The maths GCSE is taken by pretty much everyone in the British curriculum, and it’s famously one of the more challenging papers. Despite this, you can still get an A or A* if you just use these tips. Trust me – if I can survive the impossible circle question, you can do it too.
Past papers
Examiners like to repeat topics, so make sure that you do as many practice papers as possible. This can also help you ensure that you’re getting acquainted with the most difficult questions students have encountered. Try to do as many practice papers as you can, or ideally all of them! This might seem like a lot of work, but there really aren’t that many past papers out there, so you’ll get through them pretty quickly. To find past papers, google “your exam board + maths + past paper”. Make sure you’re doing the right tier! I’ve often wondered why my questions seem to be going so well before I realise I’ve accidentally been doing a foundation paper.
Identify your weaknesses
Don’t waste time on the easy topics. Go through the past papers you’ve answered and work out which topics you’re struggling with. Then, get acquainted with the topic by watching explanatory youtube videos and answering practice questions. This is really important, since the examiners can ask you about any topic, including the one you’re bad at. In order to get a 9, you need to be comfortable with all the topics in the specification.
Take mocks seriously
Study for your mocks just like you would for your actual GCSE. It’s the closest you’ll get to the real thing, so use this as an opportunity to predict what you’ll get for the final exam. Study hard and then analyse your mock paper to see which areas you have to work on.
Start revising early
Because GCSEs start in May, you should aim to start studying NOW. This is vital, since you need to have enough time to revise all the content you want to while spreading out your revision so that you don’t start to burn out. Leaving it all until the last minute is a very risky move, since you’ll have so many other GCSE subjects to study for.
Check your work
The easiest way to loose marks in the maths GCSE is to not check your work. After you answer each question and when you finish the paper, check your work. Make sure you read the question right, did what it asked you to do, and wrote in the correct units. Try to memorise this checklist and run through it at the end of the paper. Don’t lose marks to silly mistakes!
