Maths GCSE - How to increase marks

Do as many geometry questions as possible until you are thoroughly familiar with all aspects of geometry (including coordinate geometry).

I'm aiming for a 9 in maths or at the very minimum 8 in maths this summer but I've done all 9 spec papers and very weirdly I've consistently hit 47-49 in each and every one of them. To get 8 I need to be getting around 52-54 per paper and for 9 I need 63-66 per paper. I'm getting almost no marks on the geometry questions which make up 20% of the paper. What general tips do you have, or especially for the geometry questions?

Thanks

I'm aiming for a 9 in maths or at the very minimum 8 in maths this summer but I've done all nine spec papers and very weirdly I've consistently hit 47-49 in each and every one of them. To get 8 I need to be getting around 52-54 per paper and for 9 I need 63-66 per paper. I'm getting almost no marks on the geometry questions which make up 20% of the paper. What general tips do you have, or especially for the geometry questions?

Thanks

For geometry questions, you need to show ALL your working out and reasons. The new GCSE is very strict about working out so even if you get the correct answer, you may lose marks for not giving all your reasons.

Don't just memorize your circle theorems, memorize proofs for your circle theorems too. This came up on my last mock exam.

Do calculations on your calculator twice. I lost 2 marks on my last paper because I entered a number in my calculator wrong.

Some people in my class forgot that there is a positive and negative square root, so check that at the end of the paper if you have time.

For comparison questions with box plots / cumulative frequency, it's normally worth 2 marks. To get the 1st mark, give 1 or 2 comparisons without context. For the 2nd mark give 2 comparisons and give context for at least 1 comparison. For example, say that a higher median means a larger average and a larger inter quartile range means a greater spread of data.

Memorize your circle theorems EXACTLY as they appear in your exam boards mark schemes. You could lose marks if you word them wrong, even if they give the same meaning.

Read examiner reports for old and new spec exams. The examiner report should be on your exam boards website around May. It tells you where students often lost marks, and how you can avoid losing them.

It might seem silly, but get to know your calculator really well. I use a Casio FX-85 GT. Most people in my class use a Sharp but I don't because it doesn't put the brackets in after you use trig functions.

Learn calculator tricks! You can simplify ratios on a Casio by inputting them as fractions to save time. Also, you can do prime factorizations on a Casio by pressing the number, then =, then SHIFT, then FACT.

For 3D geometry questions, draw plenty of diagrams and label the sides as you find them.

And don't stress about losing marks now. You still have plenty of time until the real exams. The easiest way to lose marks is to panic in the exam hall and forget something or write something down wrong.

Good luck

There are lots of geometry questions on www.mathsgenie.co.uk

For grade 7-9 geometry questions, I suggest using the CGP grade 9 practice book for your exam board.

Thanks a lot!