The following resource has been kindly shared on the TES Maths website. It is available to download for free by registering. And to access all the lovely Resource of the Week (ROTW) resources, just click here

What is it?

I really like resources and activities that help students consolidate key skills, but also allow them to be creative. This lovely resource does exactly that. Aimed predominantly at Foundation GCSE students, it challenges them to make up GCSE exam questions on a range of shape related topics, including area, perimeter, circles, etc. To help them along the way, there are really useful grade descriptors that clearly outline what skills correspond to certain grades, thus informing the students of what grade they are working at, highlighting any gaps in their knowledge, and crucially providing a key incentive for them to improve and push themselves.

How can it be used?

This is ideal for revision time, and it would be a crime to only utilise their resource with GCSE students. Younger students would relish the opportunity to be creative with their knowledge of a topic. I would be tempted to make up a question myself, just so the students have an idea of how to proceed, and then let them get cracking. For the inevitable few who struggle, the grade descriptors should act as pretty clear prompts and give them ideas of topics to base their questions around. You could even challenge your students to create their own mark schemes. When finished you will have a wonderful set of questions, created by the students themselves, that can then be used for revision, assessment, discussion or homework. Perfect!

Thank you for sharing!

Craig Barton

Download Make up your own GCSE Shape Questions

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