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“Thanks for all your hard work with Rebecca Kivlin. She has started Milton Cross this week. Rebecca is in the top set for maths and science, and the second group for everything else. Without coming to Love to Learn she would never have achieved this.  Thanks”    
Julie Powell
“I would just like to say I have nothing but praise for I Love to Learn and all the tutors, not only has Dottie already improved with her maths work in the time she has been there but her confidence is so much better too. I want to thank you all so much, she has absolutely loved it, and without a doubt I would not hesitate in bringing her back.” Kayleigh (parent) 2021
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Albie
Albie had been diagnosed with mild dyslexia and his reading age was around 2 years behind!  The standard in private school is often higher, so we were worried about the Entrance Exams.  Soon after he enrolled he started making rapid progress.  The school say he is now Level  5 in literacy and the teacher can see a lot of difference.  His reading age has shot up and the gaps in maths have been filled in and he has caught up amazingly quickly. It has definitely, definitely made a difference and I have recommended the centre to my friends.
Jilly (Albie’s Mum)
I would like to thank you for the enthusiastic way in which you have helped Vicky gain confidence in her abilities to learn.  She has been a different child since coming to you and has a more positive view now!
Vicky's Parents
GCSE Maths
Alex says ” I learned more in three months than my whole time in the maths classroom at school. I went from dreading it to feeling much better about being there.” This Summer he was overjoyed to find that he had gone from a Grade 2 in his mocks up to a Grade 4 (C) pass in his final exam.  
Alex
Thank you for all your support with our son, Thomas. His hand writing, spelling, maths and reading is progressing beautifully. I would highly recommend your setting to anyone who wishes to give their child a boost or to work on specific learning goals. It has been invaluable. All your tutors are warm, welcoming and professional and Thomas is always made to feel valued. Positive praise and lots of stickers, stamps, rewards, prizes and certificates give that extra special touch to reward and recognise the children’s efforts. Thomas is certainly always proud of his achievements from your centre.
Laura (Thomas’s mum)
Firstly, I would like to thank yourselves and your staff for all your help and dedication to helping my daughter Saoirse with her maths.  She has shown an improvement with her confidence at attempting to handle the mathematics she is give by her school.  And I feel this is due to the staff at your centre, she had a very rough year in Year 4, with her very unsympathetic teacher and you all helped her through that.  For that I’m very grateful.
Mrs R Wall
Thank you so much for helping me with my maths!  I have come along much more in maths lessons at school! Hopefully, depending on whether I need help when I go to Secondary School I might come back again. (I hope so)  Thank you again. Madison.
Mrs H Breen
Alex had been tested in Year 4 for dyslexia and he came out mildly dyslexic for spelling.  He has a poor short term memory, and we were concerned about him going to Senior School with these problems. Alex started off a bit ‘anti’, but now he agrees that his writing is better and the improvement has been commented on by teachers.  We are so pleased he is getting professional help, and are especially pleased that he now see the benefit and is self-motivated. He now is now asking for help with his Maths too!
Mrs D Wilson
winner “We had planned to stop the tutoring after the 11+ exam, but with the next lockdown and more disruption to her education, we quickly relented when she literally begged us to continue going! The sessions are adjusted to her needs and she describes them as ‘really fun’ and she likes it that the work is specific to her level and much more individualised than the class work at school.”
Penny Meeking

Top Ten GCSE Maths Exam Tips

Maths GCSE Examination Tips

Getting GCSE exam ready takes lots of practice.  These tips are to help you tackle the exams and to get the best possible result, they are not a substitute for good preparation and revision prior to the exam.

Imagine: You are in the exam room.  The paper is in front of you.  You have been told to write your name on the front of the paper (please make sure you do this!!).  You are told to begin…how do you feel?

Many students, despite hours of revision, will still feel nervous.  Despite these feelings you can still do well.

GCSEstudentGettting Started

Step 1 – Take a breath

Take a deep breath in and slowly breathe out.  This will give you a moment of calm and stop your heart from racing.  Look at the clock and now open the paper.

Step 2 – Flick through the paper

For about 3 minutes flick through the paper and put a tick against the questions you like the look of and a star against those you don’t like the look of. The ones you have ticked can be tackled first – this will build your confidence and get you warmed up.  These questions will take you less time to complete, so that you can then spend a longer amount of time on the trickier questions.

Having said that, the number of marks in a question is the indication of the number of minutes to be spent on it. 1-mark questions require little more than 1 minute; 2 marks, 2 mins and so on. If a tricky question is taking up too many valuable minutes, it’s okay for you to move on and come back to it later.

Step 3 – Read the Question

Now, answer as many questions as you can.  Once you have answered each question, take a moment to read the question again.  Have you answered the question?  Have you answered the question in the way it requires?  Have you rounded correctly?  Does your answer make sense?  Using this moment can enable you to pick up marks you may have otherwise lost.

Tip 1- Be Tidy or at Least Clear

Make sure your work is as neat and tidy as possible.  Make it easy for the examiner to assess your work and award your mark.

Maths is funTip 2-Use the Calculator

For the calculator exam – use the calculator! Chief Examiners have noted that students sometimes work out calculations manually when they should be using a calculator. Know your calculator prior to the exam, use the one you always use!

Remember to write on the paper any calculation that you type into the calculator as this will give you the extra marks.

Tip 3-Round the Numbers at the End

Write down the figures on your calculator and then make a suitable rounding. Don’t round the numbers during the calculation. This will often result in an incorrect answer.

Tip 4-Are You Sure You’re Right?

If you’re in the situation where you try two methods and you aren’t sure which one is correct, don’t put an answer on the answer line. If you do, the examiner will ignore the working that doesn’t lead to that answer. If you leave the answer line blank, the examiner will mark both methods and award whichever one is lower.

Tip 5-Attempt All Part of Questions If You Can

Look at all parts of a question.  Even though you may not be able to complete the first part of a question, if the second part is unrelated, it may be easy for you to complete.

Tip 6-Cross Out What is not Relevant

For wordy questions, cross out any information that is unnecessary and/or highlight the words that are needed for your calculations.  If it’s relevant make a sketch or a drawing that can help you to think about the problem.

Tip 7-Include Your Workings

If there are 3 or more marks available for a question, then be sure to include your workings (even if the question does not ask for your workings).  You are unlikely to get full marks for just the answer.

Tip 8-Know Your Units!

How many mms in a cm; cms in a metre; metres in a km; etc. Be sure to put your units on the answer line as this is usually worth an extra mark.

Tip 9-Only Write or Draw in the Answer Space

Do not write or draw anything outside of the answer space. It is likely to be missed by the examiner and you will drop marks. If you need extra space to write, draw an arrow indicating where the extra writing is. If the examiner cannot read it, or is not clear where the answer is, you will not get the marks.

Tip 10-Put a Hand Up and Make a Request If You Need to

You should have all your own equipment for the examination, and you should be confident in using it.  However, don’t be afraid to ask for help or equipment if you need it during the examination – your pencil may need sharpening; the batteries on your calculator may run out; you might need tracing paper for that transformations question.  The invigilators are there to help.

We wish you every success!

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