Maximise Your Preparation with These Last-Minute Tips for Paper 2 Higher Tier

With your GCSE Higher Maths paper 2 exam approaching this week, here are ten last-minute tips for Paper 2 Higher Tier, to help you maximise your preparation.

Read on for my top ten tips for paper 2 Higher Tier

1. Master Your Calculator: Paper 2 is a calculator paper, so know your scientific calculator inside out. Practice using all its functions efficiently, especially for topics like trigonometry (sin, cos, tan, inverse), standard form, fractions, percentages, roots, powers, and statistical functions. This will save you valuable time in the exam.

   
   

2. Focus on Common Higher Tier Topics: While Paper 1 covered some topics, Paper 2 will heavily feature areas like:

   1. Algebra: Solving complex equations and inequalities (linear, quadratic, simultaneous), functions (inverse and composite), algebraic fractions, sequences (including quadratic and geometric progressions).

   2. Geometry and Measures: Circle theorems, vectors, 3D trigonometry and Pythagoras, area and volume of complex shapes, similar shapes (area and volume scale factors).

   3. Ration, Proportion and Rates of Change: Direct and inverse proportion, growth and decay, gradients of real-life graphs.

   4. Probability and Statistics: Tree diagrams, Venn diagrams, conditional probability, cumulatice frequency, box plots, histograms. Prioritise reviewing these as they often carry more marks.

      
      

3. Practice "Problem-Solving" Questions: Higher Tier papers often include mutli-step problems that require you to apply knowledge from several different topics. Don't just do routine calculations; actively look for questions that require critical thinking and breaking down a problem into smaller, manageable chunks.

   
   

4. Review Past Papers (Recent Ones Are Key): Work through as many recent past papers as possible. This will familiarise you with the question style, common pitfalls, and time management. Don't just do the questions; actively review the mark schemes to understand how marks are awarded, especially for method marks.

   
   

5. Understand "Show Your Workings": For every question worth more tha. one mark, ensure you show clear, logical working. Even if your final answer is incorrect, you can still gain significant method marks. Examiners want to see your thought process.

Top Tips 1 to 5

1. Pay Attention to Detail and Keywords: Read each question extremely carefully. Look out for keywords like "estimate", "correct to 3 significant figures", "one decimal place", "exact value", "show that", or specific units. Missing these small details can cost you marks.

   
   

2. Identify and Target your Weaknesses: Don't just practice what you're good at. Go through your past papers, revision guides, or checklists and identify the topics you consistently struggle with. Spend your remaining time specifically practising those areas.

   
   

3. Formulae You Need To Know: While some formulae are given, many are not. Ensure you have memorised essential formulae for areas like:

   1. Quadratic Formula

   2. Area and volume of various shapes (cones, spheres, pyramids)

   3. Trigonometric identities (e.g. sine rule, cosine rule, area of a triangle using sine)

   4. Density, speed and pressure formulas

   5. Compound interest

   
   

4. Time Management in the Exam: Allocate your time wisely. Aim for roughly one minute per mark. If you get stuck on a question, move on and come back to it if you have time at the end. Don't spend too long on any single question.

   
   

5. Get Enough Rest and Stay Hydrated: While cramming can be temptiong, getting a good night's sleep before the exam is crucial for clear thinking and problem-solving. Stay hydrated during the day, and eat a nutritious breakfast on exam day. You've done the hard work, now trust your preparation!

Top Tips 6 to 10

Alison Bolsover,

JCT Learning Hub.