Module 7 of 8Lesson 1 of 2 · Know Your Papers & Exam Tactics
Exam Ready · Lesson 1 of 2
Know Your Papers & Exam Tactics
EveryoneRead this twice before exam week
1 The three papers — and your time budget
| Paper | Time | Marks | Time per mark | Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 🚫 | 1 h 30 | 50 | ≈ 1.8 min | Short answers, no calculator |
| 2 🔢 | 2 h | 75 | ≈ 1.6 min | Structured, calculator |
| 3 🔢🟠 | 2 h 30 | 125 | ≈ 1.2 min | Structured, Core + Extended |
A 2-mark question deserves about 3 minutes on Paper 1 — if you are stuck past that, star it, move on, and come back. Never let one hard question steal the time of three easy ones.
💡 Every question must be attempted. Blank spaces score a guaranteed zero; working that starts correctly earns method marks even without the final answer.
2 Command words — what the examiner is really asking
| Command | What to do |
|---|---|
| Write down / State | No working expected — the answer is quick. |
| Calculate / Work out / Find | Working required — show every step. |
| Show that… | The answer is printed. Your job is the complete chain of steps ending exactly at it. You cannot “work backwards” from the answer. |
| Hence | Use the previous part’s result — it was designed to feed this part. |
| Estimate | Round everything to 1 significant figure first — a calculator answer scores nothing. |
| Construct | Ruler and compasses; leave all arc marks visible. |
| Express / Give in terms of | The answer contains letters, in the form asked. |
| Give a reason | Quote the fact by name: “angles in a semicircle”, “alternate angles”. |
3 The five habits that earn marks
- Show working, always. A correct final answer usually earns full marks, but if it is wrong you score nothing without working. Correct working with an arithmetic slip can still score 2 of 3 — and “Show that” questions give marks only for the steps.
- Round only at the end. Keep exact values (fractions, surds, full calculator display) through every step. Final answers: 3 s.f. unless told otherwise, money to 2 d.p., angles to 1 d.p.
- Write units. cm², km/h, pula — a missing unit can cost the final mark.
- Sanity-check with an estimate. 10 seconds of 1-s.f. rounding catches calculator typos.
- Re-read the question after answering. Did it ask for the total, the difference, or the percentage? Answer the question that was asked.
4 Countdown checklist
- The week before: one module quiz per day in this course; redo every red question until green; skim each lesson’s Common Mistakes box.
- The night before: pack — two pens, two sharp pencils, eraser, ruler, compasses, protractor, scientific calculator (charged/working, in degrees mode) and your ID. Sleep — a rested brain beats a crammed one.
- In the hall: scan the whole paper first (1 minute), start with questions you like, star and skip anything stuck, return at the end, and use spare time to re-check arithmetic — never sit idle.
- Mindset: the paper is designed so that every well-prepared student finds marks on every page. You have covered every topic on it — go collect them. 💪