a maths GCSE) I got a D, 1 mark off a C. i sent it off for a remark however it came back exactly the same. This was a foundation paper. I did the resit in November and
i got the results a couple of weeks ago and this time i got an E! That time I also sat the foundation paper. My next resit is in summer (so i have lots of time to revise) and i will also be sitting for the higher paper because i have been told it is easier to pass than foundation. The teacher i have now for maths isn't very helpful at all so i was wondering if there are any websites or revision guides which can help me pass. I'm desperate to pass this time because it is an essential subject for me getting into university and i would rather pass it sooner than have to keep redoing it whilst I'm in year 13 when the work is getting predominantly harder and my focus will need to be on my A Levels.

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Reply 1
Original post by lucx_s
Okay so firstly, I'm in year 12 of sixth form and I'm not an awfully stupid kid; in my GCSE's I got mainly A's and B's. I'm doing my A Levels now however i have one problem. I still can't pass my Maths GCSE. In year 11 (my first time doing a maths GCSE) I got a D, 1 mark off a C. i sent it off for a remark however it came back exactly the same. This was a foundation paper. I did the resit in November and
i got the results a couple of weeks ago and this time i got an E! That time I also sat the foundation paper. My next resit is in summer (so i have lots of time to revise) and i will also be sitting for the higher paper because i have been told it is easier to pass than foundation. The teacher i have now for maths isn't very helpful at all so i was wondering if there are any websites or revision guides which can help me pass. I'm desperate to pass this time because it is an essential subject for me getting into university and i would rather pass it sooner than have to keep redoing it whilst I'm in year 13 when the work is getting predominantly harder and my focus will need to be on my A Levels.


The best way to revise maths is essentially just to practice all the topics. Go onto 'corbettmaths' and do all the practice questions on there, they guide you from grade G to A* and the videos are really good if you don't understand the topic. You can also mark your answers to see how well you've done.
What exactly do you struggle with? The concept of what the question asks you or the actual working out?
Hegartymaths on YouTube is amazing. Also lots of past papers.
Reply 3
Original post by lucx_s
Okay so firstly, I'm in year 12 of sixth form and I'm not an awfully stupid kid; in my GCSE's I got mainly A's and B's. I'm doing my A Levels now however i have one problem. I still can't pass my Maths GCSE. In year 11 (my first time doing a maths GCSE) I got a D, 1 mark off a C. i sent it off for a remark however it came back exactly the same. This was a foundation paper. I did the resit in November and
i got the results a couple of weeks ago and this time i got an E! That time I also sat the foundation paper. My next resit is in summer (so i have lots of time to revise) and i will also be sitting for the higher paper because i have been told it is easier to pass than foundation. The teacher i have now for maths isn't very helpful at all so i was wondering if there are any websites or revision guides which can help me pass. I'm desperate to pass this time because it is an essential subject for me getting into university and i would rather pass it sooner than have to keep redoing it whilst I'm in year 13 when the work is getting predominantly harder and my focus will need to be on my A Levels.


get motivated,
get working,
get a teacher/tutor
keep trying

PS I definitely sympathize with you
Original post by lucx_s
Okay so firstly, I'm in year 12 of sixth form and I'm not an awfully stupid kid; in my GCSE's I got mainly A's and B's. I'm doing my A Levels now however i have one problem. I still can't pass my Maths GCSE. In year 11 (my first time doing a maths GCSE) I got a D, 1 mark off a C. i sent it off for a remark however it came back exactly the same. This was a foundation paper. I did the resit in November and
i got the results a couple of weeks ago and this time i got an E! That time I also sat the foundation paper. My next resit is in summer (so i have lots of time to revise) and i will also be sitting for the higher paper because i have been told it is easier to pass than foundation. The teacher i have now for maths isn't very helpful at all so i was wondering if there are any websites or revision guides which can help me pass. I'm desperate to pass this time because it is an essential subject for me getting into university and i would rather pass it sooner than have to keep redoing it whilst I'm in year 13 when the work is getting predominantly harder and my focus will need to be on my A Levels.


MathsWatch + Past Papers
Original post by ...imrah
The best way to revise maths is essentially just to practice all the topics. Go onto 'corbettmaths' and do all the practice questions on there, they guide you from grade G to A* and the videos are really good if you don't understand the topic. You can also mark your answers to see how well you've done.
What exactly do you struggle with? The concept of what the question asks you or the actual working out?


thank you for the help I'll definitely use corbettmaths. I think i mainly struggle with actually working it out because the majority of the time i do understand the question.
Original post by Binary Freak
MathsWatch + Past Papers


thank you!! :h:
Original post by flippantri
Hegartymaths on YouTube is amazing. Also lots of past papers.


thank you i'll check that out!
thanks a lot:h:
Reply 9
Original post by lucx_s
thank you for the help I'll definitely use corbettmaths. I think i mainly struggle with actually working it out because the majority of the time i do understand the question.


