[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-206346-en":3,"doc-seo-206346-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":95},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":20,"is_downloadable":20,"audit_status":20,"page_count":21,"language":22,"language_code":23,"site_id":24,"html_lang":23,"table_of_contents":25,"faqs":26,"seo_title":27,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},206346,1099514067415,"Rowan","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/100002539d78ffe74a7?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1779092875211072502",4,"Exam","GCSE Mathematics Examinations - Exam Equipment and During-Exam Advice","GCSE Mathematics examinations guidance focused on what equipment to bring and how to prepare in advance, including rulers, protractors, compasses, pens, pencils, erasers, and appropriate calculator types. Advice emphasizes correct ink and pencil grades for scanning, proper calculator settings, and practical readiness to avoid last-minute problems. The guide also covers restrictions on items in the exam hall and strategies for clear working, logically presented arguments, and easy readability for examiners.","| Maths Emporium Guides to Life:\u003Cbr>GCSE Mathematics examinations Before the examination:\u003Cbr>Equipment. The front of the examination paper says you should have a ruler graduated in centimetres and millimetres, a protractor, a pair of compasses, a pen, an HB pencil, an eraser and, for one paper, a calculator. Chances are that you will need to use all of these in the examination, so make sure you have them with you in a suitably modest pencil case. Gather them together in plenty of time – don’t be trying to find all these the night before, or on the morning of, the examination. |  |  |  |  |  |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Ruler: best to have one that’s transparent with cm and mm graduations. Leave your gran’s wooden ruler graduated in fractions of inches in the drawer where you found it. Flexible curve rulers (as pictured right) are not permitted and there’s no reason you’d need one; the same goes for French curves. |  |  |  | |  |\n| | Protractor: A 180􀁱 version (left) will be sufficient, but 360􀁱 protractors (right) are permitted. Those that covert degrees in a circle to percentages (e.g. 90􀁱 = 25%) are not permitted in the exam. |  |  |  | |\n| Pair of compasses: Some people are very insistent that the correct term“pair of compasses is used”. So use\u003Cbr>This pair: Not this pair: |  |  |  |  |  |\n| |  | | |  |  |\n| You’re likely to need a pair of compasses for any questions to do with constructions, loci or perhaps bearings. Make sure your pencil isn’t too thick to be used with the pair of compasses you have.\u003Cbr>Pen: The front of the exam paper says to use black ink or ball-point pen. I expect few students use fountain pens in the exam these days but everyone can, and should, have a black ballpoint pen. Exam scripts are all scanned to be marked on computer screens and black ink shows up best; don’t risk anything being missed by the scanners using blue ink. As for green or pink (not unknown), remember you’re in an exam – take things seriously. And red?– unless you’re marking the exam (you’re not), avoid red at all costs.\u003Cbr>Take more than one black pen with you, just in case something goes wrong with the first one. And another, just in case something goes wrong with the second one. |  |  |  |  |  |\n\n\n| Pencil: Use an HB pencil – not an H, which is too hard and might be too faint for scanners to pick up and not a B , which is too soft and may not be precise enough for graphs and diagrams. HB is the Goldilocks of pencils – just right. Use pencils for sketches, graphs and diagrams. Use black ink for everything else.\u003Cbr>Erasers: Used for rubbing out pencil marks, which is why we used to call them rubbers. You will need one in case your sketches, graphs or diagrams don’t come out perfectly first time. |  |  |  |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Calculators: Most commercially available calculators can be used in GCSE examinations, including graphical calculators, but only a basic scientific calculator is required.\u003Cbr>If you have any doubts, find out in plenty of time from your teacher whether your calculator can be used in the examination. Don’t try to find out the night before, or on the morning of the calculator exam – people at the exam board who might know can be hard to reach on exam days. |  |  | |\n| Make sure your calculator is charged up and that you have some spare batteries if needed, or even a spare calculator. Make sure you know how it works and that it is set for calculations in degrees (not radians or gradians – you can learn about those functions once you have passed your GCSE) .