For those of you who are looking towards your GCSE revision now, here are our Top Tips for GCSE Maths success!
Getting formulas onto one page
When revising for Maths, creating a formula sheet is an effective way to kick-start your work! You should include formulas that will and will not be given to you in your exam. This will also give you a quick point of reference when doing revision practice. By constant referral to your formula sheet you will find it easier to memorise them and to use them more accurately.
Past paper practice
This is single-handedly the most important tip out there. With Maths, there is nothing more valuable than practising questions. By marking your attempts against official mark schemes you can see where you have gone wrong and what examiners are looking for.
Balance revision
In GCSEs, pupils often miss out revising certain topics because they think it is beyond their understanding. If you have a weak link, work to improve your confidence because it can stop you gaining marks in questions that relate to your ‘strong’ topics. Focus your revision on the topics you are struggling with so you aren’t blindsided in the exam.
Revise your calculator
You NEED to know your calculator inside out. It is so easy to mess up the answer to a whole question because you inputted a number incorrectly; you rounded too soon; you put the brackets in the wrong place. Don’t let your hard work and revision be ruined in the exam by silly mistakes on a calculator.
Time yourself
When attempting past papers to begin with, give yourself more time than is allocated because you will need to refer to your notes and look things up. The closer the exam gets, though, the more important it is to practise papers in timed conditions. Furthermore, you need to get to a point where you don’t use your notes to help you. You might think to yourself that you will be fine and remember them on the day, but if you don’t try to go ‘blind’ beforehand, there is a risk you will draw a blank with certain methods and formulas when you really need them!
If you take these tips on board, success will follow.