Jemma Sherwood, Director of Mathematics at a secondary school in Worcestershire, has been teaching mathematics for fourteen years. She believes that given the essential nature of algebra and other topics for further mathematical study, it is certainly worthwhile to spend more time on work schemes and review periods. One of the most effective ways to review the GCSE Math exam is to use practice tests under exam conditions. Sherwood also holds a master's degree in mathematics education and spends part of her time training teachers in other subjects who want to convert to teaching mathematics, in addition to serving on the board of directors of an elementary school.
She has noticed that students often struggle with ratio problems, so it's worth researching alternative approaches to solving them given the emphasis on this topic in GCSE. Another problem that arose at both levels was the understanding of words very specific to mathematics, such as “roots” and “turning points”. It is no longer enough to calculate the percentage of a quantity, now students must find a percentage of a percentage, both in questions of compound interest and in more unusual contexts. Sherwood recommends that students take advantage of all available resources to help them understand algebra and other topics better.
This includes practice tests, online tutorials, and even one-on-one tutoring sessions with experienced teachers. With enough practice and dedication, students can be sure to ace their GCSE Maths exams.
