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

[treasureisland]

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

DS2 got a B at GCSE. Went on to do A Level Maths, a BSc with significant Maths content and now doing MSc with even more Maths. If he wanted, he could train as a secondary Maths teacher and teach up to A Level.
There was a shortage of Maths teachers at his 11-16 secondary school so his group had significant periods without a qualified or competent Maths teacher.

What grade did your Mother get in Maths treasure ?
You can print off a higher tier paper by googling AQA past papers. Put that in front of her and see how she gets on. Perhaps she would have more respect for your 'B' grade then.

I did O level Maths in ...erm ... 1958 and failed. This was pre-grades.

I saw the practice papers that my DCs had in various subjects for their A levels in 1984 and just knew that they were the same level as my O levels! I took myself to evening classes before O levels finished and achieved a load of O levels (with a Maths A grade) and three A levels - all at A-C.

I suspect that, after 30 years, these exams are even easier with people being unable to write, spelling properly and so on.

GCSE grade C, I think is average attainment in maths, so I would say a B was a fairly good grade in maths, as it is above average.

I think there is a big difference between saying it to a teenager who has just taken their GCSEs and saying it to an adult who achieved a B grade some years ago - your OP implied the first, whereas subsequent posts have made it clear that it is the second scenario which is under discussion.

21 years after you have achieved it, I don't think a B grade GCSE is really the most relevant way to ascertain whether you are good at maths or not - are you sure your mum wasn't thinking of any instances from the last two decades when she said it, or did she actually refer to your GCSE results? If she is still harping on about your GCSEs now, then I think it's safe to say that she needs to move on and consider the fact that you are more than twice the age you were when you took them and that the B you got is no longer an appropriate indicator of your mathematical ability.

No problem at all treasure ...it is sometimes tricky without tone of voice and visual cues to figure exactly what posters mean (I'm probably not very good at English!).

A word of warning though - keep your pesky mother's opinions well away from your daughter. If kids think they can't do something it very quickly turns into a self fulfilling prophecy.

I got an A for GCSE maths. I got an A for A level maths. I categorise myself (as an adult) who is not very good at maths. My DH got a C for GCSE maths on a retake. As an adult he is very good at maths. I'm always asking him addition / subtraction / percentages because he is quicker than a calculator.

I'm not sure GCSE maths always has much bearing on whether you are good at maths as an adult.

Maths comes naturally to some people, not to others.

My DS is astounding at maths, so much so we pay for extra [private] tuition, and don't begrudge any of it. He wouldn't be very stimulated if we just left it the PS he's at.

Don't where he gets it from though. Certainly NOT from me.

I got an E grade in Maths at GCSE in 1988. The school told me I would not cope with university without a C or above.

I retook it 1989. Got an E . Can I have those wasted hours back, please?

Four years later I left a good University with a 2.1. Made no difference at all AFAIK

I would have walked over broken glass for a B grade in GCSE maths.

It depends what they got in their other subjects?

I rather like hole's suggestion, treasure!

But, no, it's neither normal nor nice of your mother to go on about your 'not being good at' stuff. It would be harmful even if true; as you won a B in maths, clearly it isn't.

Do be careful about letting her dish this out to your children.

... On the whole "not good enough for A level" thing ... My maths teacher urged me to take A-level, despite my scraped 6 at O-level. He had me sit in on the A-level crash course (calculus) and he was right, I loved it. At that time my school couldn't timetable maths with my language A-levels, so I didn't follow through. It showed me, though, that "good at maths" means many different things.

I got a D in GCSE. I work at a financial institution bank

At school, they could never get me into the right set. All throughout my education. By the time it got to GCSE's, I couldn't be bothered.

I think I could have been ok at maths, I had one good teacher in middle school but by then the damage was done and I was unsalvageable. I did make progress with her though. The next year I had an awful, terrible teacher and all the progress I'd made was undone. I got a D in GCSE maths (lower tier paper) and I struggle with maths in some cases (I have no idea whether the change the cashier hands me is correct), but if I am able to have a few moments to work sums out then I can do it.

Siblings all are average/good at maths or great at maths. I often felt sidelined by teachers because I was harder work for them because the basic concepts of maths really did not stick in my head. I really think we should be investing more into good maths teachers, esp at primary and esp for those who struggle.

We shouldn't let kids fail at maths because "their brains are different".

Also, to echo TheCatAteMyTaxReturn, I got a good 2:1 from a good university, switched disciplines to science for postgrad, and work for a uni researching a scientific-based subject.

Maths can go do one.

I got a B in GCSE maths (sat it early) and a B at A level. GCSE and A level maths are different, or at least they were different beasties 20 years ago. GCSE was lots of every problem solving and lots of wordy questions where as a level when I did it was lots of solving equations, proof and formulae. The fact that GCSE and a level are so different is why some A* pupils cannot do a level maths. You need a certain type of brain to manage a level maths.

Telling a child that they have done badly is pointless. I would focus on what they are good at. If they desoerately wanted to do a level maths then I would look at getting a tutor to bring up their predicted gcse result. A tutor could work with them over the summer to help bridge the gap between GCSEs and a level.

Interesting thread.

I got a C many moons ago, went on to get an A at A level and very good Maths degree.

Must add that DD considers herself "not very good at maths", I constantly tell her that I am sure I wasn't a natural at 8 and that we can't be at the top of the class for everything all of the time.

Op, your mother was wrong to say what she said to you.

She is totally out of order to say similar to your daughter.

Stand up for yourself, tell her to shut up, that a GCSE b grade maths is (probably) more than she has, and you will bank her NOT to condition your child to think she's "not good at anything" aged 6 Ffs.

Go tough on this. Allow your dd to have the support you didn't have and don't allow anyone to crush her as your mother tried with you.

I was thinking about this thread on my dog walk this morning. I find it really disheartening that young people are not encouraged to pursue something like Maths unless they have achieved an A or A*.

There could be many reasons why someone doesn't achieve their potential at GCSE level, not gelling with the teacher, in my case (although pre-GCSE as I am old!).

I found my A level easy and thoroughly enjoyed my degree, with current day thinking I would have achieved neither.

The trouble is the maths gcse nowadays is easier than it used to be so students that get Bs or Cs tend to struggle hugely at A level. There is a massive jump to A level. Often they drop out before Christmas, sometimes they stick it out only to get an E or a U. It seems daft to encourage them to continue with a subject they're going to find so difficult.

Obviously if there are specific issues with illness, family life etc that have affected the grade that's a different situation but the student would need to be prepared to spend lots of extra time to fully master the GCSE content so they've even got a chance of coping with the new material.