Some useful posts and pages for the start of term…

Examinations – Mathematics November 2022

This page – which is currently easily accessible from the menu on the right-hand side has links to the advance information from the exam boards and some resources to support revision for these exams. I will keep the page updated as new resources are added.

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Transition Time

This recent post has resources for transition from Year 11 to A level and for students beginning Year 7.

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The Starters collection includes many ideas for starting lessons including starters for older students.

Index of starters:

• Collections
• Retrieval Practice
• Challenges
• Number
• Algebra
• Advanced Level Starters

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This series of GCSE pages is currently undergoing a major update to include many more resources. Number, Ratio, Algebra, Geometry, Probability and Statistics, all include a list of sites where it is easy to search by topic, and all include the old but still useful exemplification examples for Years 7, 8 and 9. On the subject of Years 7, 8 and 9, see the KS3 page which includes the excellent guidance from NCETM.

Number and Algebra currently have the most resources and links to popular posts on these areas.

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The GeoGebra pages include many resources from Edexcel for GCSE and A Level Mathematics.

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Your Year 12 students may be taking University Admissions Tests. This page includes many resources for these tests.

These resources for University Admissions Test preparation provide challenging questions for students anywhere studying Mathematics beyond age 16.

See also – No Calculators Allowed which includes information on the BMAT test, and also useful resources for students of all ages to work on estimating skills.

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The A Level (16+) series of pages accessible from the top menu includes University Admissions Tests and many other useful pages.

The A Level page includes many teaching resources.

GCSE and A Level Science includes much mathematical content, it strikes me that is important for Mathematics Departments to be aware of the mathematical requirements for these qualifications and where appropriate use resources which will support Science as well as Mathematics; see Mathematics for Science

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From Transum Mathematics, Back to School includes many activities to start the year.

In case you want somethimg for your walls, some Posters.

Edexcel’s transition to A Level Maths videos and worked examples are a very comprehensive set of free resources designed to help the transition from GCSE to A level Maths. The content focus is on the overlap between GCSE Maths and the first year of the A Level Maths course making the resources useful not only for initial transition but also for the first year of the course.

From Sparx Maths, have a look at their Transition Booklets, one for Year 6 to 7 and one for GCSE to A Level; these booklets are free whether you have Sparx Maths or not. The Year 6 to 7 booklet with over 130 questions is based on the Year 6 DFE/NCETM ‘ready to progress’ guidance from June 2020. The GCSE to A Level booklet uses over 120 questions taken from 11 key topics on Sparx Maths. Answers can be obtained by completing a form with your school details.

📣We've developed📣 two free transition booklets for schools. One to cover Y6 – Y7 and one to cover GCSE to A-Level. You can download each booklet for free from the links. https://t.co/KO7K5Q5G8i and https://t.co/Gl2s8qm8oL pic.twitter.com/03zcbTSipS

— SparxMaths (@SparxMaths) July 13, 2022

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For students going on to A Level then a really useful publication is use OCR’s brilliant guide for students Bridging the gap between GCSE and AS/A Level Mathematics – A Student Guide. With sections on Algebra, Trigonometry and graphs including examples, question practice on key topics and suggested reading before starting the A Level this is so valuable for students.
pdf format: bridging-the-gap-between-gcse-and-as-a-level-mathematics-a-student-guide

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Free lessons from Colin Hegarty recorded on YouTube are available to help GCSE students prepare for A Level Maths.

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From TL Maths GCSE to A-Level Maths Bridging the Gap is a series of videos looking at some of the basics of GCSE Maths Higher Tier that students should be proficient in before they start A-Level Maths.

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You could also look at Step Up to A Level Maths from The Centre of Innovation in Mathematics Teaching which helpfully lists skills you should be confident with and provides resources to support your study of these skills.

From AMSP – check Transition to A Level Mathematics – Essential Skills.

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These Transition Takeaways from Mohammed Ladak have been specifically chosen to help with A Level Maths preparation.

