How to Excel in Maths: Your Guide to Mastering Exam Papers 1-3

Embark on the journey to success in GCSE Maths with Mitansh's expert guide, where he shares his journey to achieving a remarkable grade 9. Gain invaluable insights into exam structure, time management, and effective approaches to commonly tested topics. Let Mitansh's expertise propel you towards success as you master revision strategies and confidence-building resources.

Recognising the Structure

1.      Paper 1: Non-calculator:

·         Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

·         Overview: Fundamental yet key mathematic skills will be tested here, including numbers, algebra, statistics and geometry

·         Hot tip: You may be tested on exact trigonometric values, so make sure to have these memorised like the back of your hand!

2.      Paper 2: Calculator:

·         Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

·         The exam will test your problem-solving skills in the same topics as Paper 1

·         Hot tip: You can solve quadratic equations directly from your calculator! Follow these steps: Menu, Alpha, A, 2. Input your values and hit enter to find out your x-values!

3.      Paper 3: Calculator:

·         Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

·         Overview: The final paper will assess the more advanced mathematic concepts, including trigonometry, vectors and probability

Time Management

The last 5-10 questions are intentionally increasingly harder than the first few questions, and so more time will be needed for each question. It stops becoming a “mark per minute”. You will need to be confident with the basics of maths, so you can save yourself time in the first questions and allocate time for the harder questions.

Here are some strategies to maximise your efficiency in the final exam:

·         Practise timed mock exams to gauge your speed and figure out what takes up the most time.

·         If you get stuck on a challenging question, don’t spend more than 2 minutes thinking about what to do - move on, and come back later (there may even be a similar question later which might help you with that one!)

·         Make sure to check how many marks each question is worth- prioritise easier high-mark questions over harder low-mark questions.

·         If you finish your exam early, don’t go to sleep! Redo each question and cross-check your answers.

Commonly Tested Topics and How To Approach Them

Algebra: Most algebra related questions involve manipulation, so this is a key skill to master. A lot of students tend to make errors through expanding and simplifying incorrectly, which can lose you a lot of marks! Thankfully, there’s a really simple tip to make sure you’re correct: every time you factorise or expand, do the calculation in the opposite way to check you get the same answer.

For example, if you’ve just simplified 4x + 8 to 4(x + 2), expand out your answer and it should come back to 4x + 8

Geometry: You may be asked to find the surface area or volume of a shape, so its important to familiarise with the formulae for all common shapes. If, in the exam, you can’t figure out how to get the answer - write down any relevant formulae that you think of and plug the values you know in, and you will at least get a few working marks. There is a high chance that your geometry question will involve trigonometry or Pythagoras’ Theorem (or both!), so make sure you have these concepts nailed.

Statistics: Familiarise yourself with the concepts of mean, median, mode and range. The best way to make sure you’re able to do these questions in exams is to practise the topic of frequency so you’re proficient in interpreting data accurately and drawing conclusions.

Number: Develop fluency in the basic numerical operations, such as fractions, decimals and percentages. You should also be able to simplify surds and work with indices, as these topics come up often.

Vectors: Personally, I found very vectors very difficult. I overcame this by finding as many vectors as I could in the question, regardless of their relevance. By doing this, I was able to find a path to the final vector.

Revision Strategies and resources

Maths is not a reading and making notes subject! The best way to revise maths is to do each type of question that could come up. Even if you aren’t completely confident in the topic, work through the easier questions and then build your confidence up in attempting the more challenging questions.

There is a multitude of resources where you can practise specific questions, or whole papers:

-          CGP textbooks have notes as well as questions at the end of each topic, but I would only use this resource to learn, rather than revise.

-          Madasmaths.com has plenty of questions for every topic, with worked solutions for each question. The questions become rather repetitive, but this may help you solidify your understanding in the topic.

-          Physicsandmathstutor.com and Savemyexams.com both give you access to many past papers and past paper questions, and the worked solutions are available on either their website or on YouTube.

Remember, success in the final exam isn't solely determined by innate ability but by consistent effort and effective preparation. Embrace the challenge, stay focused, and trust in your abilities. With diligent revision and strategic approach, you're destined to shine brightly on exam day!