It’s one of the most frustrating things a student (or a parent) can experience. In the lesson, the method clicks. At the kitchen table, the working is clean. But come exam day, the grade doesn’t reflect what the student knows.
If that sounds familiar, the good news is that it’s rarely a knowledge problem. It’s almost always a technique problem, and that’s something you can fix.
Five ways to stop losing marks
1. Write down every step, even the “obvious” ones
Method marks are awarded for the process, not just the answer. If you jump from the question straight to the final number, you’re leaving method marks on the table.
Write each stage of your working, even the ones that feel trivial. A clear line-by-line approach means that if you make one error, you still collect the marks for everything you got right before it.
Example: If you can’t explain each step to a friend in plain words, you haven’t written it down clearly enough.
2. Read the question twice before you start
A surprising number of lost marks come from answering the wrong question. Exams deliberately use familiar wording to catch students who start writing before they’ve finished reading.
Underline the key instruction, such as “correct to 3 significant figures”, “state the units” or “show your working”, before you begin.
Example: Read the question once to understand it, and a second time to check exactly what it’s asking you to do.
3. Always include units and rounding instructions
A correct calculation with no units is an incomplete answer. The same goes for ignoring a “correct to…” instruction. These are quick, free marks that students routinely drop.
Make it a habit to check the question for any rounding or unit requirement and add it to your final line.
Example: Treat units and rounding as part of your answer, not an afterthought. The mark is only there if it’s written.
4. Practise with timed past papers
Knowing the maths in a relaxed lesson is very different from doing it in an hour with a clock ticking. Past papers train you to manage time, decide where to spend your effort and recognise the question types you’ll face.
Work through full papers under real conditions, then mark them against the official mark scheme to see exactly where marks were won or lost.
Example: After each paper, redo every question you got wrong until you can answer it confidently and consistently.
5. Learn to read the mark scheme
The mark scheme is the single best guide to how marks are awarded. It shows you which steps earn method marks, which answers earn accuracy marks and what level of detail the examiner expects.
Studying it turns a vague “I should explain more” into specific, actionable targets.
Example: For every question you miss, find out which mark you lost and why, then practise that exact step.
The bottom line
Losing marks when you “know the maths” isn’t a reflection of your ability. It’s a sign that the gap is in technique, not knowledge. Build the habit of showing your working, reading carefully, including units, practising under time and learning from the mark scheme, and your grade will start to match what you understand.
That’s exactly the approach we take at First Place Tutors: we start with understanding the why behind each step, then build exam technique on top of it, so confident students hit their target grade.
Aiming higher? Read Grade 4 to Grade 7: What Actually Has to Change?