The marks are the evidence.
One-to-one GCSE and A-level maths in Monton. Every student's marks are published below, mock by mock — including the two that did not move, because a page that only shows the wins is not evidence of anything.
Autumn term — four places, two of them Thursday
the same question in March and in Mayone question, marked — drawn, not photographed, and not one student’s actual paper
- One hour
- £38
- Block of six
- £210
- Students last year
- 14
- Grades that moved
- 12 of 14
- Telephone
- 0161 496 0512
Every result
Including the two that did not move
Three papers each: the school’s November mock, then mine in February and in May, marked against the real scheme. Ten of last year’s fourteen fit on this page; the other four are on the sheet I bring to the first meeting.
moved a grade flat the red is the marker’s pen
| Student | Level | Board | Mock 1 | Mock 2 | Mock 3 | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.K. | GCSE higher | Edexcel | 4 | 5 | 7 | +3 |
| B.O. | GCSE higher | AQA | 5 | 6 | 7 | +2 |
| C.M. | GCSE foundation | AQA | 3 | 4 | 5 | +2 |
| D.S. | A-level | Edexcel | C | B | A | +2 |
| E.R. | GCSE higher | OCR | 6 | 6 | 6 | no changeStarted in April, which was too late, and I said so at the time. |
| F.T. | A-level | AQA | B | B | B | no changeWrong module for six weeks — my error. Four sessions refunded. |
| G.L. | GCSE higher | Edexcel | 5 | 6 | 7 | +2 |
| H.N. | GCSE higher | AQA | 3 | 4 | 5 | +2 |
| J.P. | A-level | OCR (MEI) | D | C | B | +2 |
| K.W. | GCSE foundation | Edexcel | 2 | 3 | 4 | +2 |
Where the marks go
Two of these are wrong. One still gets four marks.
One question, six marks, and the scheme it is marked against. Switch the script and watch the marking change — it does not change the way most people expect.
Mark schemequestion 14 · 6 marks
| Mark | Awarded for | Given |
|---|---|---|
| M1 | Multiplies through by (x + 1)(x − 2) | awardednot awarded |
| A1 | A correct equation with no fractions left | awardednot awarded |
| M1 | Expands and collects to a three-term quadratic | awardednot awarded |
| A1 | The quadratic itself is correct | awardednot awarded |
| M1 | A correct method to solve their quadratic | awardednot awarded |
| A1 | Both roots, in surd form | awardednot awarded |
Awarded640of 6
Full method, correct answer. Six out of six. Worth noticing before you look at the other two: only two of those six marks are for the answer itself. The other four are for the steps that reached it.
One slip of a sign on the fourth line, so the answer is wrong. Four of the six are still awarded, because four of them are method marks and the method is sound. Learning to bank those four is worth about a grade, and it takes about three weeks.
The same wrong answer as the script before it, with nothing written down. There is nothing on the page to award. Same student, same maths, four marks apart — and that gap is most of what I am hired to close.
What the first hour is
A full past paper, under something close to exam conditions, marked in front of them against the real scheme. It is not a nice hour, and it is the most useful one we have — because almost nobody is bad at maths across the board. They are losing eleven marks in two topics, and the paper says which two.
After that, a paper every fourth session, marked the same way, and the marks go in the ledger above. If they are not moving by the third paper, something is wrong with my teaching and we change it.
When to start
The single biggest factor in whether a grade moves is not ability and it is not effort. It is how many weeks are left.
Two grades in year 10 is ordinary. Two grades from April of year 11 is close to impossible, and anybody who promises it to you in April is selling you something.
So if you are reading this in the spring of year 11, ring anyway — but I will tell you honestly what is realistic, and it may be one grade rather than two.
Who teaches
One person, and she marks
The Margin is Priya Chandran. Teaching maths in two Salford secondaries since 2015, four of those years as second in department, and I have marked GCSE papers for a board for six summers.
That last part is the whole of my advantage and it is worth stating plainly: I have sat with the mark scheme and awarded the marks. I know exactly where they are given and, much more usefully, exactly where they are withheld.
I teach in the front room in Monton or online, one student at a time, and I am DBS checked. Parents are welcome to sit in on the first session, and about a third do.
GCSE examinersix summersdemonstration site
- Teaching since
- 2015
- Subjects
- maths only
- Students at once
- never more than 14
- DBS checked
- enhanced, on request
- Sessions
- Monton, or online
Start here
Ask about a place
Four for the autumn term. If they are gone I will say so rather than putting you on a list that goes nowhere.
Ring in the evening — 0161 496 0512. I teach until seven, so after that is best.
Tell me the year group, the tier, and roughly what the last mock came out at. If you have the paper, even better — I would rather look at the marks than hear a description of them.
And if maths is not really the problem, I will say that too. Twice last year the honest answer was a conversation with the school rather than an hour a week from me.