Whether you have a week until your mock, a week until the real exam, or just want a structured starting point for a focused sprint, this 7-day plan gives you a daily session-by-session schedule covering every major GCSE Maths topic area.
This is not a "read your notes" plan. Every session is built around active practice — the only revision method that actually improves exam performance.
Before You Start: Two Things to Do
1. Know your weakest areas. If you have done a mock paper or past paper recently, look at which topics you lost the most marks on. Those topics get extra time in this plan.
2. Have your equipment ready for each session:
- Pencil, ruler, compass and protractor
- Calculator (for calculator sessions — check it is an approved model)
- Blank paper for working out
- Access to topic practice questions for follow-up practice
Day 1 — Number and Percentages
Morning session (45 min): Core Number Focus: Fractions, decimals, ordering numbers, standard form, powers and roots, BIDMAS.
Work through 10–15 questions on these topics without notes. The aim is to find out what you know and what you do not.
- Fractions: Can you add ⅔ + ¾? Multiply 2½ × 1⅓? Divide 4/5 ÷ 2/3?
- Standard form: Can you write 0.00047 in standard form? Can you calculate (3 × 10⁴) × (2 × 10⁻²)?
- Powers: Do you know 2⁵, 3³, √144, ∛27?
Afternoon session (45 min): Percentages This topic appears on every GCSE Maths paper. Make sure you can do all three types:
- Percentage of an amount: What is 35% of £420?
- Percentage change: A price rises from £80 to £94. What is the percentage increase?
- Reverse percentage: After a 20% discount, a jacket costs £64. What was the original price?
- Compound interest: £3,000 invested at 4% per year. What is it worth after 3 years?
Practise percentage questions with AI marking →
End of day: Note any questions you got wrong. These are your gaps for review tomorrow morning.
Day 2 — Algebra (Equations and Expressions)
Morning session (30 min): Quick review Redo 3–5 of yesterday's wrong questions. If you can do them correctly now, those gaps are closed.
Session 1 (45 min): Expressions and equations
- Simplifying expressions (collecting like terms, index laws)
- Expanding single and double brackets
- Factorising — common factor and quadratics (Higher: difference of two squares)
- Solving linear equations, including with unknowns on both sides
Practice target: 15 questions, aim for 12+ correct.
Session 2 (45 min): Simultaneous equations and inequalities
- Simultaneous equations — elimination method for Foundation; substitution method for Higher
- Solving linear inequalities and representing on a number line
- Higher: one linear, one quadratic simultaneous equations
Worked example — simultaneous equations: Solve: 2x + 3y = 13 and 5x − 3y = 1
Add the equations: 7x = 14 → x = 2. Substitute: 4 + 3y = 13 → y = 3.
For deeper practice on any algebra topic, use our topic selector and choose Algebra → your specific subtopic.
Day 3 — Algebra (Graphs and Sequences)
Session 1 (45 min): Straight-line graphs
- Gradient and y-intercept from y = mx + c
- Drawing lines given an equation
- Finding the equation of a line through two points
- Parallel and perpendicular lines (Higher)
Session 2 (45 min): Sequences and functions
- Finding the nth term of an arithmetic sequence
- Recognising and extending geometric sequences
- Higher: functions f(x), composite fg(x), inverse f⁻¹(x)
- Higher: transformation of graphs (translations, reflections, stretches)
Key check — nth term: What is the nth term of: 5, 9, 13, 17, ...?
Common difference d = 4. First term a = 5. Nth term = a + (n−1)d = 5 + (n−1)×4 = 4n + 1.
Check: n=1 gives 5 ✓, n=2 gives 9 ✓.
Day 4 — Geometry (Shapes and Measures)
Session 1 (45 min): Area, perimeter and volume This is one of the highest-mark areas across both tiers. Cover:
- Area of rectangles, triangles, parallelograms, trapeziums
- Circle area and circumference (C = πd, A = πr²)
- Volume of prisms, cylinders
- Higher: arc length, sector area, volume of cones, pyramids and spheres
Worked example — composite area: A shape consists of a rectangle 8 cm × 5 cm with a semicircle on top (diameter 8 cm). Find the total area.
Rectangle: 8 × 5 = 40 cm² Semicircle: ½ × π × 4² = ½ × π × 16 = 25.13 cm² Total = 65.1 cm² (to 1 d.p.)
