Year 11 Mock Exams: Top Tips for Revising for GCSE Maths | PLS Tutors

Your Year 11 mock exams are one of the most important steps before your actual GCSE Maths exams. They aren’t just practice — schools use your mock grades when sending predicted grades to colleges and sixth forms for your applications. That means the better you do now, the stronger your college or sixth form application will look.

At PLS Tutors, we always tell our students that success in GCSE Maths isn’t just about working hard — it’s about working smart. That’s why we recommend following a simple but powerful three-step revision plan designed to help you maximise your marks and build confidence before your mocks.

Step 1: Complete a Past Paper and Make a Topic List

Start by sitting a GCSE Maths past paper under timed conditions. Use papers from AQA, Edexcel, or OCR depending on your school’s exam board.

Once you’ve finished, mark it carefully using the official mark scheme. For every question, note down:

• ✅ Topics you got right (your strong areas)

• ❌ Topics you got wrong (your weak areas)

  
  

This simple list gives you a clear view of what to prioritise. Remember — you don’t need to revise everything equally. Focus on what will make the biggest difference to your marks.

💡 Tip: You can download free past papers from exam board websites, or use the PLS Tutors Insider Resources for top quality content

Step 2: Go Over Challenge Questions for Strong Topics

Next, take your strong topics and push them further. Don’t just repeat easy practice — test yourself with challenge questions that stretch your understanding.

At PLS Tutors, we include daily GCSE Maths challenge questions on our platform to help students strengthen even their best topics. This step ensures you’re not just confident, but exam-ready when those tricky Grade 8–9 questions appear.

Example: If you’re strong at algebra, try solving harder rearrangement problems or complex factorisation questions.

The goal is to master your strengths — not just repeat the basics.

Step 3: Focus on Weak Topics (and Repeat)

Now, go back to your list and focus on the topics you got wrong. Watch videos, read explanations, and complete targeted practice questions until the concept clicks.

If you’re part of PLS Academy, you’ll find in-depth video walkthroughs for every GCSE Maths topic, plus quizzes to test your understanding as you go.

Once you’ve improved your weak areas, repeat the cycle — do another past paper, update your topic list, and go again. Each round brings you closer to a full set of strong topics and higher marks in your GCSE Maths mock exams.

Final Advice from PLS Tutors

Consistency is key. Spend a little time revising every day, mix up your practice between past papers and topic drills, and use your mock exams as a learning tool — not just a test.

By following this three-step plan, you’ll walk into your mocks feeling confident, prepared, and ready to perform at your best. Remember — these mocks really matter, because they’re what schools use to predict the grades that go to colleges and sixth forms.

Thanks and good luck in your GCSE Maths Year 11 mock exams!

PLS Tutors