11 Plus Exams Forum

my child is preparing for GCSE maths.
he is currently in 2nd sets at school and is aiming to achieve "A" grades.
Can anyone suggest a good study guide or tutors that can help prepare them for the exams?
He is very keen to continue studying maths at University

We used the Letts Revision guide and workbook and also the "Letts GCSE to A* in a week." There were things like "completing the square", which both I and dd struggled with, so we did turn to Khan Academy videos for the bits we had difficulty with. I do not wish to start another controversy on this site by mentioning this as I know others do not like Khan Academy. It is, however, what we did and I'm quite happy for you to be pointed in the direction of other sites which others find more appropriate.

One thing we did which I found of real benefit was to do lots of mock tests. It is important then to go through the mark scheme so the student can then see where the marks are being dropped. Also learning the phrases which come up in answers year after year saves time in the exam.

Be aware that if he is in set 2 he may not learn the whole of the syllabus, but the revision guides will fill the gaps. If he has an enthusiasm for maths that is half the battle. If he feels it is getting difficult remind him that if he just gives it a rest until the next day his subconscious will work on it and it will seem easier when he returns to it. Maths, for some reason, is like that.

Also, I believe universities look for those students who show an interest in thinking things through in maths, not just learning and understanding the syllabus. Once GCSE is over the Nrich or UKMT websites could give him some ideas and things to work on. (It is also lots more fun).

http://www.stuckonhomework.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; has really helpful videos on all the KS 3 topics for free, and then you can subscribe to GCSE/IGCSE videos, (and A level) or buy a Cd/ROM (used to be able to use Tesco club card points, not sure now). My DD understands these videos really well - even when she hasn't understood other explanations.

All sets in both my son's gs do the complete maths gcse syllabus, seems odd to believe a school may not. The top set does further maths and extra quizzes, enrichment and competitions in prep towards A level.
My son will be in middle gcse set, he uses mymaths and letts to help him, he has no desire at all to pursue maths at uni though, his school given target is A ....hmmm, maybe if he gets a bit keener!

This is a thread from 2009 ... the school will advise on the best resources for their syllabus.

Oops, sorry, my fault. Must have flipped onto a past page in the forum by accident.

Never mind, you gave useful tips. Would be helpful to some.