You have a calculator now. That removes one problem and creates another. Here's what to revise in your last 3 days, and how to avoid the mistakes calculator papers cause.
One focus per day, building to a timed run. Work it in order.
Ranked from analysed past papers. Start at the top: if you run out of time, you will have covered the most-tested ground.
Appeared on Paper 2 or Paper 3 in every session analysed, often worth 3-4 marks, the most reliable calculator trigonometry topic
Higher only. Consistently appears on calculator papers, worth 3-4 marks, used for triangles without a right angle
A repeated percentage change topic that appeared on calculator papers in 2 of the last 3 sessions, worth up to 4 marks
Appeared across every session analysed. Know the formula and substitute carefully, especially with negative coefficients
A Must-Master topic. Appeared on every paper type across every session, sometimes paired with a quadratic
Multi-step ratio questions combining money, sharing, and comparison appear regularly on calculator papers, worth up to 4 marks
A recurring statistics topic on calculator papers: estimating frequency from frequency density, worth 3-4 marks
Our highest-priority topic overall across all papers. Tree diagrams, Venn diagrams, and straightforward probability all build on this
PrepWise has a one-page Knowledge Organiser for every topic above. In the final 3 days, use them the same way each time: cover the page, try to recall the method and a worked example from memory, check what you missed, then repeat the next day.
Rules specific to Paper 2. On this paper, structure earns as many marks as knowledge.
A calculator doesn't remove the need for method marks. It just means the examiner can't follow your mental arithmetic. Write down the calculation you're about to do before you do it: 'Area = 1/2 × 8 × 5' earns a mark even if you then mistype the answer into your calculator.
Keep the full calculator display for every intermediate step. Rounding early, even to a sensible-looking 2 decimal places, introduces errors that compound through multi-step questions and can cost you the final accuracy mark.
Before you start any trigonometry question, glance at your calculator's mode indicator. Radians mode gives completely wrong answers for GCSE trig and is one of the most common, entirely avoidable, mistakes on calculator papers.
Before trusting a calculator answer, ask whether it's a reasonable size. If you're finding the height of a building and get 0.03 metres, you've made an input error. Go back and check your calculation, not just your typing.
If a question says 'estimate', you're expected to round each number to 1 significant figure before calculating, not just give a rough answer. Using exact values when 'estimate' is asked for can lose marks even if your arithmetic is correct.
The errors examiners see most on this paper. Each one is an easy mark you already know how to keep.
Calculator left in radians mode from a previous question or a sibling's settings → Check the mode display before the exam starts, and again if you get a trig answer that looks obviously wrong (like a value over 1 for sine or cosine)
Rounding an intermediate answer before using it in the next step → Store the full value in your calculator's memory or write down several decimal places. Only round the final answer to the accuracy the question asks for
Writing only a final answer with no working, then losing every mark on an incorrect answer → Always write the calculation you're performing before you calculate it. This protects at least the method mark even if the number is wrong
Mixing up sine rule and cosine rule, or using the wrong version of the cosine rule to find an angle versus a side → Learn both cosine rule forms: one for finding a side, one for finding an angle, and check which one the question is actually asking for before you start
Applying compound growth by multiplying by the same percentage repeatedly by hand instead of using the multiplier to the power of n → Use the compound multiplier once, for example (1.03)^5, rather than repeating a single-year calculation five times, which is slower and more error-prone
The 60 minutes before you walk in. Review what you know and settle your nerves.
You do not revise maths by reading it. Work exam-style questions in PrepWise, get them marked instantly, and see exactly which topics still cost you marks.
Open the Maths Knowledge Organisers, quiz every priority topic and walk in ready. Free during alpha.
Get started with your personalised revision