GCSE Maths 9-1 Distance-Time Graphs

At Ilkley Tuition we cover all aspects of the new GCSE Maths 9-1 curriculum, to shed light on the new question types that appear in the specimen papers and new exam papers for AQA, OCR and Edexcel. This week we are looking at the topic Distance-Time graphs which has always been a part of the GCSE Maths specification but now the question types are much more complex with multiple levels of difficulty added to questions that appear in many different forms.

In order to get use to the different contexts that the distance-time graphs appear in it is essential that student practise distance time graph exam questions and learn the pitfalls associated with these question types. A key component is the use of the speed, distance time formula and being able to apply this to the graphs in order to calculate the average speed over a given period of time. This is calculated by calculating the gradient of the graph. If the graph is a curve because the object/ person is accelerating then students will have to draw a tangent to the line at a given time point and then calculate the gradient of that line to determine the speed of the object/person at that moment. This is a new skill that was not on previous GCSE Maths exam papers. If after practising distance time graphs your child still requires some additional support then we can provide one to one GCSE Maths tutors in Ilkley to help further explain and expand on each topic and this really helps children to understand the key concepts.