\u003Cbr>Tracing paper: The front of the examination paper says that tracing paper may be used. Some schools will provide this, though it doesn’t mean you will need to use it. Tracing paper should not be appended to scripts at the end, so don’t use it for working. |  |  |  |\n| | Highlighter pens: You may take these into the exam if they are useful for highlighting key words in questions. However, you shouldn’t use them for any part of your answe","cbCaie76bpf3JGIx","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaie76bpf3JGIx","pdf",453515,1,6,"English","en",105,"# Before the examination\n## Equipment checklist and preparation\n## Ruler, protractor, compasses, pen and pencil guidance\n## Calculators, tracing paper, and highlighter pens\n## Items allowed and not allowed in the exam hall\n## Food, drink, and mobile phone rules\n# During the examination\n## Examiners and how to present work\n## Working clearly and logically","[{\"question\":\"What equipment should be brought to a GCSE Mathematics exam?\",\"answer\":\"Bring a suitable ruler (cm and mm), a protractor, compasses, a black pen or ballpoint pen, an HB pencil, an eraser, and a calculator for the relevant paper. Assemble everything well before the exam rather than trying at the last minute.\"},{\"question\":\"Why are black ink and an HB pencil recommended?\",\"answer\":\"Black ink scans best when scripts are marked on computer screens, reducing the risk of missed work. An HB pencil is preferred because it is neither too hard and faint nor too soft for precise graphs and diagrams.\"},{\"question\":\"What calculator rules apply during the exam?\",\"answer\":\"Most commercially available calculators are permitted, but only a basic scientific calculator is required. If unsure, confirm well in advance with a teacher whether your specific calculator is allowed.\"},{\"question\":\"How should answers and working be presented during the exam?\",\"answer\":\"Write calculations, working, and answers clearly and logically so examiners can follow the argument. Avoid attempting unusual notation or flashy handwriting styles during the exam.\"}]","GCSE Mathematics Examinations - Exam Equipment and During-Exam Advice | PDF",1788592206,15,{"code":4,"msg":31,"data":32},"ok",{"site_id":24,"language":23,"slug":33,"title":13,"keywords":34,"description":14,"schema_data":35,"social_meta":90,"head_meta":92,"extra_data":94,"updated_unix":28},"gcse-mathematics-examinations-exam-equipment-and-during-exam-advice","",{"@graph":36,"@context":89},[37,53,68],{"@type":38,"itemListElement":39},"BreadcrumbList",[40,44,48,51],{"item":41,"name":42,"@type":43,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":45,"name":46,"@type":43,"position":47},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":49,"name":12,"@type":43,"position":50},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",3,{"item":52,"name":13,"@type":43,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/gcse-mathematics-examinations-exam-equipment-and-during-exam-advice/206346/",{"url":52,"name":13,"@type":54,"author":55,"headline":13,"publisher":57,"fileFormat":60,"inLanguage":23,"description":14,"dateModified":61,"datePublished":62,"encodingFormat":60,"isAccessibleForFree":63,"interactionStatistic":64},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":56},"Person",{"url":41,"name":58,"@type":59},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-06","2026-09-05",true,{"@type":65,"interactionType":66,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":67},"ViewAction",{"@type":69,"mainEntity":70},"FAQPage",[71,77,81,85],{"name":72,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":74},"What equipment should be brought to a GCSE Mathematics exam?","Question",{"text":75,"@type":76},"Bring a suitable ruler (cm and mm), a protractor, compasses, a black pen or ballpoint pen, an HB pencil, an eraser, and a calculator for the relevant paper. Assemble everything well before the exam rather than trying at the last minute.","Answer",{"name":78,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":79},"Why are black ink and an HB pencil recommended?",{"text":80,"@type":76},"Black ink scans best when scripts are marked on computer screens, reducing the risk of missed work. An HB pencil is preferred because it is neither too hard and faint nor too soft for precise graphs and diagrams.",{"name":82,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":83},"What calculator rules apply during the exam?",{"text":84,"@type":76},"Most commercially available calculators are permitted, but only a basic scientific calculator is required. If unsure, confirm well in advance with a teacher whether your specific calculator is allowed.",{"name":86,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":87},"How should answers and working be presented during the exam?",{"text":88,"@type":76},"Write calculations, working, and answers clearly and logically so examiners can follow the argument. 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