ExamTeXHow do I turn my A-Level Maths notes into a practice paper?
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A-Level Maths is three two-hour papers of 100 marks each, and most of the marks are method marks: for writing down the step, not just the answer. Past papers from your board are the best practice, and there are only a few years of them for the current specification. ExamTeX writes a new paper from your notes or the shared content areas, in the style of the board you name, with a mark scheme that shows where each M, A and B mark falls.
Short answer
How can I make an A-Level Maths practice paper from my notes?
Upload your A-Level Maths notes at examtex.com/create, or pick A-Level Maths and tick the topics you are revising (pure, statistics, mechanics), name your board in the instructions, set the question mix and a two-hour time limit, and generate. ExamTeX writes exam-style questions typeset in LaTeX, with a mark scheme that shows the method, accuracy and independent marks the way AQA, Edexcel and OCR schemes do. Print it, sit it timed, and mark your own working.
How it works
1. Upload your notes or tick the topics
Class notes, worked examples, or the content areas ticked: eight pure topics, three statistics, two mechanics. All three boards share them.
2. Set it up like your board's paper
Write "Edexcel Paper 1 Pure style" (or AQA, OCR) in the instructions, choose calculation and short-answer questions, no multiple choice, and set 2 hours. Pure only, or mixed statistics and mechanics for a Paper 3.
3. Sit it, then mark the method
Mark against the scheme: did you write the step that earns the M mark before the answer? Note every A mark lost to an exact value given as a decimal.
What to know
How boards split the content
Edexcel: Papers 1 and 2 pure, Paper 3 statistics and mechanics. AQA: Paper 1 pure, Paper 2 pure and mechanics, Paper 3 pure and statistics. OCR: Paper 1 pure, Paper 2 pure and statistics, Paper 3 pure and mechanics. The content is the same; name the board and paper so the mix matches.
What the mark scheme shows
M marks for a correct method (differentiating, setting equal to zero, using the sine rule), A marks for the accurate answer that follows, B marks for independent results. A correct method with a slip keeps most marks, which is why every step should be on the page.
Large data set and calculators
Statistics questions on the real paper may refer to your board's large data set, which the generator has not seen unless you upload it. All papers allow a calculator; say "exact answer" in the instructions for questions meant to be done by hand.
The paper you are practising for
Paper 1: Pure Mathematics
Proof, algebra and functions, coordinate geometry, sequences and series, trigonometry, exponentials and logarithms, differentiation, integration, numerical methods, vectors.
Papers 2 and 3: pure plus applied
The remaining pure content and the applied content: statistics (sampling, data presentation, probability, distributions, hypothesis testing) and mechanics (kinematics, forces, Newton's laws, moments). Which paper carries which depends on the board.
Command words
Find and Solve (working expected), Show that and Prove (every step, the answer is given), Hence (use the previous part), Write down (no working), Fully justify and Explain (a reason in words), Sketch (shape and key points, not to scale).
Common mistakes
- Doing a step in your head and writing only the result, so a slip costs the method mark too.
- Rounding an exact answer: 9/2 or 6 + 2√2 left as a decimal loses the accuracy mark.
- Missing solutions of a trigonometric equation in the given interval, or including ones outside it.
- Not defining the distribution before a statistics calculation (Y ~ B(5, 0.2)); the definition line often carries a mark.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ExamTeX know the difference between AQA, Edexcel and OCR?
The content is identical across the three boards, which is what the A-Level Maths style covers. Name your board and paper in the instructions and set the question mix to mirror its paper; the boards differ in how the pure and applied content is split, not in what is examined.
Is the maths typeset properly?
Yes. Every question and solution is in LaTeX, so fractions, surds, integrals and vectors print as on the real paper, and the PDF is A4 and print-ready.
Can I practise one topic?
Yes. Tick one content area, for example integration or hypothesis testing, and the paper covers only that; or upload your notes for it. The free A-Level Maths paper is a mixed example.
Does it do Further Maths?
Not as a preset. Upload your Further Maths notes without choosing a style and name the paper in the instructions; the generator writes from your material.
Is it free?
You can try it free, without a card. The free plan includes 2 practice exams a month, with a watermark on the PDF, and generating from the built-in sample notes does not use one of them. Pro costs €9.99 a month for unlimited practice exams without the watermark; the Exam Pass gives you the same for 30 days for a one-time €4.99 (exam-season price until 15 December; normally €9.99) and does not renew.
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