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Original poster

Why is GCSE maths so hard?!

104 replies

bonbonours · 04/11/2019 15:47

My daughter has just started her GCSE course which she will be doing over three years (she's in year 9). Maths is not her strong point so she has been asking me to help her to understand and work through her homework tasks.

For background, I got an A at GCSE Maths about 25 years ago, and have a 2:1 degree so whilst by no means a genius, I am fairly well-educated and work in an education field (not maths).

I have been completely baffled by a lot of her maths work, and we have had to watch how-to videos together (as recommended by school) to understand how to do some of the work. It is things like indices, including fractional indices, equations including fractions and minus numbers, surds (literally never heard that word before yesterday) etc. It is all deeply theoretical, and with no practical application that I can see in real life.

Considering that GCSE Maths is a basic requirement of pretty much any job and higher education course, this is insane surely? I can understand requiring people to have a decent working knowledge of usable day to day maths, percentages, ratios, interest rates, budgets, weights and measures etc. But why does everyone, need to know all this in-depth theoretical stuff? My husband works in a finance department and also has no idea about most of this stuff and never has to use it in his job.

OP posts:
RedskyToNight · 04/11/2019 15:59

It's much harder than "old" GCSE (there are things that used to be at A Level). I actually disagree that it's theoretical; I think most of the questions are framed as problem solving, which makes it sound harder.

(e.g. Find the total cost of buying fabric to cover a cylindrical cushion and a prism column - actual question from last November's GCSE. This is basically finding the surface area of a cylinder and a prism and then multiplying by the cost of the material, but it doesn't tell the students they have to do this. Whereas if the question was "find the surface area of a cylinder", it would be much easier!

I have a maths degree and a maths PG qualification but I still find it pretty hard. DS had 3 higher papers to do over half term (DH took one look and said "They look properly hard. Ask your mother"), and although I managed to work all the way through them, there were a lot of questions I had to stop and think and a couple where I had to look things up (including stuff I swear I have never done). Plus I don't know what method they are taught in schools so I suspect I confused things sometimes! I agree I have no idea how non-mathematical parents manage to support their children!

Bimbleberries · 04/11/2019 15:55

Also, everyone doesn't need to know all that stuff. Those doing the foundation course don't cover many of the topics you have listed. (Though there are many people, including me, who would argue that the foundation course is still too difficult and includes unnecessary topics). The higher course, however, prepares students for potential future study, and is suitable for stretching those who found the old course too easy.

Teachermaths · 04/11/2019 15:52

I think it depends on what you think the GCSE is there for. I treat it as a "prepare all" for all students to ground them in Maths ready for any further study. Your dd may not do A level Maths, but others in the cohort will go on to use Maths at a high level.

I think there is an argument for two qualifications, a maths for life qualification and then a more "academic" Maths course for those who want to study it further. However this has pitfalls because students may limit their career options at 13/14.

Apply your argument to another subject, is there any reason why all students need to know about light refraction?.... How to interpret a war poem?.... How an oxbow lake is formed?

Original poster
bonbonours · 04/11/2019 15:50

Also, I absolutely pity children whose parents are less educated than me, and who very likely would be even less able to help them with their homework.

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