FREE COLD CASE EXAM · GCSE MATHS HIGHER
Cold Case Zero: a free GCSE Maths Higher Paper
Sit it cold. Then find out where your marks really go: misreading, method, accuracy or time.
Where should we send the Cold Case exam?
Free. You'll also get a few short emails on how to use the paper. Unsubscribe any time. See our privacy policy.
24 Questions
A full higher tier paper
80 Marks
1 hour 30 minutes, like the real exam
Non-calculator
Paper 1 format
Forensic mark scheme
Sent by email the next day
WHAT'S IN THE COLD CASE EXAM
Everything you need to
run a real mock at home
The full paper as an A4 PDF, plus an A3 booklet file that prints like a real exam paper
A Mark Recovery Log that sorts each lost mark into R, M, A or T
A Case Debrief that adds up the marks you could have had, and three changes for next time
An original paper written for Maths Forensics, not a past paper, so the score is honest.
HOW THE COLD CASE EXAM WORKS
A score says how many marks you lost. Cold Case exams show you why.
01
Sit it cold
Print the paper, set a timer for 1 hour 30 minutes and put the phone away. No notes, no calculator.
02
Mark it forensically
The mark scheme arrives the next day. Under each question it shows the mistakes that usually cost marks there.
03
Find the recoverable marks
Log every lost mark as misreading, method, accuracy or time. Most of the first, third and fourth can be won back by changing technique alone.
For students
Year 10 and 11 students sitting the Higher tier, who want to know what is really costing them marks before the mocks.
For parents
A ready-made mock you can run at the kitchen table. Your job is the timer. The mark scheme does the rest.
© Maths Forensics 2026
Maths Forensics is an independent publisher. Our materials are not produced, approved or endorsed by AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR or Cambridge.