Teacher's top tips to tackle GCSE maths resits

Thousands of people resit GCSE exams every year, from students who have recently finished high school to candidates of all ages who are revisiting education for various reasons.

It’s important to know you’re not alone – and there is support and advice to help you. It can often be tricky to know where to start when getting back into the swing of revision, or building on from your previous exam result.

Speaking to BBC Bitesize, Tish Carr, head of GCSE maths at Aquinas College in Stockport, shares her top tips for approaching your GCSE maths resit exam. If you're resitting another subject, such as GCSE English language, you will also find a lot of this advice helpful.

No matter what topic you're studying or what subject you're resitting - confidence is key.

Tish told BBC Bitesize: "I think a lot of students have come from schools where they might have lacked confidence in maths. They might have felt like they were in sets that didn't align with their work ethic or their ability and they have that complete lack of confidence in themselves.

"It's just trying to tackle topics that they struggled with before, to fill those gaps and trying to give them a bit of confidence so that they can to tackle the questions in the first place."

As much as practising exam questions is important, Tish suggests it's just as important to go "back to basics" with any topics you may find more challenging.

She said: "Students who really struggle with topics like factors and multiples and prime numbers and square numbers often don't know their times tables.

"If there's somebody at home that can help with their times tables, if they can find an app or a game online that's testing their times tables, the more confident they can get with their times tables, then the easier it will be to spot whether a number is prime or to find out all the factors of a number. Going back to the basics and learning the times tables can actually make the harder questions feel a little bit easier."

Under timed conditions and when we're feeling the pressure, it can be easy to start rushing through an exam.

Tish said: "If I give a student a past paper, they will rush through it because there's so much to get through and there's so many questions they've got to cover. It obviously depends on the exam boards that the students are using - but for certain exam boards you need around 50% or 60% to pass to get that grade 4.

"We try to say you don't need to be good at every single topic and in fact you don't need to answer every single question in the exam. What I say to students is focus on the first half of the paper.

"Once you've done every single thing you can, then go towards the second half. It's not about getting four marks out of four, it's about trying to aim for at least one mark in every question."

It sounds simple, but carefully reading the question can make a big difference to your score. In the rush of an exam, it's easy to miss key details or misinterpret what's being asked. Slowing down for a few seconds before you start answering can help you avoid mistakes and maximise your marks.

Tish said: "Another tip is actually look at the answer box as well as how many marks it's worth. For example, my students were recently doing work on density and I said who in here knows the formula for density, and nobody knew.

"I said well that's ok, if we look at the answer box it says people per kilometre squared. As long as you know that per means divide you've got the formula. You don't need to learn another formula, it's about looking for clues in the answer box. A lot of students miss that."

For many of us, tackling the more wordy questions can be the thing that throws us off. But Tish suggests that you "draw a diagram or create a story" in your GCSE maths exams, if you find it makes it more understandable.

She said: "If you don't like the name of the person in the question, change the name. If we're converting between currencies, say Japanese currency to French, and you don't know what those currencies are, pick different currencies.

"If the question is talking about bananas and apples, draw a quick diagram that shows bananas and apples because some students find that visualising it really helps more. It doesn't have to look pretty, it doesn't have to be a piece of art.

"Examiners write questions in a way that they understand and they might pick a topic that they think is interesting, but if the students can try and visualise it in a way that makes sense to them, sometimes that makes those more problem-solving questions feel a little bit easier."

When it comes to GCSE maths specifically, it's not just about getting the right answer - it's about writing out your method.

Tish said: "Think of rounding, for example. On a calculator paper, students will put a calculation in and then they'll round it in their heads and write down the rounded answer. If they're right, they could get the two marks. But if it's wrong, they've lost both marks.

"Everything you're typing into your calculator, write it down. Everything the calculator is giving you back, write it down, because even if you make a mistake rounding, you still will pick up the mark for using your calculator correctly."

As much as studying and revising is key, it's also important to build trust with those helping you and to not be afraid to ask for support.

Tish said: "Don't try to do it alone. Try to get advice and don't worry about asking for that advice.

"When we get students coming into college from schools, I can sense that a lot of them don't trust me yet because they're worried about getting things wrong, they're worried about looking stupid. I just say don't worry about that - this is about getting your results, about getting your grade 4. I'm here to help you."

It's easy to feel overwhelmed when revising - but there are many resources out there that you can access to help. BBC Bitesize has a wealth of resources available for GCSE revision, exam preparation and resits - and for Tish, it's important to use the materials available to you, whatever you may need.

She said: "A lot of resit students don't want to be doing maths - so it's going to feel like you're spending a heck of a lot of time doing something that you're not enjoying. But, make use of all the resources you can get hold of.

"There's past papers, revision guides, there's online material and you could ask teachers for help or ask tutors if there are any extra support sessions, or you may be able to get help from home."

For the November 2026 resits, it can be tempting to put off revision until the end of October - especially if you don't enjoy the subject. But Tish's biggest advice is "don't leave it until the last minute."

She said: "If you've not started yet, start now. Really, really, really push and try to just do as much practice as possible because the more practice you get, especially of the particular exam board you're using, the more you get used to the types of questions that come up. Then the more you'll be able to spot patterns about the questions that do come up.

"Think of it as a really intense course and really push yourself. Once it's done, then you can have a bit of a break."

As a parent, carer or loved one, it can often be hard to know how to lend a helping hand to students who are preparing for exams. Personalities can sometimes clash, people involved may have been taught differently or the person helping may not be confident in the subject themselves.

But Tish's advice for parents is to work and learn together. If you feel strong about the subject, get the student to teach you and show you what they know and put it into practice.

Tish said: "If you can have the confidence to just start, then that's half the battle. They know more than they realise - it's in their heads they've just forgotten it or they've not been able to connect the dots.

"It's just about trying to help the students connect those dots and try to give them that confidence to just give things a go."

BBC Bitesize has gathered everything you need in one place for your GCSE resits. In the Resit Hub, find exam dates, revision resources, quizzes, podcasts and past papers to help you prepare.

If you're resitting GCSE maths or GCSE English, find out more about how to revise, register for your resit, understand the costs and more. We've also shared our own tips on how to approach your GCSE resit with confidence.

This article was written in September 2026