Challenges of IGCSE Maths

As a compulsory subject for IGCSE students, it can take a lot of effort to improve and build confidence in Maths. At BartyED, our experience is that there is no magical solution to perfect results in maths.

Students build up their tool-kit for maths from a young age, and subsequent years add layers to it, but the pathway to mastery is an individual journey. Nonetheless, IGCSE Maths is a demanding subject. By high school, absence for a single lesson can be a serious setback.

Depending on whether your school opts for the CIE or Edexcel Mathematics course for IGCSE, and whether you do the Core or Extended exams, the structure of the assessment will be slightly different.

In general, for IGCSE Maths there are several tips for consolidating crucial skills and maximising test scores:

Tip #1: Understand the question

Questions on the IGCSE Maths exam are often designed to trick students. This means that students might not even be able to comprehend the question itself, much less know how to process the data involved.

Understanding the verbal presentation of mathematical problems requires a level of fluency with mathematical concepts, relationships, and skills. To become fluent in IGCSE Maths you have to know the command words, which comes with reading mark schemes and examiners’ reports to understand the types of questions in the exams.

You also need to be able to anticipate the best way to solve the problem, which often requires guided practice with a qualified IGCSE Maths tutor.

Tip #2: Do what’s expected

This may seem obvious, but showing working out is just as important as putting down the right answer. Even when revising with IGCSE Maths past papers, taking the time to show working out can help you understand which areas you need to work on. It should be a matter of second nature.

It doesn’t matter if the question is worth 1 mark, if the question doesn’t demand this explicitly, or if it’s a simple single-step problem—getting into the habit of showing working out can always prevent you from losing unnecessary marks on the IGCSE Maths exam.

Showing your thought process and calculations on paper helps you verify your answer, identify any mistakes, and clarify for the examiner where to give you marks.

Tip #3: Find patterns

Being able to conceptualise on a deeper level, whether calculating interest or understanding coordinate geometry, will prove very useful.

IGCSE students are expected to show understanding of patterns and relationships of different areas of mathematics, and show that they can apply this knowledge. This is especially important for longer questions.

Improving in this aspect comes with exposure to more past papers, and trying to critically conceptualise a problem before selecting a strategy.

Need more help with IGCSE Maths?

We hope these tips will help you do well in IGCSE Maths, and build confidence for the final exams. Improving independently is not easy, especially for a subject like Maths. Working with a good tutor can speed up the improving process exponentially.

Check out our website for more information on our personalised IGCSE Maths tutoring programmes, and reach out to us today if you think you are ready to benefit from targeted support!