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How to Keep a DSE Maths Error Log: the Three-Round Drilling Method
TUTORZONE DRILL METHOD · HKDSE MATHS ERROR LOG
Most students drill as: sit the paper, check the answers, put it away. An error log turns that into: sit, diagnose, redo, confirm. This page gives you a three-round method – consolidate, timed, final stretch – with a specific action for each round.
What goes into an error log?
Direct answer: three lines per error: (1) what went wrong (concept, arithmetic, misread condition); (2) the first step of the correct method, in one sentence; (3) the topic it belongs to. Copying the full solution is the commonest mistake – a log earns its keep by being re-readable, not complete.
Assessment at a glance (2027)
| Component | Content | Weighting | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 · Consolidate (same day) | Log every error the same day in three lines: what was wrong, why, and the first step of the correct method | — | 20-30 min per paper |
| Round 2 · Timed (3-7 days later) | Redo the same batch 3-7 days later against the clock; only cross it out when correct | — | 30-40 min per session |
| Round 3 · Final stretch (last 3-4 weeks) | Read only the log, ordered by frequency, fixing anything that appears three times or more first | — | 2-3 hours a week |
An error log costs about 20-30 minutes per paper plus 30-40 minutes of weekly timed redos – and it returns more than another whole paper, because it targets the places you have already proved you lose marks.
What each paper is actually testing
| Paper | Drill focus | How marks are lost |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 · Consolidate (same day) | Copy the decisive step, not the whole question, or the log becomes a second textbook | Copying the full solution so that it is never re-read |
| Round 2 · Timed (3-7 days later) | Timing is the point: untimed redos prove recall, not mastery | Peeking at the answer or the working during the redo |
| Round 3 · Final stretch (last 3-4 weeks) | Sort by recurrence, not by chapter order | Returning to new papers and abandoning the log in the final weeks |
How does the three-round method work?
Direct answer: round one (same day) logs three lines per error; round two (3-7 days later) redoes the same batch against the clock and crosses items out only when correct; round three (last 3-4 weeks) reads only the log, ordered by frequency, fixing anything appearing three times or more. Do not insert fresh questions on the same topic between rounds, or you cannot tell mastery from recent exposure.
Drill order: by topic, then by year, then the mark scheme
| Step | What you do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. By topic | Work through each topic, starting with the paper that allows least help (no calculator / closed book) | Exposes what is genuinely not understood |
| 2. By year | Whole papers to time, one or two a week | Trains pace, stamina and question selection |
| 3. Mark scheme | Go through the marking scheme question by question and log the scoring steps you missed | Most lost marks are written wrong, not thought wrong |
Should the log be filed by topic or by paper?
Direct answer: by topic. Losses in DSE Maths cluster sharply (circle properties, probability classification, missing solutions in trigonometric equations), and only a topic filing shows which few topics keep leaking. Colour-code Paper 1 versus Paper 2 instead of filing by them.
A 12-week drilling timetable
| Week | Phase | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-3 | By topic: foundation | Topic by topic, starting with the easiest marks, building habits and recall |
| Weeks 4-6 | By topic: core | 8-10 years of the same topic back to back, errors classified by topic |
| Weeks 7-8 | By topic: advanced and electives | Elective and higher-order topics, now under time pressure |
| Weeks 9-10 | By year: timed papers | One full paper a week, timed, no reference materials |
| Week 11 | Mark scheme work | Question by question against the marking scheme; list the scoring steps you omitted |
| Week 12 | Plug holes and simulate | Only the recurring errors from your log, then one full exam simulation |
Subject-specific weighting for this timetable: Put log maintenance in the weekly timetable (about an hour at the weekend) and treat it as the only revision material in round three.
Use it properly: this is not a checklist to finish. Every week must keep time for redoing errors, or from week 9 you will be repeating the same batch.
Pacing
| Paper | Time | Suggested split |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 · Consolidate (same day) | 每份卷 20–30 分鐘 | Same day, never accumulated |
| Round 2 · Timed (3-7 days later) | 每次 30–40 分鐘 | Once a week, 3-7 days after the original attempt |
| Round 3 · Final stretch (last 3-4 weeks) | 每週 2–3 小時 | Two or three sessions a week in the final month |
Should redos be timed?
Direct answer: Yes. An untimed redo proves you remember the answer; a timed one proves you can still produce it under exam conditions. Use the same rough rate as the exam, about 1.2-1.3 minutes per mark.
The drilling mistakes that cost the most marks
| Mistake | What it looks like | What actually happens | Instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copying the whole solution | Transcribing the model answer | The log becomes a textbook and is never reopened | Three lines per error, ending at the decisive step |
| Peeking during redos | Turning to the answer when stuck | You can no longer tell mastery from recall | Redo under time, then mark it |
| New papers in the final weeks | Fresh questions two weeks before the exam | The log is abandoned and the same losses repeat | Only the log in the last 3-4 weeks |
The error log and the mark scheme
Suggested format: on each page put the question or an extract on the left (a phone screenshot works), three lines on the right (what, why, first correct step) and the topic name at the top. Reading only the right-hand column beats redoing papers.
How many years should you drill?
The method is independent of years; cover the errors from five to ten years of papers and sort them by frequency in round three.
How should time be split between new papers and the log?
Direct answer: roughly 70% new papers and 30% error work. If a single topic has cost you marks two weeks running, invert that for one week, fix the topic, then return to new papers.
Frequently asked questions
Handwritten or digital?
Either for the log, but redos must be handwritten calculations, because the exam is handwritten. Keep the log digital for searching and copy the question onto paper to redo it.
Too many errors to record?
Log only the recurring and conceptual ones; pure arithmetic slips need a frequency count, not a transcription.
How many times should it be read?
Logged in round one, redone under time in round two, re-read by frequency in round three – and re-sorted each time, dropping what no longer goes wrong.
Official references
| Resource | What to use it for |
|---|---|
| HKEAA 2027 HKDSE Mathematics Assessment Framework | Use the section structure to classify errors (A(1)/A(2)/B, Section A/B) |
| https://www.tutorzone.com.hk/en-dse-maths-paper-2-mc-drill-guide/ | HKDSE Maths Paper 2 MC: 75-minute pacing |
More in this series: the full HKDSE Maths drilling guide · Paper 2 MC technique · the three-round error log · how many years to drill
Next step: find a tutor / register as a tutor
After drilling, the hard part is telling a conceptual error from a writing error. Tell us the year group, the school and your available times, and TutorZone will match you with a tutor who knows the HKEAA assessment requirements.
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