1、GCSE MATHEMATICSHOW TO IMPROVE YOUR GRADE THE EASY WAYEQUIPMENT:Most students bring all the correct equipment(Pens,Pencils,Ruler,Angle measurer/protractor,Calculator)However there is a lot of evidence which shows they simply dont use it!DIAGRAMS:Almost all diagrams are NOT drawn to scale.Many studen
2、ts ignore this fact.They simply measure angles and lines without calculating them and consequently get no marks.READ THE QUESTION:It is recommended that you read the question TWICE.There is plenty of time.You can underline the important parts of a question if you wish toCALCULATORS Make sure you can
3、 read a display that is in Standard Form.No credit is given for writing an answer as 1.6306.Make sure your calculator is set in the DEG modeFAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH YOUR OWN CALCULATORBRING IT TO SCHOOL EVERY DAYDONT RELY ON THE SCHOOLS CALCULATOR WHICH MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT LOGIC SYSTEM TO YOURS.ME
4、THODS:Working out MUST be shown.There are a lot of method marks available and it is recommended that all relevant stages of working are shown.Incorrect answer and no working gains no marks If correct working is shown and a careless error results in an incorrect answer you could gain 4 out of 5 marks
5、 availableMATHS SPECIFIC ERRORSPROBABILITYA very large number of answers are still given as 1 in 2 or 5 out of 1O.These are incorrect.Answers should be decimals,fractions or percentages.As a general rule if the question uses fractions then give your answer as a fraction.Reminder:A probability answer
6、 cannot be greater than 1!UNITS You will have to give your own units for at least one question.Units of length,volume and area are frequently mixed up by students.Learn them.Learn common Metric to Imperial conversions.e g 1 kg=2.2 lbs,1 mile=1.6 Km.1 Gallon=4.55 Litres etc.Reminder:There are 52 week
7、s in a year.(Many students use 50)UNITSEven if not asked to always write down units at the end of a questionIf a question contains mm and cm it Is a good idea to convert all to the same ACCURACY Do not round answers off until the very last line of working.Use the calculator memory function and notat
8、ion such as 16.534.This is especially important in trigonometry questions.(There is a significant difference between 23x1.66 and 23x1.66666666)If you are asked to measure a line and it measures 9.1cm use 9.1cm.Do not assume that the line is supposed to be 9cm long.TRIAL AND IMPROVEMENT Usually there
9、 will be a table for you to write your attempts in.You do not need to fill in all the rows.You must have at least one trial above and one trial below the correct answer.ANSWERSIf the question asks you to give the answer to 1dp,2sf or in Standard form you will lose at least one mark every time you fa
10、il to do so.PERCENTAGE CHANGEWhen asked for a sale price many students work out the reduction correctly but then fail to take it away from the original price losing at least 1 markFORMULA SHEETSMake sure you know what is going to be given you on a formula sheet.Intermediate:Only the area of a trapez
11、ium and volume of a prism are given.What formulae do you need to know?For borderline grade C studentsFor borderline grade C studentsIt is also usually best to avoidavoid the very hardest grade Bvery hardest grade B topicstopics(eg Trigonometry and Simultaneous Equations)These can take up a lot of re
12、vision time.They actually arent worth that many marks and there are quickerquicker and easier topicseasier topics to revise first.You need around 55%55%in the Intermediate GCSEMaths exam paper to get a Maths GCSEgrade CMaths GCSEgrade C.DontDont just concentrateconcentrate on the C gradeC grade ques
13、tions.Just as importantJust as important are the earlierearlier(and easiereasier)questionsquestions on the exam paper.Make sure you have revised thoroughlyrevised thoroughly these easier grade D and grade Eeasier grade D and grade E questions These are worth 50%50%of the Intermediate GCSE MathsInter
14、mediate GCSE Maths marks.HIGHER PAPERS ONLYHIGHER PAPERS ONLYHOWTOGETGRADEA:HOWTOGETGRADEA:Revise the easier questions Revise the easier questionsYou need around 60%60%in the HigherMaths GCSEexam to get a grade Agrade A.Cover thoroughlyCover thoroughly the easier grade Ceasier grade C and grade Bgrade Bquestions,as these cover the first 50%of the Higher Maths GCSE examIT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED THAT BY FOLLOWING THESE GUIDELINES STUDENTS CAN IMPROVE THEIR MARKS BY UP TO 10/oTHE AVERAGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A gradeD AND A grade C IS ONLY 4%!
