9-1 GCSEs – A guide for parents
This guide for parents of GCSE students explains all you need to know about the ‘9-1’ Science GCSEs.
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Multi-topic questions in GCSE Chemistry
Questions covering material from more than one topic are designed to truly stretch your knowledge and understanding of the GCSE course. Multi-topic questions may be challenging, but they can be done by following a few simple steps.
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Multi-topic questions in GCSE Physics
Questions covering material from more than one topic (teachers call them synoptic questions) are designed to truly stretch your knowledge and understanding of the GCSE course. If you want to go in fighting 👊 and come out smiling 🙂… read on.
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GCSE Biology: Applying knowledge to unfamiliar contexts
In the 9-1 Biology GCSE exams there’s a greater emphasis on how to apply what you have learnt to something completely new and unfamiliar. These are some of the toughest questions in the exams. In this blog we go through a few examples and show you strategies for answering this type of question.
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Command words in GCSE Physics
Command words tell you what you have to do in each question. Spotting these words as soon as you first scan a question – and thinking about what they mean – will both save you time and get you extra marks in the GCSE Physics exam.
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Command words in GCSE Chemistry
Describe, explain, evaluate, compare, discuss. Command words tell you what you have to do in each question. Look out for these words in the GCSE Chemistry papers. Understanding what they mean and tailoring your answer to these instructions will both save you time and get you extra marks in the exam.
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Command words in GCSE Biology
Describe, explain, compare, evaluate and suggest are the most important command words in Biology GCSE. Learn to recognise command words when they come up in exam questions, follow our advice on how to answer them and you’ll pick up precious marks.
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Maths skills in GCSE Physics
In this blog, we look in detail at number-handling techniques you need to know for the GCSE exams, including standard form and metric prefixes.
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Describing, explaining and comparing graphs
This blog explains how to analyse graphs and how to answer GCSE exam questions on graphs which use command words. The blog uses examples from GCSE Biology, but the explanations here are applicable to all three sciences.
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Practicals: making observations in chemistry
In the GCSE Chemistry exam, questions based on practicals will often ask you to describe what you would expect to see. In this short blog we explain how to describe reactions in the necessary detail and how to record measurements from diagrams of practical experiments.
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Practicals: measurements and data
Roughly 15% of the marks in your GCSE science papers will be based on the practical work which you carry out in Year 10 and Year 11. In this blog, we look in more detail at the data that can be measured in a practical investigation.
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Practicals: key vocabulary
Roughly 15% of the marks in your GCSE science papers will be based on the practical work which you carry out in Year 10 and Year 11. In this blog, we focus on the key vocabulary which is used when carrying out a practical investigation.
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Mathematical relationships in GCSE Physics
Sometimes students treat an equation like a black box. You plug in the numbers and – hey presto! – out comes the answer. But if you’re going for a top grade, you need to think carefully about the meaning of the equation and how its variables are related to one another. In this blog, we explain proportionality and constants, as well as linear and nonlinear relationships.
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Maths skills in GCSE Biology
In the GCSE Biology exam, approximately 10% of the questions will require you to apply maths skills. This blog provides an overview of the main maths skills on which you will be assessed.
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Decimal places and significant figures
In the GCSE exams for any of the sciences you could be asked to write an answer to a certain number of decimal places (d.p.) or significant figures (s.f.). It’s important to get this right, to avoid losing marks. The ideas are straightforward, but the details can be tricky. Just read this short guide, do plenty of practice questions and it’ll become second nature. 🙂
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Tricky vocabulary in GCSE Biology
Biology is a vocab-heavy subject. You need to learn lots of words and so many biology terms sound similar yet have very different meanings. Time and again, students get confused in the exams. This blog highlights some common confusions and explains the tricky vocabulary so that you get it right in the GCSE exam!
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Balancing chemical equations
Balancing chemical equations can look a bit daunting and it scares a lot of students. But don’t be afraid… Below we show you a straightforward method to balance equations that you can rely on every time.
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Equations in GCSE Physics
Yes, it’s true, there’s a lot of maths in physics. If you take a look at the physics equation sheet on My GCSE Science, you’ll see that for the new 9-1 GCSE there are over twenty equations which you’ll have to remember by the end of Year 11! This blog helps you make sense of it all.
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Units in GCSE Physics
Without units, science wouldn’t make sense. Units allow us to use numbers to describe the world. That’s why maths is called the language of science. Understanding units and using them correctly can make all the difference in the exams. You want to nail those maths-heavy questions in your GCSE Physics papers? Then you need to be at one with your units. This blog explains how.
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Using brackets in chemical formulae
When you start Chemistry GCSE, it’s easy to get confused about when and how to use brackets in chemical formulae. If you sometimes find yourself scratching your head on the topic of brackets, this short blog will help you out…
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Top tips for writing chemical formulae
In the GCSE exams, chemical formulae are often given to you in the question. But occasionally you’re expected to write the formula for a molecule or compound based on its name. This can be a challenge, so here’s our guide on how to approach it. Remember our top three tips for each type of compound… and writing chemical formulae will never be a problem again!
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Common misconceptions in Biology GCSE
Examiners (and teachers!) are banging their heads against a wall because of “misconceptions” in Biology GCSE. These are common errors that lots of students make. In this blog we highlight some misconceptions that examiners really do not want to see in your answers! Read our advice, revise the topics if necessary and make sure to avoid these pitfalls. This will really help you get higher marks in the exams.
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Key ideas in GCSE Physics
As you start a new school year, learning and revising for Physics can be daunting at first. But help is at hand! A small number of key ideas run through GCSE Physics. Keeping these in mind helps you link together different parts of the course. In turn, that will help you make sense of Physics, understand each topic in context and push up your marks in the exams!
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Key ideas in GCSE Chemistry
Sometimes it’s worth stepping back from the detail of specification points to think about the key ideas that link everything together. This will help you make sense of Chemistry, understand each topic in context – and do better in the GCSE exams!
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Key ideas in GCSE Biology
Biology is the study of life. A number of key ideas underpin the entire Biology GCSE. Understanding these ideas will help you see the subject as a whole and understand each Biology topic in context.
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How to build a GCSE Science revision folder
My GCSE Science will help you get great grades in your exams. But 150 to 200 videos is a lot to get through! The best way to make the most of your time is to build a revision folder. This blog tells you how to do that.
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