Revision guides & exam tips
Every week I teach this material one-to-one, so these guides hold nothing back. Inside you'll find what actually moves grades, along with ways to help your child without having to become their maths teacher yourself.
Further Maths option papers explained
Half the qualification is Core Pure and identical everywhere. The other half is two options your child's school almost certainly chose for them, and it matters far less than the grade-boundary tables make it look.
Read the guide A-Level MathsWhat's actually in A-Level Maths?
Pure, statistics and mechanics, in plain English. What each strand contains, why there's no longer any choice of modules, and the three ideas that have no GCSE equivalent at all.
Read the guide Exam SkillsWhen maths makes your child anxious
Not understanding and being frightened look identical from across the room, and they need opposite responses. What helps, the kindly-meant phrases that don't, and when it's honestly past what a tutor can do.
Read the guide Exam SkillsMock results are back. What now?
Mocks are marked hard on purpose, on a syllabus the class hasn't finished. How to read the paper instead of the grade, the conversation to have that evening, and how much time is honestly left.
Read the guide GCSE MathsYear 10 maths: the quiet year that decides the grade
Nothing falls apart in Year 11. Year 11 just assumes the Year 10 algebra was solid. Here's what this year covers, the warning signs that get mistaken for laziness, and why an hour a week now costs less than three hours a week in March.
Read the guide GCSE MathsOCR GCSE Maths: what makes it different
OCR puts its non-calculator paper in the middle, not first, which catches out students who've drilled the wrong thing for the wrong day. Beyond that, rather less separates the boards than the rumours suggest.
Read the guide GCSE PhysicsThe maths hiding inside GCSE Physics
Ofqual sets a floor of 30% of physics marks on maths, against 10% for biology. If your child understands the ideas but keeps losing the calculation marks, more physics revision is the wrong prescription.
Read the guide GCSE PhysicsThe GCSE Physics required practicals, and how to revise them
The board publishes the list in advance, the questions repeat, and they're still the last thing anyone revises. What examiners actually ask about, and how to rebuild an experiment your child did fourteen months ago.
Read the guide GCSE PhysicsCombined or triple science? How to choose
Triple sounds better, and for a lot of students it isn't. What the two routes actually differ on, whether A-Level really needs triple, and the one question worth asking at options evening.
Read the guide GCSE PhysicsGCSE Physics equations: which ones to learn by heart
Your child gets an equation sheet, but it only carries a selection, and knowing an equation is not the same as being able to rearrange it. Here's what still has to be memorised, and a five-minute test you can run without knowing any physics.
Read the guide Exam SkillsEdexcel maths grade boundaries: every recent year in one place
The official Pearson boundaries without the PDF hunt: A-Level Maths, Further Maths matched to your child's option papers, and GCSE on both tiers, from 2017 to the latest series.
See the boundaries GCSE MathsResitting GCSE Maths: how to pass the second time
Missing a grade 4 is more common than it feels, and far from the end of the road. Here's when the resits happen, why the first attempt often falls short, and the handful of changes that turn a near miss into a pass.
Read the guide GCSE MathsWhat is a pass in GCSE Maths? Grade 4 vs grade 5
A grade 4 is a standard pass and a grade 5 is a strong pass, but which one your child actually needs depends on where they're heading next. Here's what the grades mean and how to land on the right side of the line.
Read the guide GCSE MathsThe best calculator for GCSE Maths (and how to use it well)
The right calculator is a small, cheap decision, yet families still worry they'll buy the wrong thing. Here's which model to get, what the exam allows, and the handful of buttons that quietly earn marks.
Read the guide GCSE MathsHow to help your child with GCSE Maths without being the teacher
You don't need to remember how to solve a quadratic to make a real difference. Here's how to build the structure, mark past papers without doing any maths, and know when to bring in extra help.
Read the guide A-Level Further MathsA-Level Maths or Further Maths? How to choose
Further Maths isn't an alternative to A-Level Maths; it's a second maths A-Level taken alongside it. Here's what Further adds, who it genuinely suits, what universities expect, and how to make the call.
Read the guide A-Level MathsIs A-Level Maths hard? An honest look at the jump
It's a real step up from GCSE, but hard and impossible are very different things. Here's the honest picture: why it feels harder, who tends to cope, and what makes the difference between struggling and thriving.
Read the guide Exam SkillsHow to use past papers properly (and why most students don't)
Past papers are the highest-return revision there is, yet most students sit them untimed and mark them kindly. Here's the method that actually moves grades: timed, marked against the scheme, then reworked from the mistakes.
Read the guide GCSE MathsHow to get a grade 9 in GCSE Maths
A grade 9 doesn't demand new content so much as relentless accuracy. This guide covers what the top grade actually asks of a strong student, and the habits that close the gap from an 8.
Read the guide GCSE MathsGCSE Maths grade boundaries explained
What a grade boundary really is, why the marks shift every year, and roughly what each grade takes on Foundation and Higher, so a scary-looking percentage doesn't cause panic at your kitchen table.
Read the guide GCSE MathsHow to revise for GCSE Maths without the last-minute panic
Some students walk into the exam hall calm while others are still cramming in the corridor. A handful of habits separates them, and this guide shows you how to help your child build those habits early.
Read the guide GCSE MathsGCSE Maths formulas you need to memorise
Some formulas are handed to your child in the exam. Others must be learned by heart. This guide sorts one pile from the other, then shows how to make the important ones stick.
Read the guide GCSE MathsAQA vs Edexcel GCSE Maths: what's the difference?
Parents ask me all the time whether one board is easier. Here's what's the same, where the two genuinely differ, and what it all means for the way your child should revise.
Read the guide A-Level MathsHow to revise for A-Level Maths without falling behind
A-Level Maths catches out plenty of students who sailed through GCSE. These are the revision habits that keep your child on top of the pace rather than drowning underneath it.
Read the guide A-Level Further MathsHow to revise for A-Level Further Maths
Two linked A-Levels can snowball frighteningly fast. This guide explains how Further Maths sits alongside A-Level Maths, why Core Pure deserves the most time, and how to keep both under control.
Read the guide GCSE MathsFoundation or Higher? Choosing the right GCSE Maths tier
Choosing a tier can feel like a gamble, but it needn't be. Learn what separates the two, who each one suits, and how to pick the tier that gives your child the best shot at the grade they need.
Read the guide A-Level MathsGCSE to A-Level Maths: how big is the jump?
Honestly, the jump is real. Find out how much harder A-Level Maths gets, which algebra your child needs securely first, and how a little summer preparation lets them start Year 12 ready.
Read the guide A-Level MathsWhat GCSE grade does my child need for A-Level Maths?
Most sixth forms ask for a grade 6 or 7. This guide explains why, what each grade says about readiness, and where you stand if your child lands one grade short of the requirement.
Read the guide GCSE PhysicsHow to revise for GCSE Physics without just memorising
In physics, understanding beats memorising every single time. Here's how to revise that way, how to handle the required practicals, and the hidden maths that quietly costs students easy marks.
Read the guideWant a guide on a specific topic?
Tell me what your child is stuck on and I'll cover it, or book a free first session and we'll tackle it together, one-to-one.