Practical guide ยท Updated
Use the pattern of answers before using the total
Two students with the same total can need different teaching. Look across the question types and the working before deciding what the score means.
A practical example
Group errors into a missing concept, an uncertain method, an interpretation problem or an isolated slip, using a fresh question to check your initial judgement. If several questions depend on the same prerequisite, teach that connection before repeating the whole test.
Keep the original score as a record of that attempt and note any assistance given. Do not convert this informal resource into a predicted GCSE grade. The most useful output is a short list of topics to discuss with a teacher, followed by a different set of questions to check the teaching.
Keep assisted answers separate from the independent score
If a pupil needs a hint, annotate where it was given and preserve the first attempt. The supported answer can be useful teaching evidence without being counted as if it were independent.
Select a different question on the same skill for a later check. Do not repeatedly use the same test total as a grade prediction or assume a remembered correction shows transfer. The diagnostic is most useful when it produces a small set of explained priorities for the learner and teacher.
Before you start
Complete the test without notes or worked examples. Show enough working for someone else to follow your method. If a question is taking more than three minutes, mark it, move on and return at the end.
Name: ______________________________ Date: __________________ Target grade: __________
Number and percentage
- Write these numbers in ascending order: 0.62, 0.602, 0.26, 0.206. [1 mark]
- Find 3⁄4 of 240. [1 mark]
- Calculate 4.8 × 0.6. [1 mark]
- Increase £80 by 15%. [2 marks]
- A jacket costs £72 after a 20% discount. Find its original price. [2 marks]
Ratio and proportion
- Share 64 in the ratio 3:5. Give the larger share. [2 marks]
- Five notebooks cost £8.50. At the same rate, how much do eight notebooks cost? [2 marks]
Algebra
- Simplify 3a + 5 - 2a + 7. [1 mark]
- Solve 5x - 7 = 18. [1 mark]
- Expand 3(2x - 5). [1 mark]
- Factorise fully 6x + 18. [1 mark]
- The sequence 5, 9, 13, 17, ... continues in the same way. Find an expression for its nth term. [2 marks]
Geometry and measures
- A right-angled triangle has shorter sides of 6 cm and 8 cm. Find the hypotenuse. [2 marks]
- A trapezium has parallel sides of 7 cm and 13 cm and a perpendicular height of 5 cm. Find its area. [2 marks]
- A circle has radius 7 cm. Write its circumference exactly in terms of π. [2 marks]
- Find one interior angle of a regular octagon. [2 marks]
Statistics, probability and graphs
- Find the mean of 6, 8, 9, 12 and 15. [1 mark]
- A bag contains 5 red, 3 blue and 2 green counters. One counter is selected at random. Find the probability that it is not blue. [1 mark]
- Solve the simultaneous equations x + y = 11 and x - y = 3. [2 marks]
- A straight line passes through (0, -2) and (4, 6). Find its equation in the form y = mx + c. [2 marks]
Answers and marking notes
Show the answer key
1. 0.206, 0.26, 0.602, 0.62
2. 180
3. 2.88
4. £92. Award one method mark for finding £12.
5. £90. Divide £72 by 0.8.
6. 40. One part is 64 ÷ 8 = 8.
7. £13.60. One notebook costs £1.70.
8. a + 12
9. x = 5
10. 6x - 15
11. 6(x + 3)
12. 4n + 1. Award one mark for identifying a difference of 4.
13. 10 cm. Use 6² + 8² = 100.
14. 50 cm². Use ½(7 + 13) × 5.
15. 14π cm
16. 135°. Sum is 1080°, then divide by 8.
17. 10
18. 7⁄10
19. x = 7 and y = 4. Award one mark for either correct value.
20. y = 2x - 2. Award one mark for gradient 2.
Score guide and next steps
Rebuild core fluency first. Start with fractions, percentages, ratio and one-step algebra before adding timed papers.
The foundations are forming. Group errors by topic and complete two focused practice sessions before retaking missed questions.
Core skills are mostly secure. Move towards multi-step problems, reasoning, unfamiliar contexts and Higher-tier extension where appropriate.
Build a useful gap list
For every lost mark, write one of three labels: knowledge if the method was unknown, accuracy if the method was correct but the arithmetic failed, or interpretation if the question was misunderstood. That distinction produces a much better revision plan than the total score alone.