How to get better at GCSE Maths

If you feel stuck in GCSE Maths, you're not alone, and you're not "just bad at Maths." Maths is a skill. It gets better with the right kind of practice, the same way anything else does.

The problem is that most students revise in a way that feels productive but doesn't change their score much. Reading through notes, watching video after video, copying out examples. Here's what I'd do instead.

1. Find out where your marks are going

Before you revise anything, sit one past paper. Time it, no notes, calculator only on the calculator papers. Then mark it with the mark scheme.

Now look at every question you lost marks on and ask why. Was it a silly slip? A topic you half know? Or something you've never seen? This tells you exactly what to work on, and it stops you spending hours on topics you can already do.

2. Fix one topic at a time

Pick one topic you "nearly had," the kind where you started well and got stuck. Then:

1. Watch one short explanation or look at one worked example.
2. Do five questions on that topic, without looking at the example.
3. Check your answers straight away.
4. If you got most of them right, move on. If not, do five more tomorrow.

Short and focused beats long and vague. Twenty minutes on one topic, properly, is worth more than two hours flicking between ten.

Here's how I'd structure your revision:

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3. Keep a mistakes list

Every time you get a question wrong, write down the topic and the mistake in one line. "Percentage decrease, used 1.2 instead of 0.8." "Forgot to square the radius." After a couple of weeks, you'll see the same few mistakes again and again. Those are the cheapest marks you'll ever pick up.

This is a classic one. See if you can spot it before I explain:

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4. Show every step

The marks are in the working. On GCSE Maths papers, many questions give marks for a correct method, even if the final answer is wrong. If you only write the answer and it's wrong, there's nothing for the examiner to give marks for.

Writing every step also makes you more accurate. Most slips happen in the steps you try to do in your head.

5. Mix it up

Once you're comfortable with a few topics, stop practising them one at a time. In the exam, questions don't come with a label telling you which topic they are. Mixed practice, or a full past paper, trains you to recognise what a question is asking, which is half the battle.

6. Do past papers properly

Past papers are the best revision you can do, as long as you use them well. That means:

• Do the whole paper in the time allowed, not just the bits you like.
• Mark it the same day with the mark scheme.
• Redo the questions you got wrong a few days later, without looking.

You'll notice the same question styles keep coming back. The more of them you've seen, the calmer you'll feel on the day.

7. Practise without a calculator

Paper 1 is non-calculator on both Edexcel and AQA. If you lean on your calculator for everything, Paper 1 will feel much harder than it needs to. Practise fractions, percentages, times tables and written methods by hand, a little and often.

8. Learn the formulas you need

Some formulas you'll be given, and some you have to know. Check with your teacher which ones are provided for your exam, then learn the rest properly. Write them out from memory once a week until it's automatic.

9. Ask when you're stuck

Being stuck for ten minutes is useful. Being stuck for a week isn't. Ask your teacher, ask a friend, or bring it to a live lesson. Most students who struggle with a topic were one clear explanation away from getting it.

10. Look after yourself

You're not just doing Maths. You've got English, the sciences and everything else at the same time. Little and often, with proper sleep, will get you further than a panic session the night before. A tired brain makes the silly mistakes from your list.

The short version

Find the marks you're losing. Fix one topic at a time. Show your working. Do past papers and learn from every mistake. That's how you get better at GCSE Maths, and it works whether you're aiming for a 4 or a 9.

Questions people also ask

How can I improve at GCSE Maths quickly?

Start by sitting one past paper and marking it, so you can see which questions lost marks and why. Then pick one topic you nearly had and work on it properly. Twenty minutes on one topic is worth more than two hours flicking between ten.

Is it better to revise topics or do past papers?

Both, in the right order. Use a past paper first to find where your marks are going, fix one topic at a time, then move to mixed practice and full papers, because exam questions don't say which topic they are. Past papers work best when you do the whole paper, mark it the same day and redo the questions you got wrong.

How do I stop making silly mistakes in Maths?

Keep a mistakes list. Write the topic and the mistake in one line each time you get a question wrong, and after a couple of weeks you'll see the same few mistakes again. Writing every step also helps, because most slips happen in the steps you try to do in your head.