Revising For Gcse Maths 9-1

The format of GCSE Maths has recently changed to a grading system of 1 to 9 (as opposed to A*-E). Grades 8 and 9 are equivalent to the current A* grade, whilst grade 7 is equivalent to an A. The usual pass mark of a C has now become a grade 4 or 5.

Whilst the grading system has changed, the syllabus is largely the same, meaning the past papers can still be used for revision. However, the exam format differs in the new structure, with students now sitting 3 separate exams, as opposed to the usual 2. The exams will comprise of 2 calculator papers, and 1 non-calculator paper, each of which will be 1 and a half hours long. This format is the same across all exam boards, including AQA, Edexcel and OCR. Each of the exam boards has provided sample and specimen exam papers on their websites for students and teachers to use as revision material. Whilst this is useful, students will find they need much more material in order to revise from. This is where past papers, from the old specification, can become useful.

In general, the questions throughout the Maths GCSE papers get harder towards the end of the paper. Therefore, if you are aiming for a grade 4/5, you are better off focusing on getting a solid understanding of the questions in the first half of the paper, before trying to revise the later topics and question types. Similarly, if you are aiming for a grade 7 (equivalent to a grade A), it is probably in your best interests to focus on the first 3/4 of the papers and ensure that you are comfortable answering the large majority of these questions. Once you have a good understanding of this, you can then move on to the harder grade 8 and 9 questions, where you may be able to pick up a few extra marks as a buffer.