This article follows on from Part 1, which gives a general introduction to mark schemes. In this part we’re going to look at some actual example questions and mark schemes, from three different exam boards, to help you understand how…
When you’re preparing for an exam, it’s very helpful to be able to understand the mark scheme so that you can see what the examiner is looking for and so you know what you need to include in your answers….
Introduction: the new CW+ models Three years ago Casio discontinued their popular Classwiz fx-83/85 GTX (GCSE) and fx-991EX (A-level) models, replacing them with the Classwiz fx-83/85 GT CW and the fx-991CW respectively. I expressed my opinion of the new models…
In last month’s blog post we covered the basics of standard form: what it is and how to convert numbers into and out of it, including numbers that are in almost-but-not-quite standard form, such as 26 × 10³ or 0.74…
Standard form is a way of writing very big or very small numbers without using long strings of zeroes. (It can of course also be used for more manageable numbers!) This tutorial will help you understand the meanings of different…
This tutorial follows on from Part 1, which covered the skills you need to deal with simultaneous equation questions at GCSE Foundation level, using the elimination method – where you write the equations one above the other so that the…
In this tutorial we’re going to look at simultaneous equations, covering the skills you need to deal with this type of question at GCSE Foundation level. It’s one of the more challenging Foundation topics, so what we’re covering here is…
In this tutorial you’re going to find out how, if you know the formula, you can work out what units the answer will be in, and how to use units to check whether you’ve got a formula right. It won’t…
This article is part 3 of a series on the aspect of Calculus known as Differentiation; for the preceding parts seePart 1 (introduction)Part 2 (stationary points)It will be relevant to you if you are studying any of: … or any…
This article is part 2 of a series on differentiation; part 1 can be found here. It will be relevant to you if you are studying any of: … or any other course that involves Calculus. In part 1 we…
This article will be relevant to you if you are studying any of: … or any other course that involves Calculus. Calculus is a major branch of mathematics consisting of two areas: differentiation and integration. Differentiation involves working with rates…
Over the years that I’ve been maintaining this blog, I’ve posted over 30 maths tutorials on specific topics. Since at the time of writing I’ve just passed the 4-year mark, I thought that now would be a good time to…
This is the final instalment of my series of tutorials on straight line graphs, and follows on from “Working with a coordinate grid“, “Straight line graphs Part 1” and “Straight line graphs Part 2“. We’ve covered most of the Foundation…
This tutorial follows on from “Working with a coordinate grid” and “Straight line graphs Part 1“. We’ve covered the basics of straight line graphs – enough to get you up to about Grade 3/4 level at GCSE – and now…
This tutorial follows on from “Working with a coordinate grid“, where we covered plotting coordinate points and the equations of vertical and horizontal lines. We’re now moving on to look at plotting other straight line graphs, and understanding the general…
This is Part 2 of a three-part tutorial on graph transformations; Part 1 can be found here. If you haven’t already worked through Part 1 then I recommend you look at it before trying to make sense of this one!…
In my tutoring, the topic of graph transformations is one that almost every Higher GCSE, IGCSE or A-level student wants to spend time on, so I thought I’d use it as the subject of a series of blog posts /…
All the Casio Classwiz calculator models – both the original “X” and the new “CW” models – feature ratio mode, which didn’t exist on their predecessor the fx-83/85 GT Plus. Although it’s perfectly possible to get by without ever using…
In early 2023, Casio replaced the popular Classwiz fx-83/85GT X and fx-991EX calculator models with the Classwiz fx-83/85GT CW and the fx-991CW. The changes are a lot less trivial than you might think! Note added early 2026: The CW models…
This article is Part 2 of a two-part series. Part 1 covers all the Foundation content – basics, laws of indices, negative indices – and you can find it here. In this post we’re picking up where that one left…
What are indices, and what do I need to know about them? “Indices” is the plural of index. An index is another name for a power, also sometimes called an exponent. It’s a small number written as superscript, such as…
You might be a little unclear on which calculators are appropriate for which exams. The short answer is that if a calculator is permitted in an exam – at least in England – then ANY calculator is fine*, as long…
