How to revise for GCSE Maths without all the panic

A friend and colleague of mine, Helen Osmond, has produced a wonderful new book to support pupils in revising for GCSE maths.

Titled "How to revise for GCSE Maths without all the panic" this short book is potentially the perfect companion for your child or children that are struggling to revise effectively for GCSE maths.

The book is short and split into three easy to manage chapters, examining how the brain forms knowledge and memories, and how revision needs to work with this process, in chapter 1. 

In chapter 2 it then moves on to how to set up your revision space, standard revision techniques - including (importantly) why they work, how to maximise their effectiveness, and common mistakes people make when using each strategy. There is also a note on the use of AI in revision, how to use it well and what not to do, as well as how strategies might be updated for neurodivergent pupils. 

Chapter 3 then focuses on the foibles of GCSE maths in particular, looking at the different command words used in exam papers, the common mistakes that cost pupils marks in exams, and the basics of interpreting a mark scheme. There is then guidance on which of the strategies in chapter 2 might suit certain maths content, as well as some advice for what to do when you are actually in the exam itself. 

The book also contains a useful link at the end of the book which provides access to for further free resources to support revision.

As soon as I finished reading my copy I immediately passed it on to my daughter, who is sitting GCSE exams in this year, and told her she should read it. As a pupil guide, I really like this book. It contains lots of great advice and information, but in a simple and easy to digest form. Helen writes as if she is addressing the child directly, no doubt drawing from her years of experience having similar conversations with the pupils she has tutored over the years. I am sure many of the messages in the book have been delivered piecemeal by schools and parents over pupils' GCSE years, but having them all together in a single reference guide could be, in my opinion, invaluable for children to refer to as they are deciding on and using revision techniques. I just wish I had a copy a couple of months ago so I could give it to my daughter then!