The exam question will often state the level of accuracy needed for the final answer. For example to give your answer correct to 1 decimal place, or to 1 significant figure. If you do not give your answer in the form asked for in the question, you will not get the final accuracy mark (1 mark). In algebra or ratio questions, it often states to give your answer in its simplest form. Altogether on the average Intermediate GCSE Maths exam paper, around 10% (ten percent!) of all the marks are for giving your answer in the form asked for in the question. Once you start spotting this and making sure that all your answers are in the correct form that has been asked for, you will stop throwing away lots of marks.

There is a significant difference between a 1 mark question, and a 4 mark question. If for example you are doing a 3 mark question in 1 line, then beware, as you have either not shown all your working out (and will lose marks), or you have not spotted correctly what to do, so look at the question again. As a rough guide aim to do one more line of working than the

number of marks in the question:

2 mark question: 3 lines of working out
3 mark question: 4 lines of working out

This will ensure that you show all the steps needed to get full method marks.

As candidates write on the Intermediate GCSE Maths exam paper itself, sufficient space is not always provided. Don't be tempted to squash your work into a small space - ask for extra paper. If you are squashing your work in, then it is very common for candidates to leave some steps out – these steps are frequently the method steps that the examiner needs to see to get the method marks!

Watch out !

Quite often different units are used to measure quantities in the same question, for example:

cm and mm
m and cm
km and m

The golden rule is to always work with just one unit throughout, either all centimetres or all metres or all kilometres. Change any different measures at the start of doing the question to the same unit.

The Calculator Paper is NOT the easier exam paper !

The GCSE Mathematics exam consists of a Calculator exam paper and a Non-Calculator exam paper. GCSE Mathematics is the hardest GCSE exam to get the grade you need, and far from making the exam easier, using a calculator often results in more mistakes and a lower mark than in the non-calculator paper.

It is even more important to show all your working out on the Calculator paper as it is very easy to do two or three lines on your calculator without showing any working out. You would lose all your method marks, and if you have made a mistake you won't get any marks at all. As the exam paper consists of more method marks than accuracy marks it is essential that you show all your working out.