Edexcel A-level Pure Maths 1 - 5th June 2019 [Exam Discussion]

How is everyone preparing for paper 3?

Reply 186

SkylineS4

How is everyone preparing for paper 3?
Also has anyone done that hardest maths question that someone posted a few days ago about the binomial expansion simplification from the OCR June 2018 stats and mechanics paper?

Reply 187

Wurzite123

14

Original post by SkylineS4

How is everyone preparing for paper 3?

I’m focusing on pure this week and then the shifting more focus on paper 3 next week. We still have over two weeks till paper 2 so it’s quite ‘far’ away

Reply 188

Drakonson

Original post by SkylineS4

How is everyone preparing for paper 3?

My maths teachers forced us to revise backwards so in essence I'm ready for Paper 3 but not the other 2 papers 😂

Reply 189

Original post by Lemur14

I've done the AQA Paper 1 (have paper 2 to do later this week too), I thought it was quite tough (for perspective I'm typically scoring low 90s on Edexcel papers except 2018 paper 2 where I had a disaster, but on that paper I think I was 70s)

I can't quite get to the bottom of this, are you scoring 90% on old spec papers?

Original post by Lemur14

but there were also a couple of things my teacher said wouldn't come up on Edexcel that then did on AQA which considering the near identical specifications is a little concerning

I thought the Specs were meant to be essentially identical, can you give an example of a topic which is not on Edexcel but which is on AQA

Original post by Lemur14

And then the 10 marker maximising the rectangle in the circle where I looked at it, had the answer in 2 lines and had no clue how to do calculus to get it :facepalm:

It wasn't awful, I just felt it was asking many questions at the higher end whereas there might not be so many in an exam where they're expecting a wider range of abilities than last year!

The more I look at the Papers, the more they remind me of the new GCSE which is in large part designed to differentiate between Grade 8 and Grade 9 - I think something like half the paper is explicitly intended for that purpose - no source other than my own memory for that though.

What I'm getting at is I think the Papers are written independent of cohort and this year's will be largely similar to last year's across all boards.

Reply 190

msbx

Original post by muqeet137

cool thanks. I have to do all madas, zigzag, 2018 papers for other exam boards and cgp papers by next week loool.

same looool

Reply 191

Original post by Notnek

I would also include OCR MEI in your list.

I haven't done those - so I can't have a solid opinion, but I skimmed over them a couple of days ago, and they certainly look very good.

Reply 192

I can't get beyond doing the Stats/Mechanics for other boards. Apart from LDS questions (a handful of marks) they are the best/only guide to the type of questions that will be on P3.

They also prepare you for topics not on Edexcel 2018.

Original post by SkylineS4

How is everyone preparing for paper 3?
Also has anyone done that hardest maths question that someone posted a few days ago about the binomial expansion simplification from the OCR June 2018 stats and mechanics paper?

Reply 193

Hapax_42

14

Original post by -David.S-

A link to some maths papers, pearson practice papers, ZIGZAG papers, specimen papers, past papers etc - https://ufile.io/8dev83wo . Link to Madas website for his papers - https://www.madasmaths.com/

just moving this to the top in case anyone still needs it

Reply 194

AQA Paper 1 Q5

A good example of a topic not on Edexcel 2018 QP (from memory) or on any C3, C4 Papers because it's new to the Spec. It'd be very easy to overlook this topic if you didn't do this question.

Examiner's Report said something like 50% scored well, 50% scored nothing.

And it's tied in with parameters. (I think this make is synoptic, but don't quote me.)

A very good practice/preparation question imo.

aqa p1 q5.PNG

Reply 195

Notnek

21

Original post by Surfer Rosa

I can't quite get to the bottom of this, are you scoring 90% on old spec papers?

I thought the Specs were meant to be essentially identical, can you give an example of a topic which is not on Edexcel but which is on AQA

The more I look at the Papers, the more they remind me of the new GCSE which is in large part designed to differentiate between Grade 8 and Grade 9 - I think something like half the paper is explicitly intended for that purpose - no source other than my own memory for that though.

Yes 50% of questions at GCSE are aimed at grades 7-9.

Reply 196

neon1041

How many people are doing STEP

Reply 197

Notnek

21

Original post by Surfer Rosa

I thought the Specs were meant to be essentially identical, can you give an example of a topic which is not on Edexcel but which is on AQA

I don't think I know any topics in AQA and not in Edexcel but there definitely are differences e.g. Ofqual's prescribed content says,

"Understand and use moments in simple static contexts"

Edexcel and OCR have interpreted this to include old M2 statics questions e.g. ladder problems. But AQA don't include these types of questions and they confirmed this here.

I've tried hard to find a definitive list of differences but haven't been successful. It's a bit concerning since I'm encouraging students to try papers across all exam boards but there could be other topic differences that I'm not aware of.

Reply 198