How to help your child pass Maths GCSE
Maths GCSE remains the subject most students worry about. For some, it's down to the fact it's a complex subject; for others, it's about achieving a top grade to enable them to go on to A-levels.
In 2024, over 100,000 students took the A-level maths exam, making it the first subject to break the 100,000 mark. It's also the 11th year in a row that Maths has been the most popular A-level subject choice.
For this reason, Maths GCSE is a gateway subject for many students. That said, this year's proportion of overall GCSE entries receiving a pass or higher (grade 4/C) in Maths was slightly down from 61 per cent to 59.6 per cent in 2024. If you're looking for ways to help your child, here's what you need to know about passing Maths GCSE.
Daily review and practice
Whether your child likes it or not, maths requires regular practice. Setting aside time each day to work on problem sets, even if it's just 20-30 minutes, can help deepen understanding.
If your child is in year 11, It usually takes approximately six months to prepare for GCSEs. This means doing a daily revision that helps cover past material and/or topics being studied in class.
CorbettsMaths offers a five-a-day challenge for GCSE students in years 10 and 11. Questions are aimed at Foundation (grades 3 -4), Foundation Plus (grades 4,5 and 6), Higher (grades 6 - 7), and Higher Plus (grades 8 -9).
Revise the whole syllabus
Most students play to their strengths, but this often means ignoring known (and unknown) knowledge gaps, which can leave them at a disadvantage. Ensuring they cover the entire syllabus by reviewing the exam specification from day one helps prevent gaps. This is important because exam papers will test various topics, so they can't afford not to know areas.
What can help here is Maths Genie. This tool offers a free structured online journey to GCSE revision and covers every GCSE topic from grades 1 to 9 with exam questions and solutions.
Once they have watched the videos and tried the exam questions, they can find out where they went wrong with the solutions. There are also starter tasks, mini-tests, and predicted papers to work through.
Use past papers at the right time
The power of using past papers is to fine-tune exam techniques and understand marking schemes and test knowledge. However, it's important not to use past papers until your child has practised topics individually and covered the whole specification.
Once they've covered the entire syllabus, they can confidently approach practice exams. This will reduce anxiety and boost performance. Plus, thoroughly studying all the topics will give them a comprehensive understanding of the subject. If they skip content, they risk facing questions on unfamiliar topics, leading to confusion and lower performance on the practice paper, which can be demoralising.
Work on key techniques
The best way to work on key techniques for GCSE Maths is a combination of structured practice, active learning strategies, and reflection on progress.
Topics such as algebra, number operations, and geometry are the building blocks for more advanced areas. Ensure your child has a solid understanding of the basics before moving on to complex problems.
Understand the exam structure
When it comes to exam structure and marking, GCSE exams tend to repeat certain styles of questions. Getting your child to pay attention to these patterns and learn the best approaches to answering them, such as using formulas effectively, will help them do well.
Also, past papers can identify the techniques or methods (e.g., solving equations, working with ratios, and understanding graphs frequently tested in GCSEs). Again, mastering these specific techniques will help in exams.
Find the right kind of help
Finally, after each practice session or exam paper, get your child to note any areas where they struggle. If a particular concept or technique is unclear, it's time to seek help.
A Maths tutor can help your child with GCSE preparation by reinforcing classroom learning, addressing weak areas, and teaching exam-specific techniques. This can help students better understand key concepts, gain confidence in their abilities, and improve their exam performance.