5-yr-old scrapes GCSE maths

[Ponders]

\link{http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8721603/Six-year-old-girl-passes-maths-GCSE.html(she was 5 when she took it)}

'she takes extra lessons on Saturdays and is not allowed to watch television after school from Monday to Thursday so that she concentrates on her studies.
Her father Charles Thorpe, 44, from Chadwell Heath, east London, said: ''We thought we might as well just give it a go. You see young people in the newspapers who have taken exams and you think, why not?
''I wouldn't say maths is her favourite subject, but when she says she wants to be a doctor I tell her that she must be very good at science and maths.
'' We want her to be outstanding and exceptional in every way .'' '

no pressure then

twat

[tothemoonandback]

Her Dad sounds an utter twat. King of Twats. She will grow up to hate him. Twat.

[iggly2]

I'm sure nearly all 6 year olds could.

[mrz]

www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2077024_boy_genius_seven_gets_a_grade_at_maths_gcse although he is quite elderly in comparison

[iggly2]

BUT they should not be in a position where they are tutored to it/ made to sit it.

[iggly2]

Oddly enough I feel slightly better about a seven year old (still against tutoring) because I think that he will know more about other things. He will be less easily parent led as he has been at school longer.He also got a decent grade (may actually have ability !). Frequently ability to do a certain thing means that you got good at it by enjoying it.

[mrz]

What I like about the young boy compared to the child in the initial post

Dr Ryde is now backing boy genius Oscar to maintain a healthy balance in his life thanks to his interests outside of the classroom.

?He has worked very well and has achieved an awful lot for someone his age,? he said.

?But he is still very grounded and down to earth about things.

?He has got a healthy interest in sports and music, he?s a very rounded young man.?

I imagine he can watch TV sometimes too

[missmiss]

Agree with others' comment so far. Out of interest, does anyone know if there are any very young children who've taken and achieved a high grade in an arts subject - English for example?

Maths and IT are the ones that always crop up in these cases, and as others have pointed out, the children who sit them either seem to have been crammed (because they are crammable subjects) or to have an innate gift for the subject.

It would be really impressive if a child could do well in a subject like English that demands abstract reasoning powers, the ability to construct a complex argument etc.

Anyone know?

[iggly2]

Missmiss nope to my knowledge to your question. People do maths GCSE early as it is piss easy now (especially as very crammable).

[whenIgetto3]

these kids sat GCSE French and Modern Greek and Chineese early but then they are 12-15 so probably way to old to be called intelligent or gifted

[LynetteScavo]

The first time I took my GCSE maths I had baaaaaaaaaaad attitude, wrote nothing much more than my name and got an E. I was actually quite surprised.

I am impressed that any 5 year old can sit through a whole exam, though. Aren't they 2 hours long, or something? (Or did they just seem that long when I was a 15 year old?)

[mrz]

www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23873391-boy-who-broke-gcse-record-at-five-is-off-to-cambridge.do

[iggly2]

The French and Chinese candidates may have been native speakers. These languages will require translations but not reasoning or complex arguments such as English essay writing.
Ps, I am in aww of creative writers as no imagination or writing skills myself.

[iggly2]

How the BBC quoted the father it sounded as if the girl would get a place to study there in two years time (with one GCSE and one A level! It was more that I was querying Mrz. I do not think anywhere would take children that young.

[iggly2]

Sorry missing bracket:
How the BBC quoted the father it sounded as if the girl would get a place to study there in two years time (with one GCSE and one A level!). It was more that I was querying Mrz. I do not think anywhere would take children that young.

[mrz]

Sorry iggly the report I linked to is about a boy called Arran Fernander who is the youngest child to pass a GCSE. Now ten years later he is off to Cambridge having met the conditional offer made when he was 14 (he's also written a book about Shakespeare ) it sort of backs your argument that she wouldn't get an offer on the back of a E grade GCSE

[MollieO]

Where are the stories this month about 'black underachievement'? Bonsoir could you do a link?

[iggly2]

Oh.... just noticed the link about Esther Okade was last year. It stated she would take her A-level math this year and if she passed it she would get a place at Cambridge. Interestingly no big announcement has been made about her getting an A level and nowhere is she quoted as being the youngest to get to Cambridge at 7 years old!

[LynetteScavo]

I presumed Bonsoir was referring to the riots.

But from what I understand black children, especially boys, underachieve academically. You can probably Google it for yourself.

So what are you going to do about that then, Mr Cameron?

[princessglitter]

I think it would not be possible for a child of that age to have the emotional maturity to cope with a subject like English or History. Maths could possibly be taught by this cramming method - but fail to see the benefit really, unless the child is truly gifted.

[Clary]

Well I honestly think my 10yo could get a C grade at Maths GCSE right now, with no extra coaching.

I think a reasonably able-at-maths junior-school child could. I think it is pretty easy (sample qu from June's foundation paper: Tom thinks of a number. It is an odd number between 10 and 20 which is a multiple of 5. What is the number?)

So basically what I am saying is that this child getting E after lots of extra coaching is not that remarkable - except the fact that she's done it at all. Why???? All that extra work, bless her she doesn't need that at 5yo.

[MollieO]

If Bonsoir was talking about the riots then she seems to have turned into David Starkey. Racist and completely inaccurate comment to say the riots were done by black people. Look at Manchester and look at lots of those in London. They seem very very pale indeed.

[NotJustKangaskhan]

Bonsoir is talking about the news talking about black underachieving, which happens every year around result time. This year they have the extra fuel of the riots (as the only group that does statistically worse than black boys is white boys from the lowest socio-economic background so it's a two for one special). Every year the media goes on about the race/income gaps in results, what it means, what causes it, and what can be done for a few weeks max, then goes back to ignoring these groups until something bad happens. It's a yearly cycle that ticks a lot of people off because it's all talk and showing how bad these groups are (bootstraps), but no action or really looking at these groups beyond the stats.

[mrz]

Over the last few years there have been numerous pieces of research published and the last government published guidance Raising the Achievement of Minority Ethnic Pupils - www.teachfind.com/national-strategies/ethnic-minority-achievement-ema-raising-black-pupil-attainment-mathematics-throu [[http://www.teachfind.com/national-strategies/ethnic-minority-achievement-ema-raising-black-pupil-attainment-mathematics-throu A focus on provision for Black children in
the Early Years Foundation Stage]] and many more

[ASByatt]

One wonders what her dad will say when she decides that she actually would prefer to be a magical fairy princess when she grows up. Or maybe somone that drives really big lorries.

(Both of these were careers considered by my DD when she was 5/6)

[ASByatt]

Sorry to lower to tone a bit there!