If your child got a B in GCSE maths...

[treasureisland]

...would you tell them that they are 'not very good at maths' ?

I'd be jumping from the rooftops if ds got a B all he got was a 3!

I got a B, got an E at GCSE (but my life was very much off the rails at that point, and I never really understood the point of intergration and differation) and now I'm a qualified accountant.

Not sure what was my point now

OP there is lots of literature and there are courses for adults who believe (wrongly) that they are not good at maths. If, for your adult child, it's a problem, then I'd advise him or her to look some up.

sorry - E at A Level

I got a D and mum was chuffed as she expected worse

If I'd have got a B I might have been bought a house!

I got a B in GCSE maths. Still went to Oxford, still made it as a lawyer at a top firm. I hated maths, never 'got' it, and still grapple with numbers when they come up in contracts.

You've got to play to your strengths.

Well, I got a B in GCSE maths.

Then an A at A level.

Then a 1st class honours in Engineering.

Then a Masters in Engineering.

So, a B in GCSE maths doesn't make you rubbish at it. And certainly don't discourage A level because of it.

DoraGora, are you of the opinion that everyone can learn all there is to know about mathematics, given the right teacher?

I'd say someone with a B in Maths GCSE is upper average in their Maths ability. So it's fair to say that they aren't "Very Good" at it, but unfair to say that they're bad at it.

I've heard of dyscalculia, so, no. Perhaps not everybody. But, I'm aware of people in my own family who just haven't had things explained to them properly and when things have been explained, they're fine with them.

at this years parents evening DH and I were really worried by the maths teacher as she gave the impression that ds, year 9, was doing badly at the subject, we even enquired about getting him a tutor! When I asked the teacher what grade she thought he would get she said that he should achieve a "good b"

The sense of relief I got from hearing that, I thought he was going to fail maths the way she was going on

No wonder he thinks he's crap at maths

No, because grades mean nothing. I have an A in A level maths but I am worse at maths than my dh who got a D in gcse maths. I just learned how to pass exams. He learned the maths and as a result has a much better understanding of the concepts than I do.

Grades mean nothing, other than you were good at doing whatever was required to meet that grade on the days that it was assessed.

ok. here's the context someone says "my dd doesn't like practising her times tables" other person "she takes after you - not very good at maths"

I did the intermediate GCSE paper (back in 1995!) and the highest grade was a B. The higher paper was much harder (plus I wasn't in the higher maths sets as no room) and I risked getting a lower grade. I stuck with the intermediate paper and got the B.

I love maths and plan at some stage to do an A-level (or whatever they are now) in it. I don't think I'm rubbish at maths, I'm clearly not brilliant at it but I enjoy it and am interested in it.

I'd be really p*ed off if someone told me I was rubbish at anything, it's really rude. Regardless of how well I do, if I try my best then I might not be great at it, but I'm way better than those people who haven't even bothered attempting it.

DoraGora, How about the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem? Would you expect most people to follow that?

Surely you must agree there is a limit to the level of understanding people are capable of.

I did a Maths degree, and towards the end I began to realize that I was reaching my level. Some colleagues went on to post grad degrees, that was a course too far for me.

oops sorry saw that the comment was 'not very good at' rather than 'rubbish at'. Still, in the context you've put, I find it a rude comment. B is an excellent grade and one to be proud of, especially if it's involved a load of effort and revision because it wasn't easily won.

Mistress: Maybe the teacher thinks he has a lot of potential and could get As with a bit of encouragement/tutoring/hard work or whatever?

I'd say B means 'good but not very good', otherwise you run out of adjectives before you get to A ('very good at') and A* (really quite impressive at').

Mind you, DS never did learn his times tables and he got an A*.

Didn't he die without explaining it? So, I guess the answer is no.

Yes, he did, Dora, but he thought he'd proved it! Andrew Wiles's explanation of it on the other hand does stand up, I think (can't be bothered to Google).

TreasureIsland, yeah that's an unkind comment to the adult child but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. However, I would be very worried about the commenter saying something like that to the girl learning her times tables because,

• finding times tables boring does not mean you're rubbish at maths
• being told you're rubbish at something easily turns into a self-fulfilling prophesy
• being told your mum was rubbish at something can make a child settle into that identity (I was always both bookish and a bit clumsy from a young age but I think it was my mum constantly saying - 'don't worry, crocodile, I was always rubbish at sports too! I hated them! like you!' that made me really averse to PE. I don't feel like I've missed out massively because of this, but try not to repeat the mistake with my kids.)

B is fine but depends on what they want to do at a level or university. the difference in gcse and a level is vast.

I'd think it but I wouldn't say it.

I got a B

15 years later i am shocking at maths.