How to revise GCSE Maths for a grade 6-7
I'm in Year 11 and was originally on Foundation Maths in Year 10, where I found the content relatively easy and got top marks. My school moved me to Higher because they thought I could get at least a grade 6, but I was reluctant since I hadn’t been taught any of the Higher content and the quality of teaching at my school isnt the best.
In my first Year 11 Higher mock, I just scraped a grade 5 (26/81 on Paper 1, 40/82 on Paper 2). Since then, I’ve put in a lot of effort—doing Corbett Maths 5-a-day, past papers with video walkthroughs, and focusing on weak topics. Despite this, todays Paper 1 mock felt worse than my last one, and I still struggle to answer half the paper.
I'm okay with a grade 5, but it feels like I’m barely holding onto it, and I’m worried about a difficult GCSE paper dropping me to a 4 or lower. The amount of Higher content is overwhelming, and since most of my maths knowledge is at Foundation level, I don’t know how to properly learn and retain it in the short time left. It’s frustrating because I do fine in most other subjects (around 7-9s), but maths feels like it's holding me back despite my best efforts.
How can I evaluate and strengthen my Higher Maths knowledge efficiently? Any strategies for making the content stick and managing the workload better? Would really appreciate any advice
In my first Year 11 Higher mock, I just scraped a grade 5 (26/81 on Paper 1, 40/82 on Paper 2). Since then, I’ve put in a lot of effort—doing Corbett Maths 5-a-day, past papers with video walkthroughs, and focusing on weak topics. Despite this, todays Paper 1 mock felt worse than my last one, and I still struggle to answer half the paper.
I'm okay with a grade 5, but it feels like I’m barely holding onto it, and I’m worried about a difficult GCSE paper dropping me to a 4 or lower. The amount of Higher content is overwhelming, and since most of my maths knowledge is at Foundation level, I don’t know how to properly learn and retain it in the short time left. It’s frustrating because I do fine in most other subjects (around 7-9s), but maths feels like it's holding me back despite my best efforts.
How can I evaluate and strengthen my Higher Maths knowledge efficiently? Any strategies for making the content stick and managing the workload better? Would really appreciate any advice
Reply 1
I have a few things to say:
1) Maths papers usually make you feel like you've done worse than you have. Wait until you get your score back. Remember that paper 1 is non calculator, meaning that the grade boundaries usually slip.
2) I don't think there's much more to do for maths other than do past paper questions. It's about repetition, unlike other subjects. You either understand the facts or you don't. Increasing the workload, especially for GCSE, isn't worth it. Put your mental health above achieving a "high" grade.
1) Maths papers usually make you feel like you've done worse than you have. Wait until you get your score back. Remember that paper 1 is non calculator, meaning that the grade boundaries usually slip.
2) I don't think there's much more to do for maths other than do past paper questions. It's about repetition, unlike other subjects. You either understand the facts or you don't. Increasing the workload, especially for GCSE, isn't worth it. Put your mental health above achieving a "high" grade.
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