Mocks are coming. For a lot of Year 11s they're in the winter, but every school sets its own dates, so check yours first and count back four weeks. That's all the time this plan needs.

Mocks matter for two reasons. They're often used to help decide your tier and your predicted grade. And they're the best practice you'll get for the real thing. A mock you prepared for properly tells you far more than one you walked into cold.

This plan is built around past papers, because that's what works. Reading notes feels productive. Doing papers and fixing mistakes actually is.

Before you start

You'll need:

• Past papers for your board and tier, with mark schemes. Edexcel or AQA, Foundation or Higher. If you don't know which, ask your teacher.
• A calculator and a timer.
• A notebook for mistakes. This becomes the most useful thing you own.

Remember how the exam works: three papers, each 1 hour 30 minutes. Paper 1 is non-calculator. Papers 2 and 3 allow a calculator. Practise both.

Week 1: find out where you are

Do one full paper under exam conditions. Time it, no notes, no phone. Then mark it properly with the mark scheme.

Now the important bit. Go through every lost mark and sort it:

1. Slips. You knew how, but made an arithmetic error, misread the question or skipped working.
2. Nearly. You got started but got stuck.
3. No idea. You didn't know where to begin.

Write each one in your mistakes notebook with the topic name. By the end of week one you'll have a list that tells you exactly what to revise. That list is worth more than any revision guide.

Spend the rest of the week on your "nearly" pile. One short video, five practice questions, check the answers.

Week 2: fix the topics

Pick the three or four topics that cost you the most marks. Give each one a focused session: learn the method, then practise until you can do the question without looking anything up.

Then do a second paper, this time the other type. If week one was non-calculator, make this one a calculator paper. Mark it the same day and add to your notebook.

You'll start to notice something. The same mistakes turn up again. That's good news. A mistake you can name is a mistake you can fix.

Here's how I'd get the most out of every paper you do:

Tap for sound

Week 3: papers and timing

This week, aim for two or three papers. Mark each one, and keep the notebook going.

Now add timing to what you're checking. Did you run out of time? Did you spend ten minutes on a three-mark question? A rough guide is to keep moving: if you're stuck, write down what you know, then go on and come back at the end.

It helps to watch someone else work through a full paper too. You see how to set out working and where the marks are hiding:

Tap for sound

You can find every Edexcel and AQA paper, with its mark scheme, on my past papers page.

If you want somewhere to keep track of which papers you've done and how you scored, my past paper tracker does exactly that.

Week 4: sharpen up

The last week before mocks isn't for new topics. It's for confidence.

• Re-read your mistakes notebook. Redo two or three questions from each topic in it.
• Do one final paper, ideally the kind you find hardest.
• Check the basics. Make sure you can use everything on the formulae sheet, and know the things that aren't on it, like how to find the area of a triangle or a rectangle.
• Sleep properly the night before. A tired brain makes the slips from pile one.

On the day

• Read every question twice. Underline what it's actually asking.
• Show every step. The marks are in the working.
• Check units and that you've answered the question that was asked.
• If you finish early, go back to the questions you were least sure about.

After the mock

Don't just look at the grade. When you get your paper back, add every lost mark to your notebook. Your mock is the most accurate list you'll ever get of what to work on before the summer.

And if it didn't go the way you hoped, that's fine. That's what mocks are for. You've got time, and now you know exactly where to spend it. Good luck with your other mocks too.

Questions people also ask

How long before my GCSE Maths mock should I start revising?

This plan needs four weeks. Every school sets its own mock dates, so check yours and count back four weeks.

How many past papers should I do before my mocks?

In this plan you do one paper in week 1, a second in week 2, two or three in week 3 and one final paper in week 4. What matters more than the number is marking each one properly and writing every lost mark in your mistakes notebook.

What should I do after my GCSE Maths mock?

Don't just look at the grade. When you get your paper back, add every lost mark to your notebook. Your mock is the most accurate list you'll get of what to work on before the summer.