No problem.
Whenever you come across a lengthy question always break it up because it is more than likely they want you to carry out more than one operation to get the answer. This will allow you to know what you are doing and keep you on track to get the answer right, hopefully! Always read the question numerous time even if you think you understand it. Apart from that all i can advise you to do is just to practice loads of questions and anything you don't understand it watch a video and then try to master it! Good luck :h:
I can totally relate. I am a year 13 student applying for uni and still haven't got my maths. Got a D in yr 11, yr 12 and this year November :frown: but I am not going to give up as I have gotten into all the unis I have applied for. I really don't want GCSE maths to be the reason I don't do well in my A-levels and I certainly don't want to be re-taking it whilst in uni because that's terribly embarrassing and I would have to start paying.
Keep trying and don't give up!!
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by justastudent321
I can totally relate. I am a year 13 student applying for uni and still haven't got my maths. Got a D in yr 11, yr 12 and this year November :frown: but I am not going to give up as I have gotten into all the unis I have applied for. I really don't want GCSE maths to be the reason I don't do well in my A-levels and I certainly don't want to be re-taking it whilst in uni because I would have to start paying.
Keep trying and don't give up!!
]

Well good luck in your next resit! And also well done on getting into the universities you have applied for! Did they not care that you didn't have a maths GCSE, because I'm really worried that I;m going to get rejected from university because of this. but I'm glad somebody else is in the same position as me. My sixth form are also making me pay each time that i resit which means that I have already spent £60 on maths exams. So besides getting into university I'm actually losing quite a lot of money because of the resits :s-smilie:
Reply 12
Pay for a private tutor.
Get a tutor.
Original post by lucx_s
]

Well good luck in your next resit! And also well done on getting into the universities you have applied for! Did they not care that you didn't have a maths GCSE, because I'm really worried that I;m going to get rejected from university because of this. but I'm glad somebody else is in the same position as me. My sixth form are also making me pay each time that i resit which means that I have already spent £60 on maths exams. So besides getting into university I'm actually losing quite a lot of money because of the resits :s-smilie:


Thank you so much! All/most courses want a grade C in maths GCSE but I think it really depends on the course, since my course isn't maths related (Politics & International Relations) I think they are more lenient. Also if your predicted grades , personal statement and reference are all really good then they will more than likely accept you. Your sixth form makes you pay?!! That must be really hard on you! I really hope for you to get it next time, and also make sure to do really well in your AS's. Good Luck!
Original post by lucx_s
Okay so firstly, I'm in year 12 of sixth form and I'm not an awfully stupid kid; in my GCSE's I got mainly A's and B's. I'm doing my A Levels now however i have one problem. I still can't pass my Maths GCSE. In year 11 (my first time doing a maths GCSE) I got a D, 1 mark off a C. i sent it off for a remark however it came back exactly the same. This was a foundation paper. I did the resit in November and
i got the results a couple of weeks ago and this time i got an E! That time I also sat the foundation paper. My next resit is in summer (so i have lots of time to revise) and i will also be sitting for the higher paper because i have been told it is easier to pass than foundation. The teacher i have now for maths isn't very helpful at all so i was wondering if there are any websites or revision guides which can help me pass. I'm desperate to pass this time because it is an essential subject for me getting into university and i would rather pass it sooner than have to keep redoing it whilst I'm in year 13 when the work is getting predominantly harder and my focus will need to be on my A Levels.


If you want any help with a question PM me! I'm in Year 12 as well but I did my GCSE maths last year.
Reply 16
http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/gcsetakeaway.htm

Excellent Maths website, I give it to all my students has questions,answers and videos. The higher paper is the method most colleges use to get students to pass. It is a different skill to foundation though. You will need to focus on question spotting and just trying to answer the questions you know/been taught, compared to trying every question in foundation.
Here's my advice - I sat my maths GCSE early because the top sets did at my school, higher tier, and to start with I was really uncertain as to whether or not I could perfect everything in such a short time. My first past paper, I got a D. What I did was I then starred each of the questions I got wrong, found the mark scheme online and found how to do each of the types of questions I struggled with. I then memorised these techniques and repeated the process. By the end of it, I was getting A* in practically all the papers I did.
Good luck!
I am in the same position as you. I just cant seem to bloody pass it. I revise ever so hard but always end up with a grade E for foundation paper and the same for higher paper..but i would recommend getting a tutor
Original post by lucx_s
]

Well good luck in your next resit! And also well done on getting into the universities you have applied for! Did they not care that you didn't have a maths GCSE, because I'm really worried that I;m going to get rejected from university because of this. but I'm glad somebody else is in the same position as me. My sixth form are also making me pay each time that i resit which means that I have already spent £60 on maths exams. So besides getting into university I'm actually losing quite a lot of money because of the resits :s-smilie:


my school are not charging me for resits LOL

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