How to Revise for GCSE Maths

Maths cannot be revised by reading. The only way to get better is to do questions, mark them honestly, and fix what went wrong.

Step 1: Rate every topic

Use your exam board's topic list (AQA, Edexcel or OCR) and mark each topic red, amber or green. Spend most of your time on amber topics: they give the biggest mark gains for the least effort.

Step 2: Do questions in three stages

• Topic questions to build each method until it is automatic
• Mixed questions to practise recognising which method a question needs
• Timed past papers in the final six to eight weeks, marked with the official mark scheme

Step 3: Keep an error log

Write down every mistake and what you should have done. Most students lose marks to the same five or six errors repeatedly. Reread the log before every paper.

Step 4: Space it out

Three 40 minute sessions across a week beat one long Sunday session. Revisit each amber topic after two days, then a week, then two weeks. See our guide to spaced repetition and active recall.

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