GCSE Maths Tutor
Maths is a subject that can not be understood without problem-solving. Confidence before the exam comes from rigorous practice and correct knowledge of all the concepts. As 97% of all jobs demand for a GCSE in Maths, students can not escape this subject and not all of them can be innately good at it. When students get stuck in their progress, they need a one on one teaching session apart from the classroom lessons, in which their problems are solved by giving them individual attention. As the GCSE (General Certificates of Secondary Education) exams are extremely important for your university admissions and career progress, it is recommended that students should hire a GCSE Maths tutor if they have been struggling with Maths.
How to find a GCSE maths tutor
There are many ways to find a good Physics and Maths tutor around you but the parents and student have to make sure that the tutor has a good reputation and gives the required attention to the student. Here are some tips to find an experienced and well-reputed tutor:
- Through word of mouth by interacting with other parents, you can find out about tutors who have helped students understand concept and feel less afraid of the exam
- Tutoring centres or agencies are another way of looking for the right help. The only disadvantage in this method is that the fee might be higher.
- If there is no teacher found by word of mouth or asking around, tutors can also be found online on different tutoring websites that offer reliable assistance to struggling students at a very reasonable fee
- Social media can also be utilised to look for pages of tutors who have a good following
After you have found the tutor, it is important to also check their availability and qualifications before hiring.
The GCSE maths tutoring process: what to expect
Tutoring is not carried out the same way as delivering classroom lessons. The method is much more interactive and works on the student’s weaknesses. Here are the things that you can expect from a GCSE maths tutor:
- One on one tutoring session at least once a week during which the student’s confusions and misconceptions are clarified by the tutor and all the tricky questions in their assessments are answered
- Your GCSE Maths tutor will also bring you past papers, (whether you are an Edexcel maths advanced information student or a CIE student) practice papers and other revision resources that you might not be aware of. These will help you get reliable help through the practice. What’s useful here is that the tutor also knows the answers to the questions so you can check your progress
- Parents of the students can also regularly meet the tutor and see the student’s progress.
Key skills for success in GCSE maths
- It is extremely important to revise the entire syllabus’ concepts before the exam and understand them completely
- The student should have a very strong strategy for tackling the problems. The best approach is to break down the bigger problem into smaller ones and take a logical approach towards it
- Motivation, memory and practice! These are the three important pillars to ensure success in the exam
- Start from learning the basics and only then move to the harder topics. Do not attempt questions that require multiple concepts while you are still confused about some of them
- Have a strict schedule to cover all the topics on time and then have ample time to practise the past papers
- Do make a list of formulas and equations that you have difficulty recalling so that you can keep going over them and learn properly
Common challenges in GCSE maths and how a tutor can help
- As the paper format and marking strategy is getting updated regularly, a lot of students become afraid of the exam and feel unsure about their progress. A tutor can give you insights that can help remove these fears
- You should know the marking scheme and distribute your time accordingly between the questions. If you can not do questions without a calculator with expertise, you will require more time on those but also remember the weightage of these questions and how important they are in the overall score. A tutor can observe your weak points and suggest a strategy
- The fact that you can’t use the calculator in some of the questions means you will have to learn some tips and tricks to quicken your progress in that part. A tutor can help with those hacks
- Mathematical thinking and problem solving skills are required to ace the paper and this can only be taught properly to student in a one-on-one session
Preparing for GCSE maths exams with a tutor
A tutor can make your GCSE Maths journey much easier and help you identify where you need work and extra attention.
All your confusions will be clarified and you will feel more confident about every topic before the exam.
Even though all the effort is yours, your tutor can prove to be of immense help when you are having doubts about your capabilities.