How to Get a 9 in GCSE Maths
GCSE Maths is one of your most important GCSEs. It helps develop essential skills, such as problem-solving, logical thinking, and data analysis, which are extremely valuable in many careers. It is also a core requirement for many university courses and even part-time job applications, making it crucial to keep your professional opportunities open.
However, achieving a grade 9 is going to be tough and requires dedication, practice, and effective strategies. Here are a few tips to help you smash that top grade:
1. Actively revise
You’ll soon find that memorising equations doesn’t get you very far in GCSE Maths. Getting a 9 involves applying all your knowledge in creative ways to whatever questions the examiners throw at you. Set out your revision plan, starting with really understanding the fundamentals – algebra, geometry, percentages and ratios – as these form the foundations of the more advanced questions later on.
Revising actively requires spending time reviewing and reinforcing these skills. Using information on our ‘Subjects and Resources’ page, BBC Bitesize and Exam Solutions, for example, will really help close any of those knowledge gaps.
Although watching TikToks can be helpful, really working through the problems yourself is what is going to make all the difference. Simply reading through your notes or textbooks isn’t enough to retain information effectively. Instead, opt for creating mind maps and flashcards, for example, to learn the quadratic formula. Revisit topics regularly over time to strengthen your memory and retain information in the long term.
2. Learn from Your Mistakes
By the time you sit your GCSE Maths exam, you don’t want to have any surprises. Always make sure you’re reviewing any wrong answers from your topic tests and practice papers. This could be due to misinterpreting the question, a calculation error, or just a gap in your knowledge.
Once you’ve identified the issue, note it down to ask for help later and avoid making the same mistakes again. This can seem tedious at the time but will pay off in the long run, and the top performers are the ones who go to this effort. You’ll soon find this log decreases over the year, and getting the answers correct will be a real boost to your confidence!
3. Seek Help When Needed
No one gets a 9 in any GCSE without asking for help. Whether it’s a teacher, tutor, or friends, getting clarification on those tricky topics – especially trigonometry, quadratic questions, and probability – will make the difference between scraping a pass and achieving those top grades.
Sometimes someone explaining something differently is just what makes it click for you. Working through problems together in study groups, either organised by your school or yourself, will add a social element to the revision process and help make it just a bit less tedious too.
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4. Master your Exam Technique
A key aspect of securing a 9 is nailing your exam technique. This includes time management, interpreting questions correctly, and writing clear, logical answers. Remember that examiners are not going to spend more than a few seconds marking answers, so if your handwriting is illegible or you are not succinct, they may mark it as wrong and move on.
Many mistakes in Maths are simple calculation errors – typing the wrong numbers into your calculator or just not reading the question properly. Every mark could put you in a different grade boundary, so always check over your work.
Paying attention to the number of marks in a question also provides a framework for how much time and work the examiner is expecting. For example, a 1-mark question probably just requires one number, whilst a 3–4-mark question will require you to show your detailed working out. You should always show your working out in GCSE Maths, so that even if you don’t get the final answer correct, the working can still help you achieve most of the marks.
5. Practise, Practise, Practise
The importance of practising cannot be overstated for maths. Past papers are one of the most effective tools for preparation so try and start practising these questions as soon as possible. Not only do they help you become familiar with the exam format and the style of questions, but they also highlight common question types, so that you can revise smarter, not harder; Physics and Maths Tutor is especially helpful for this.
Also, getting familiar with the mark schemes helps you see where the marks are allocated, especially in your working out. So, set a timer, simulate the real exam conditions and work on smashing these past paper questions. If you run out of past papers, check in your textbooks for valuable end-of-topic questions or ask your teacher or a tutor for more.
Achieving a grade 9 in GCSE Maths is a real challenge, but if it was easy everyone would do it! With the right approach and attitude it is attainable for everyone. Remember to focus on mastering the basics and practising consistently. Stay disciplined with your revision (check out our free revision timetable template here!) and don't hesitate to seek help when needed. We also have an amazing team of Maths tutors here at Scholearn ready to help you achieve that 9, so don’t be afraid to reach out for any further help. Best of luck!
Which of these tips will you be trying out first?