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HELP!!! Really worried about my A-Level Maths resit next month

I was only a few marks of an A last year and i really need an A to meet my offer criteria for my chosen uni course. I haven't revised as much as i probably should have at this point (started in March but it's been on and off) and now i'm extremely anxious because if i don't get this A then i'm genuinely screwed. My family spent lots of money so i can resit privately so i don't wanna mess this up as it will cause a lot of drama and i also really want to get into uni this year. Is it possible to turn this around in the next few weeks?

I have started doing practice and past papers now in exam conditions and stuff and i'm making a revision timetable as we speak (i can handle 6 - 8 hours a day as i'm on a gap year wth no job atm ).

Any actual advice would be greatly appreciated rn because i feel like i'm gonna spiral. Thanks in advance :smile:

Edit: Oh my days...i must change my username 🙃

Edit 2: Y'ALL I GOT MY A!!!
(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 1

Original post by simonghostriley
I was only a few marks of an A last year and i really need an A to meet my offer criteria for my chosen uni course. I haven't revised as much as i probably should have at this point (started in March but it's been on and off) and now i'm extremely anxious because if i don't get this A then i'm genuinely screwed. My family spent lots of money so i can resit privately so i don't wanna mess this up as it will cause a lot of drama and i also really want to get into uni this year. Is it possible to turn this around in the next few weeks?
I have started doing practice and past papers now in exam conditions and stuff and i'm making a revision timetable as we speak (i can handle 6 - 8 hours a day as i'm on a gap year wth no job atm ).
Any actual advice would be greatly appreciated rn because i feel like i'm gonna spiral. Thanks in advance :smile:
Edit: Oh my days...i must change my username 🙃
I started studying for my actual A levels a month before the first test date. I found that burnout is really something you should be wary of. Maths could be the most therapeutic of exams especially if you know what you are doing. I think I only started to learn effectively knowing how I would approach the paper first. I became familiar with how to use the formula booklet, how to make the best use of my graphing calculator, and how to approach questions in an orderly manner. Did a week of revision by simply going through old lesson materials and really working on my weak units (differentiation, trig, and integration). Then I started doing around 2-3 PPQs a day with instrumental music. Spacing out your revision I think could help. I did 1 paper after breakfast and usually one at night. Make sure to give yourself some rest time in between to keep yourself sane (idk go for a walk, read a book, eat something you like). I think approaching maths with a clear and relaxed mind = useful. Remember that exam conditions still means you could take a bathroom/water break.

Here are a few tips I used (I too was shy of the A* grade boundary by a couple of marks):

Write all your working out and never cross em out. When I wasn’t sure of my answer, I tried different methods of working out the question and left the examiner to pick the right one (they never penalise). You can get the wrong answers but still score a couple of marks for logical working out (error carried forward sort of thing).

Underlining key info given in questions. Any number and every unit is given for a reason. I remember losing 2 marks over not paying attention to the fact that the question asked for the answers in hours instead of days.

When doing PPQs see how the mark scheme approaches the question. If unsure, maybe watch YT walkthroughs of that paper.

Reply 2

Original post by simonghostriley
I was only a few marks of an A last year and i really need an A to meet my offer criteria for my chosen uni course. I haven't revised as much as i probably should have at this point (started in March but it's been on and off) and now i'm extremely anxious because if i don't get this A then i'm genuinely screwed. My family spent lots of money so i can resit privately so i don't wanna mess this up as it will cause a lot of drama and i also really want to get into uni this year. Is it possible to turn this around in the next few weeks?
I have started doing practice and past papers now in exam conditions and stuff and i'm making a revision timetable as we speak (i can handle 6 - 8 hours a day as i'm on a gap year wth no job atm ).
Any actual advice would be greatly appreciated rn because i feel like i'm gonna spiral. Thanks in advance :smile:
Edit: Oh my days...i must change my username 🙃

Hi @simonghostriley ,

I understanding that revision could be stressful. I remember sitting for my A-level Mathematics . I’d suggest that as you are already doing to create a revision schedule, try to focus on the areas that you don’t understand or tend to lost the most marks. Review the format of the exam paper and learn how to understand the mark scheme so you know exactly were the marks are going.

Practicing questions mainly on the topic areas of weakness. As well as knowing the weighting of each section in the exam, Stats, Mechanics and Core Mathematics.

Wishing you the best with your upcoming exam.
Kaprice R
LSBU Rep

Reply 3

Original post by tulipbloom
I started studying for my actual A levels a month before the first test date. I found that burnout is really something you should be wary of. Maths could be the most therapeutic of exams especially if you know what you are doing. I think I only started to learn effectively knowing how I would approach the paper first. I became familiar with how to use the formula booklet, how to make the best use of my graphing calculator, and how to approach questions in an orderly manner. Did a week of revision by simply going through old lesson materials and really working on my weak units (differentiation, trig, and integration). Then I started doing around 2-3 PPQs a day with instrumental music. Spacing out your revision I think could help. I did 1 paper after breakfast and usually one at night. Make sure to give yourself some rest time in between to keep yourself sane (idk go for a walk, read a book, eat something you like). I think approaching maths with a clear and relaxed mind = useful. Remember that exam conditions still means you could take a bathroom/water break.
Here are a few tips I used (I too was shy of the A* grade boundary by a couple of marks):

Write all your working out and never cross em out. When I wasn’t sure of my answer, I tried different methods of working out the question and left the examiner to pick the right one (they never penalise). You can get the wrong answers but still score a couple of marks for logical working out (error carried forward sort of thing).

Underlining key info given in questions. Any number and every unit is given for a reason. I remember losing 2 marks over not paying attention to the fact that the question asked for the answers in hours instead of days.

When doing PPQs see how the mark scheme approaches the question. If unsure, maybe watch YT walkthroughs of that paper.


Oh no! But hey, you still got an A which is incredible. Hope you got where you needed to be :smile:

Thank you so much for your advice - it's very useful! And yeah i'm currently going through my weakest topics this week and next whilst also attempting past papers too in exam conditions. I don't think i've ever crossed my working out to be honest for that exact reason you mentioned as well. Right now, it's not therapeutic lol but it will be soon. I have hope. I love maths really haha.

If you think of anything else to add, please do! I would be eternally grateful!
(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 4

Original post by LSBU Student Rep
Hi @simonghostriley ,
I understanding that revision could be stressful. I remember sitting for my A-level Mathematics . I’d suggest that as you are already doing to create a revision schedule, try to focus on the areas that you don’t understand or tend to lost the most marks. Review the format of the exam paper and learn how to understand the mark scheme so you know exactly were the marks are going.
Practicing questions mainly on the topic areas of weakness. As well as knowing the weighting of each section in the exam, Stats, Mechanics and Core Mathematics.
Wishing you the best with your upcoming exam.
Kaprice R
LSBU Rep

Really appreciate this! Yeah, i'm focusing on my weakest areas this week and next. Thank you!

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