“My child is failing IGCSE Maths”

I get this exact message time and time again.

The IGCSE Maths curriculum is quite challenging. It is very common for students to struggle and to dip and fall far behind in Year 10 and 11.

This blog is for you if your child is struggling. I’m going to give you some practical approaches here to help turn your child’s maths around.

A dip in Maths results is common

I’ve been tutoring maths for well over seven years at this stage. Students at the IGCSE, ages 13, 14, and 15, it is quite common to see once-great students failing IGCSE maths. Sometimes it’s out of the blue, sometimes it happens gradually, but I think the thing parents and teachers forget is these are teenagers. A lot of their application, study, and routine depend on their confidence. When the results start to dip, it can snowball. 

Good news is it’s very easy at the IGCSE years to turn those grades around. The course is not too comprehensive and there is not as much pressure on students and once you get the basics right especially for maths, it all begins to click.

5 things parents can do tif their child is failing IGCSE maths

1. Find a tutor.
   It’s the first thing I say for a reason. It’s worked for generations. Finding a private tutor often is like a third space for their child. Hasn’t worked in school, hasn’t worked at home but the tutor can show a new light. We are six years tutoring maths and Breakthrough Maths and if you need help, it’s the first place I look to find a tutor for maths.
   
2. Talk to the teacher.
   It’s really important to chat to your child’s teacher. They know your child best and how they perform in the actual class. Have a chat, tell them your concerns, and ask them what their opinion is and what they would recommend to do. Because if the teacher is not involved, the child can feel pulled left, right and centre and it’s important to get everyone on the same page to improve their maths. 
   
3. Structure their homework routine
   One of the simplest things a parent can do is help their child with their homework set up. Now I don’t mean doing the homework. I mean setting them up right to do their homework. Having food ready when they come home from school. That way they’ll have the energy to do their homework. Having a nice clean tidy desk for the child to do their homework.
   
   Having a nice clean tidy desk for the child to do their homework. Set the conditions right to allow your child to get stuck in to homework. Once the homework comes right then study happens. It’s like putting the horse before the cart. You have to get the homework right to get the study right 
   
4. Set a carrot in place
   Now this sounds weird but what I mean is to put something tangible in front of your child. It’s important to have a goal. Set a goal from their mocks, set a goal for their exams in the summer. Put a reward in place. Be that a magical trip to Disneyland or be that no chores for the summer or be that a trip to see their favourite football team. It’s great to have something tangible in place so we can work towards it and it brings the whole point of study into perspective for your child.
   
5. Patience, my Dear Watson
   It does come right. The first thing I tell parents to do is just be patient. Do not, whatever you do, put pressure on your child. Help support, give them structure but don’t hurry them to get better faster. It’s a constant, consistent level of support. It’s not a “do this now or else” kind of attitude that never works. Give it time and it does come right.
   
   I hope that helps. With time and patience the maths always improves but you have to take action and you have to keep it at the front of mind. If you need any more help for your child’s IGCSE maths, you can find out more about our tutors here.
   
   TJ