Transition Resources

The many useful resources from OCR have already been mentioned; also available from OCR are transition guides. See for example this Equations Transition Guide which is very clear on the differences in the demand and approach at the different key stages. Each transition guide includes the relevant checkpoint tasks, in the Equations transition guide these activities focus on solving equations in one variable including those that require some rearrangement.

For the transition from KS2 to KS3 see MEI’s transition resources including an excellent series of webinars. The webinars explore curriculum and pedagogical continuity across the KS2 to 3 transition and look at the Primary Maths Guidance Document. The guidance for Year 6 is a valuable document for looking at the transition from Year 6 to Year 7 and includes example assessment questions for each of the ready-to-progress criteria.

NCETM has produced an extensive library of resources offering support with the Primary Guidance documents. This includes 79 PowerPoints, these focus on the ready-to-progress criteria in the DfE maths guidance for KS1 and KS2. These can usefully be viewed by topic or by year.

You can find NCETM guidance videos on YouTube.

NCETM’s Checkpoints are diagnostic activities designed to help teachers assess the understanding students have on leaving primary school. You can see three examples of Checkpoints activities and teachers of Year 7 can download the first Checkpoints activities using their school or organisation name and email address. There will be further Checkpoint activities published, enough for three Checkpoints a week across the school year. 

I was delighted to present a session at #MathsConfOnline from Complete Mathematics, August 22. The resources discussed in the session are all provided here with some relevant additional content.

‘When presenting content and ideas to students we need ‘engaging explanations that are just right for the students: neither too short nor too long; neither too complex nor too simple.’

Coe, R., Rauch, C.J., Kime, S., & Singleton, D. (2020). Great Teaching Toolkit: Evidence Review. Evidence Based Education.

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Great Teaching toolkit: Evidence review – complete report, note the individual elements on page 6, including 4 Activating hard thinking.

Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction – Research-Based Strategies That all Teachers Should Know.
(Further commentary and resources can be found in my post, Rosenshine’s Principles in the Mathematics Classroom).

White Rose Secondary Resources including Complete Secondary Small Steps

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AQA’s 90 maths problem solving questions supports the problem solving requirement (AO3) of GCSE Mathematics. Very useful summary lists link questions to process skills and to content areas. Answers are provided for all the problems and very helpful full commentaries are given on 30 of the problems.

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AQA GCSE Examination Questions

AQA GCSE Assessment Resources, AQA legacy GCSE question papers

There is also a good deal of evidence that the use of worked examples can
be helpful in introducing new ideas (Booth et al., 2017; Sweller et al., 2019).
Particularly effective are ‘completion problems’ where students are given
partial solutions and required to complete them. These can help students to
focus on the examples but also manage the difficulty level while retaining
authentic tasks

For a collection of such problems, see Fill in the blanks…

Open Middle problems in GeoGebra

Distributive Property: Open Middle Theme

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Building Blocks – Andy Lutwyche

Spot the mistake resources including Erica’s Errors and Clumsy Clive from Andy Lutwyche
Show that… and What was the question? from Andy Lutwyche

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Use of Technology including PhET Simulations

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Colour in Mathematics – the use of colour to add clarity

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Here’s the diagram…what’s the question?

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Colin Foster – including Mathematical Etudes

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Transum – Venn Paint Transum – Topic Index
Transum  Maths Map (Students)

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AQA – Bridging the gap

This set of AQA resources was originally designed to support teaching and learning for the cohorts of students who studied the 2007 Key Stage 3 Programme of Study and were preparing for the then new Mathematics GCSE (8300). The resources are still very useful for students in KS3-KS4.
KS3-4 Bridging the gap.

This series of termly tests covers Years 7, 8 and 9 and can be used to check understanding as well as showing younger students what GCSE papers look and feel like. Extension tests are included and analysers are available for all tests.
AQA Key Stage 3 tests for Years 7, 8 and 9.

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AQA Key stage 3 tests

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Links to Examination Board Results Statistics and Grade Boundaries are available on this page:
Results 2022

The page will be updated as further information and analysis become available.

A level Mathematics grade boundaries by exam board 2018-2022 (England) pic.twitter.com/5j9dUzpQeZ

— Graham Cumming (@MathsNot) August 18, 2022