From 75% to 95% in 12 weeks…

Constantly measuring progress and having clearly defined targets are crucial for high achievement. I use it extensively in many aspects of my life, including business, my weight, running, etc…

In iGCSE maths (Edexcel board) the % boundary varies from paper to paper but it’s ball park 60% for an A and 80% for an A*.

In April the kids were averaging around 75%, so a high A. In the next 12 weeks I made them do one past paper a day, nothing else. You’ll note that in the graph it doesn’t show a past paper every day – during those days the kids did a paper they had already done – and the marks were not included. You can see that the lowest mark in the 8 papers in June was 91%. Let’s hope they didn’t mess up the actual exams!

So if anyone out there wants to improve their maths grades, the lesson is clear – do past papers! Both my kids went from around 75% to 95% in just 12 weeks.

BTW both kids were highly motivated throughout. They wanted to outdo each other – but they were also interested in seeing all the stats I’d give them – the graph above, last 5 exams average, etc… and if they hit their targets they didn’t have to do a paper the next day. They also loved the fact that they were doing the exams 5 and 7 years early – gives a great feel good factor. And finally they knew that if they didn’t get an A* they’d be resitting it in 6 months…

Author: Asim Qureshi

Passionate about tech startups, home schooling, barefoot running and squash. View all posts by Asim Qureshi