Revision Tips for GCSE/IGCSE Maths Exams 7: Exam Technique 2: Five ways to increase your score

This is the 7th in a new series of blogs for students revising GCSE Maths, or IGCSE Maths in preparation for the AQA GCSE Mathematics or Edexcel IGCSE Mathematics exams.

Exam Technique 2 : Five ways to increase your score

Following a few simple rules when completing your exam paper could dramatically improve your result. These are my top 5 exam tips for GCSE/IGCSE Mathematics.

1.  Make sure that you complete all question parts.

This may sound obvious but it is all too easy to answer parts a and b of a question but miss out part c.

2.  Reread the question once you have answered it

Another common mistake is to misread the question very slightly and therefore get the answer wrong.

3.  Write everything down

This is particularly true with calculator questions – write down everything you type into your calculator just in case you have made a mistake somewhere.  Most GCSE and IGCSE questions have some marks for correct working even if the answer is wrong.

4.  Check your rounding

Make sure that you have given your answer to the degree of accuracy specified in the question. Be careful not to mix up rounding to 3 decimal places with rounding to 3 significant figures.

5.  Use units of measurement

If an answer requires a unit of measurement make sure that you give it. Take care not to confuse cm which are used for length and cm² which are used for volume.

Debby Gill

Maths tutor