14 May 2024 , 10:00
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Anyone who has studied for their GCSE's knows how stressful it can be preparing for all your exams - with the 2024 examinations in full swing it has emerged that a large percent of pupils don't believe their parents could successfully pass.
A study found that 42 percent of students don't believe their parents could sit the exams and score well, while three out of 10 students claim that their parents don't tend to know the answers when asked.
One of the most important exams is mathematics as many further educational establishments as well as job roles require students to have passed this subject. If you regularly find yourself scratching your head when your year 11 child shows you their maths homework then you're by no means alone. A question recently set by experts ahead of exam season has left almost 100 percent of parents baffled, with just eight per cent daring to attempt the answer.
Take a look at this algebra question, which has been set by online revision platform, SaveMyExams. It shows a shape with all its measurements in centimetres. At first, the question may look a little daunting, but maths lead Lucy Kirkham advises those giving it a go to first break down the shape into manageable chunks.
Kirkham said: "Seeing questions with loads of algebra can be scary but breaking them down into smaller chunks will help you work through them more easily. Our maths experts at Save My Exams create colour-coded model answers which break down each question into easier steps to carefully guide users to the correct answer."
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Offering additional advice, Kirkham continued: "This question gives you the answer you're working towards, which can sometimes be off-putting as you wonder 'How am I ever going to get there?'.
"Don't let it worry you, just try to start with the first step and you'll surprise yourself with how far you can get! Even if you don't get all the way through, marks are awarded for different stages of your working so you can always try to pick up some marks and use our model answers to see how you'd pick up the rest."
Can you solve it?
Question
The mind-bending GSCE question stumps 75% of parents as students prepare for exams (SaveMyExams)The first question states: Figure one shows the quantity of DNA found in the nucleus of a human cell throughout the cell cycle. Identify what is happening during stage B on figure one. Explain your answer.
The second question states: Figure one shows two complete cell cycles. 50% of the cell cycle is spent in stage A and 30& is spend moving through stage C. Calculate how long the cells spend in stage B of the cell cycle.
Answer
- During stage B the DNA is being replicated (ready for mitosis). We can tell this because the amount of DNA in the nucleus of the cells doubles from one to two units.
- The amount of time spent in stage B can be calculated as follows:
- One cell = 24 hours
- Stage B = 20% (of 24 hours)
- 20% of 24 hours = 4.8 hours or 288 minutes or four hours 48 minutes.