Take our quiz to find out what your revision personality is! >>

In need of help

hi I got a grade 2 in my maths GCSE mock and I don't think I can get a four to pass and after the summer holidays I'm in year 11 (my final year), I'm really stressing, and i really want to pass. I have been revising every day this summer on all subjects the main ones (science and English I haven't passed) I'm really hoping that I could pass is there anything that I could do to get a 4?

Reply 1

beaquin

Original post by Heavenlyhehhe

Hey! I've taken my A Levels now, so Maths GCSE was a while back, but I found it really hard at the time. I did do a lot of work though, and managed to get my grade up to an 8 by the actual thing, so it is possible!

The main thing I learnt when revising maths at GCSE level was that even though practice might not seem that useful, as you're never going to see that exact question again, learning how to answer each type of question will help you a lot, as the papers don't actually vary that much.

I suggest you look at a few past papers and write down what type of question each of the first, say, 10 questions are e.g. multiplying & dividing fractions, calculating area of an irregular shape, the AND/OR probability rules, etc.

Then look in your textbook at each topic, working through one by one, and try to write yourself an explanation of how to tackle that type of question. It might seem like a daunting task, but a lot of the early questions use the same few techniques over and over again, and learning how to do these confidently will really boost your confidence, and give you more time to look at later, harder questions.

If you just focus on one area each day, you'll still make loads of progress by the end of summer. Write yourself clear, simple instructions for how to do it. When you do try practice questions, really consciously write out your working for each step of your method (it might be helpful to write a = sign at the start of each new line if you are simplifying or just developing your answer - see attached). Then just do practice questions and mark them yourself and keep going until you can get 5 or even 10 right in a row.

I've attached an expanding brackets example, since it's something I can remember well from GCSE, so you can see how clear and systematic it can be. I find it makes everything less overwhelming.

Good luck!

(edited 8 months ago)

Screenshot 2023-08-13 175247.png13.4KB