ADVICE ON PREPARATION AND THE DAY ITSELF Your Maths GCSE - 2018 ADVICE ON PREPARATION AND THE DAY ITSELF

DATES AND FORMAT May 24th a.m. – calculator paper. June 7th a.m. – non-calculator paper. June 12th a.m. – calculator paper. Each paper has a 33.3% weighting and is comprised of around 25 questions which get progressively more difficult. The papers are 1 hour 30 minutes in duration. There are 100 marks per paper available and the total mark out of 300 will determine the overall grade.

EXAM BOARD AND RESOURCES OCR – home page is www.ocr.org.uk. Select ‘GCSE’ from the qualifications drop down menu, and then Maths from the subject list. Select ‘Mathematics (9-1) - J560’. You will then find links to sample papers and various other helpful resources. As this is the first year of the new GCSE there are no past- papers available. The other exam boards (Edexcel, WJEC, AQA) are also a useful source as the content for the maths GCSE is almost identical across all awarding bodies.

To get better, first identify what to improve Sample papers/past papers – when you’ve worked through a paper make a note of the questions you’ve got wrong. Your teacher will also use these papers to identify your weaknesses and will suggest priorities to work on. Classwork – refer back to classwork; what did you find difficult? Homework – what content did you find difficult doing independently?

How to revise and improve DECIDE WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU – IT’S NOT A ‘ONE SIZE FITS ALL’ SITUATION. Read over classwork examples and notes. Use revision guides and workbooks. Apps for mobiles are available – search ‘GCSE maths revision’ on Google play or App store. Mymaths.co.uk has online lessons. Your teacher will inform you of revision classes at lunch or after school. Try producing flash cards and notes to check your learning. Find a partner, family member or friend to help.

Useful Online websites www.mymaths.co.uk www.mrbartonmaths.com www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/gcse/maths/ http://studymaths.co.uk/ www.examsolutions.net/maths- revision/syllabuses/GCSE www.youtube.com http://www.mathsrevision.net/gcse-maths- revision Millions of others!

Be prepared for tough times and be realistic Exams are designed to test - there’ll be parts of the work you struggle with and times you feel you’re getting nowhere. Stick it out! The exam is a competition. Your definition of success may be different to that of other people – just do your very, very, very best and you can be proud of what you achieve.

On the day Bring your own equipment – you should especially make every effort to have a calculator that you are familiar with. Sleep well, eat well. Read, Think, Answer, Check – and double check if time permits. Show each and every stage of your working – the examiners cannot read your mind! Get your calculations down on the paper. Your working may produce something worth a mark even if your final answer is inaccurate. Do not leave questions blank – guess if absolutely necessary! Use all the time allowed.

GOOD LUCK!