A good revision text needs to recognise that the readers will often be working independently and may be anxious. It should support them in various ways, and particularly with self-assessment material so learners can identify topics they need to work on. For each topic, clear, brief and well-organised explanations of key ideas should be linked to carefully selected practice questions in the style of the exam, with a full set of answers.

Nelson GCSE Maths Revision books, an extension of the Nelson GCSE Maths series, meet all the requirements. They are a manageable size, although the typeface i rather small.

Material in each book is organised under the four topic areas of Number, Algebra, Shape and Space, and Handling Data; each topic area has self-assessment tests (both with and without a calculator), notes and exercises.

Each self-assessment question is clearly cross-referenced to revision notes on the appropriate topic. The books conclude with practice papers, with each question referenced against the relevant revision notes. Finally, each book contains three practice coursework tasks presented alongside the assessment criteria for Using and Applying Mathematics, with outline responses in the answers section.

Peter Johnston-Wilder is senior lecturer, mathematics in education at De Montfort University, Bedford