Session 2 (45 min): Angles and parallel lines
- Angle facts: straight line (180°), full turn (360°), triangle (180°), quadrilateral (360°)
- Interior/exterior angles of polygons
- Alternate, corresponding and co-interior angles in parallel lines
- Higher: Circle theorems — work through all eight (see our circle theorems guide)
Day 5 — Geometry (Pythagoras and Trigonometry)
These two topics are among the most frequently examined in GCSE Maths and most consistently worth practising to fluency.
Session 1 (45 min): Pythagoras' theorem
- Finding the hypotenuse: c² = a² + b²
- Finding a shorter side: a² = c² − b²
- Checking if a triangle is right-angled
- Higher: Pythagoras in 3D problems
Practice approach: Work through 10 questions — 5 finding the hypotenuse, 5 finding a shorter side. Time yourself: each question should take under 2 minutes.
Session 2 (45 min): Trigonometry (SOH-CAH-TOA)
- Identify opposite, adjacent, hypotenuse correctly
- Finding missing sides: e.g. sin 32° = opposite / 15 → opposite = 15 sin 32°
- Finding missing angles: e.g. cos θ = 5/13 → θ = cos⁻¹(5/13) = 67.4°
- Higher: Sine rule, cosine rule, area = ½ab sin C
For step-by-step worked examples on both topics, see our full Pythagoras and Trigonometry revision guide.
Practise trigonometry questions with AI marking →
Day 6 — Statistics, Probability and Ratio
Session 1 (45 min): Statistics
- Mean, median, mode and range from lists and frequency tables
- Reading and drawing bar charts, pie charts, scatter graphs
- Interpreting correlation; drawing lines of best fit
- Higher: Grouped frequency tables (mean using midpoints); cumulative frequency; box plots; histograms (frequency density)
Session 2 (45 min): Probability and Ratio
Probability:
- Basic probability: P(event) = favourable/total
- Combined events: tree diagrams, sample space diagrams
- Higher: Conditional probability, Venn diagrams, P(A and B) = P(A) × P(B|A)
Ratio and proportion:
- Simplifying ratios; dividing in a given ratio
- Direct proportion (y ∝ x); inverse proportion (y ∝ 1/x) — Higher
- Speed/distance/time and density/mass/volume
- Best buy problems; exchange rates
Day 7 — Mixed Practice and Past Paper
This is your test day. No new topics — only application.
Morning (1 hr 30 min): Timed past paper — Paper 1 (non-calculator)
Sit this under real exam conditions:
- No phone, no notes, no calculator
- Timed: 90 minutes
- Mark it yourself immediately after using the official mark scheme
Afternoon (1 hr): Analysis and targeted practice
For every question you got wrong, categorise the error:
- Method error: Revise the topic for 20 minutes, then redo a similar question
- Arithmetic slip: Be more careful — check your arithmetic at each step
- Careless mistake: Re-read questions before starting; underline key words
After analysis, spend 30 minutes on targeted topic practice for your worst two topics. AI marking will give you immediate feedback on exactly where your method breaks down.
Evening (30 min): Light review Go through your formula flashcards. Review the full formula list. Identify any formula you are still shaky on and write it out 5 times.
What to Do After This 7-Day Plan
If your exam is more than a week away, repeat this cycle with a different past paper on Day 7 and adjusted focus based on what Day 7 revealed. Three iterations of this plan (covering 3 weeks) will produce measurable grade improvement for most students.
If your exam is this week:
- Day 7 of this plan is ideal as your penultimate day
- On the final day before the exam: review formula flashcards, skim your marked papers for common error patterns, get equipment ready, sleep early
- Do NOT attempt to learn new topics in the final 48 hours
How This Plan Adapts to Foundation or Higher
| Session | Foundation Focus | Higher Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Fractions, decimals, standard form | + Surds, indices, recurring decimals |
| Day 2 | Linear equations, factorising | + Quadratic formula, completing the square |
| Day 3 | Straight-line graphs, nth term | + Functions, graph transformations |
| Day 4 | Area, angles, perimeter | + Arc/sector, circle theorems |
| Day 5 | Pythagoras, basic trig | + Sine/cosine rule, 3D trigonometry |
| Day 6 | Mean/median, probability, ratio | + Histograms, conditional probability |
| Day 7 | Foundation past paper | Higher past paper |
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