GCSE Maths Tutor
GCSE Maths Tutor
A GCSE Maths tutor can help to build on the knowledge you already know. To help confidently show the execution of answers to secure top marks. Mathematics at GCSE level aims to consolidate students’ basic mathematical skills alongside introducing some more advanced problem-solving techniques. It is a compulsory subject in English schools and is an important prerequisite for further study (especially for STEM subjects) and many job opportunities.
Students have a choice between sitting Foundation or Higher tier Maths papers. However, at Foundation tier, a 5 (a ‘strong pass’) is the highest grade achievable. With the help of a GCSE Maths tutor, you will be able to enhance your potential grades.
Exam Boards
To ensure your child is learning from the correct specification it is important to know which exam board they are studying with. Typically, boards offer three 90-minute exams which consist of two ‘calculator’ papers and one ‘non-calculator’ paper.
The main exam boards for GCSE Maths are:
- Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR)
- Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA)
- Edexcel
- Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC).
What a GCSE Maths Tutor will cover
GCSE Mathematics seeks to equip students with strong problem solving skills and ensure that they are confident analysing basic numerical and statistical information. Students will develop their fluency with familiar topics such as fractions and decimals. They also need to be introduced to new concepts such as trigonometry and more complex algebra. Algebra is something many students bring to their GCSE Maths Tutor, as an area they find particularly difficult.
As the course progresses a GCSE Maths tutor will help students should develop their skills at:
- working fluently with numerical calculations, including those involving ratios, fractions, decimals and roots
- using algebraic notation and applying algebraic techniques to solve problems
- learning and applying geometrical and trigonometrical formulae to problems involving 2D and 3D shapes
- employing tables, charts and diagrams to analyse statistical information and drawing conclusions based on their analysis
- understanding key probability concepts and applying these to calculate probabilities
- presenting mathematical content clearly and employing sound reasoning to reach logical conclusions
How a GCSE Maths tutor can help
Ensuring your child feels confident with their prior Maths learning ahead of starting the GCSE course is vital. Concepts in Maths often build on one another and students can find that one or two gaps in their knowledge can lead to problems down the line. The best way of making sure your child feels confident with their own Maths ability, is to have a GCSE Maths tutor. They will help your child to identify any problem areas and tackle practice questions should stand them in good stead to take on new content.
Building confidence with problem-solving is also key. While students can often feel disheartened when they make mistakes, errors are fundamental to a student’s learning. A GCSE Maths tutor will support your child to understand that mistakes are an important part of their learning. They will encourage them to work through their errors to understand them will enhance both their confidence and their problem-solving ability.
Understand the mark scheme
As a large number of marks in Maths papers are awarded for a students’ workings (rather than their final answer), it is important to practice writing exam style answers which show students’ methods fully.
Understanding the mark scheme can also help to build your child’s confidence. Answers which contain small errors can still be awarded high marks, as long as they show the correct method and workings. This is something your GCSE Maths tutor will practise over and over again. So, confidence and understanding is essential.
Make a revision plan with your GCSE Maths tutor
It is really important that your child starts their revision early enough and organises their revision well. They should start a structured revision plan by the January of their exam year. Your GCSE Maths tutor will help your child devise this and it is an extremely valuable use of an hour to help them get organised and realise the extent of the work they need to commit to.
Quality Revision
The most important part of revising for any Maths exam is exposure to practice questions. While students should review their specifications and ensure that their notes and revision timetable cover all topics listed, the majority of revision time should be spent tackling problems. Your GCSE Maths tutor will identify these problems and tailored the lesson content to tackle these head-on. Through lots of practice, positive reinforcement and encouragement. You child confidently overcome these challenging problems.
Students should try to get through as many recent past papers as possible, as these will familiarise them with exam style questions. Papers will start with simpler, one-mark questions and progress to more complex content, so working back-to-front alongside their notes can help students revise topics in depth. As the exam date approaches, students should make sure they have done at least two past papers under exam conditions and within the time.
What is different for this year? Exam cycle 2022.
For the 2022 exam cycle, the Government has proposed allowing Maths GCSE students access to a formulae sheet in the exam room. However, to aid their understanding and speed within the exam it may benefit your child to memorise some of the most frequently used formulae.
Sitting Public exams for the first time
Children can feel immense pressure around the time of their first public exams. However, this can be a time of great personal growth for teenagers. They will be juggling many subjects, managing hard work over many months and pushing through the exam nerves. Self-care, such as sufficient sleep and good nutrition to help deal with exam season stress.
GCSE Maths Tutor
The best way to support your child through their Maths GCSE is to ensure they have the tools and skills to succeed. An experienced GCSE Maths tutor can make all the difference. Our GCSE Maths tutors are experienced, qualified teachers, Heads of Department and Examiners. They know the GCSE Maths syllabuses back to front. They will teach your child in the manner they learn best, explain the latest mark schemes, help them get to grips with tricky quadratic equations.