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Mathematics Blog

GCSE Maths | Wider Maths | All About Maths

  • Blog Post

    GCSE Maths

    My thoughts on GCSE results day 2023

    Our Head of Maths, Andrew Taylor, reflects on this year's GCSE Maths results and papers. There has been a lot in the news about a return to pre-pandemic grading and that could be interpreted as an expectation that grade boundaries would be close to those seen back in 2019. As always, the picture is more complex, and I want to look at the factors that have influenced the grade boundaries of AQA GCSE Maths this summer. There are several elements that have affected boundaries this summer, some apply to all subjects, and others are specific to GCSE Maths. I’ll try to summarise them…

  • Blog Post

    GCSE Maths

    Keeping the momentum for post-16 GCSE Maths

  • Blog Post

    GCSE Maths

    Using AQA’s improved GCSE Maths papers to build student confidence and gain stronger results

    Based in West Sussex, the College of Richard Collyer (Collyer's) is based on the values of creating opportunity and delivering social mobility through the power of education. Joel Hofman, Head of Maths at the College of Richard Collyer says: I studied maths at university and have always enjoyed how everything fits together and the sense of satisfaction from reaching a correct answer. I wanted to share this enjoyment with others which led me into teaching.” Here, he talks through the experience and results of switching to AQA for post-16 GCSE Maths.

  • Blog Post

    GCSE Maths

    Track learners' understanding with our new revision checker

    Dave Taylor is a maths teacher, podcaster and a member of our maths expert panel. To help you and your learners be more impactful with your time, we asked Dave to develop a resource to complement the topic audit resource released last year. Here, he tells you about the new revision checklist and how you and your learners can use it to record understanding against the GCSE Maths specification and limit gaps in knowledge.

  • Blog Post

    GCSE Maths

    Our post-16 GCSE Maths route map could hold the key to your learners success

    A dip in confidence, prior negative experience and lack of relevance can be some of the challenges a teacher faces with GCSE Maths resit learners. Here, Julia Smith, a post-16 specialist and member of our panel of maths experts, tells us how passing these exams is beneficial for a student’s future, and how our post-16 GCSE Maths route map, authored by Julia, has 30 weeks of teaching resources to help you in your teaching.

  • Blog Post

    GCSE Maths

    Preparing to teach those aiming for the November resit

    Julia Smith, National Teacher Trainer, and Author unlocks key insights to help you maximise your success in the post-16 GCSE Maths, November resits.

  • Blog Post

    GCSE Maths

    Adaptive Assessment: A missing ingredient in the resit recipe?

    The number of students resitting their maths GCSE is growing, but the proportion getting a grade 4 or higher is falling. 

  • Blog Post

    GCSE Maths

    Changing the lives of post-16 students with clearer and fairer exam papers

    The College of West Anglia (CWA) is guided by the ethos of 'changing lives through learning' and is one of the largest providers of education and training in the region.

Wider maths blogs

  • Blog Post

    Level 2 and Level 3 Maths

    Level 2 Further Maths case study – Brockington College

    Peter Mattock has been teaching maths since 2006 and now works as an Assistant Principal at an 11-16 school in Leicestershire. He is an NCETM PD Lead, a specialist leader of education, and the author of “Visible Maths”, “Conceptual Maths” and “Leading Maths”. Peter is also a member of the AQA Maths Expert Panel.

  • Blog Post

    Level 2 and Level 3 Maths

    Level 3 Core Maths case study – Wyke Sixth Form College

    Emily Rae is a teacher of A-level Maths, Further Maths and Core Maths at Wyke Sixth Form College in Hull.

  • Blog Post

    Level 2 and Level 3 Maths

    Why Core Maths? Here's why...

    Dave Gale has been teaching maths for over 20 years. He's an advocate of our Core Maths qualification and has been teaching it since 2018. Here he discusses the benefits of this 'real-world' specification, not just for supporting other A-Levels, but in preparation for life too.

  • Blog Post

    Level 2 and Level 3 Maths

    New Exampro worksheets: making the most of crossover skills in Maths and Geography

    Similar mathematical skills are explored in both A-level Geography and Level 3 Mathematical Studies (L3MS), so we want to make it even easier for teachers of these qualifications to access relevant past exam questions. That’s why AQA Curriculum Managers Carly Hayton (Maths) and Jon Boden-Wright (Geography) have teamed up with Exampro to create two suites of worksheets to aid in the delivery and practice of these skills. The best bit…? There’s a free sample from each suite for you try, so keep on reading! In this blog post, Carly and Jon discuss why these resources are so important, share the work that went into creating the worksheets and suggest how they might be used in your classroom. They also highlight how fantastic Exampro is as a tool in your assessment armoury for AQA qualifications.

  • Blog Post

    Level 2 and Level 3 Maths

    Level 3 Mathematical Studies (Core Maths) case study – Bluecoat Aspley Academy

    Keely Platten, Head of Maths at Bluecoat Aspley Academy in Nottingham, discusses why her school chose to work with AQA and shares her top tips for teaching Core Maths.

  • Blog Post

    Level 2 and Level 3 Maths

    Teaching Level 2 Further Maths alongside GCSE Maths

    I’ve taught Level 2 Further Maths for several years now in two different schools. I think it’s a great qualification to offer alongside the GCSE for those students aspiring towards A-level Maths or just wanting a bit more of a challenge. What I especially like about the qualification is that virtually all of it can be taught alongside the normal GCSE (with the slight exception of two main topics) and the questions are really good and challenging.