Parent’s guide to GCSE Mathematics Grading 1-9

AQA Mathematics (8300) Course overview This specification in mathematics should enable students to:  Develop fluent knowledge, skills and understanding of mathematical methods and concepts  Acquire, select and apply mathematical techniques to solve problems  Reason mathematically, make deductions and inferences and draw conclusions  Comprehend, interpret and communicate mathematical information in a variety of forms appropriate to the information and context.

Subject content 1 Number 2 Algebra 3 Ratio, proportion and rates of change 4 Geometry and measures 5 Probability 6 Statistics The subject content of this specification matches that set out in the Department for Education’s Mathematics GCSE subject content and assessment objectives document. This content is common to all exam boards. All content can be assessed on any of the three question papers. As such, some questions will draw together elements of mathematics from different topic areas. The weighting of the topic areas has been prescribed by Ofqual and is common to all exam boards. The table below shows the approximate weightings of the topic areas for the overall tier of assessment, not for each individual question paper.

AQA Mathematics (8300) Assessments GCSE Mathematics has a Foundation tier (grades 1 – 5) and a Higher tier (grades 4 – 9). Students must take three question papers at the same tier. All question papers must be taken in the same series. The information in the table below is the same for both Foundation and Higher tiers. The Subject content section shows the content that is assessed in each tier.

Assessments Objectives (AOs) Assessment objectives (AOs) are set by Ofqual and are the same across all GCSE Mathematics specifications and all exam boards. The exams will assess the following AOs in the context of the content set out in the Subject content section. 

AO1: Use and apply standard techniques. Students should be able to:  accurately recall facts, terminology and definitions  use and interpret notation correctly  accurately carry out routine procedures or set tasks requiring multi-step solutions.

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AO2: Reason, interpret and communicate mathematically. Students should be able to:  make deductions, inferences and draw conclusions from mathematical information  construct chains of reasoning to achieve a given result  interpret and communicate information accurately  present arguments and proofs  assess the validity of an argument and critically evaluate a given way of presenting information.

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AO3: Solve problems within mathematics and in other contexts. Students should be able to:  translate problems in mathematical or non-mathematical contexts into a process or a series of mathematical processes  make and use connections between different parts of mathematics  interpret results in the context of the given problem  evaluate methods used and results obtained  evaluate solutions to identify how they may have been affected by assumptions made.

Choose a revision guide which has been fully updated for the new GCSE specification 8330 for AQA. They will be focused on mathematical reasoning and problem solving to build the skills students need for success. Separate books for Foundation and Higher tier are available. Suggested revision guides to purchase:

Collins AQA GCSE Maths Foundation or Higher: All-in-One Revision and Practice

CGP New GCSE Maths Foundation or Higher: Interactive Revision and Practice DVD Rom for PC or Mac

CGP AQA GCSE Maths Higher: Complete Revision and Practice CGP GCSE Maths Buster - for the Grade 9-1 Course: Mock Exam Papers

Formula previously given which now needs to be learnt:

Foundation and Higher

Higher Only

Formula previously given which now needs How parents can further help: to be learnt:

Please support us by   

ensuring that students come fully equipped to their lessons. This includes a Scientific Calculator. checking that students are completing homework tasks to the best of their ability, and encouraging them to seek support in plenty of time if they are struggling. being positive about Mathematics at home. Encourage a Growth Mindset in your child.

Suggested resources to support revision:

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All students have access to My Maths – they can revise or study independently at any time to complement their studies. Parents may like to be made aware of the Booster Packs which can help students improve at different levels. After any Pre Public Exams exam students will receive a personalised analysis, a QLA of what went well and a list of topics to master. The PiXL Maths App (PMA) will be launched shortly with students, it is a tool that is to be used to assess the strengths and areas to develop with your Mathematical knowledge. The app underlines the core principles of PiXL: Diagnosis, Therapy and Testing (DTT).

The Department supports independent learning with Maths Help Club on a Tuesday and Thursday from 3:05pm to 4:00 pm in M6.

Other useful websites www.mrbartonmaths.com http://corbettmaths.com www.keshmaths.com BBC Bitesize The AQA website itself for specimen and practice papers