What parents say...

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
Happygirls
“Our children have enjoyed their time at your tuition centre very much, and my wife and I have been incredibly impressed with your professional approach to tuition. Thank you so much for all you have done in making our kids feel comfortable, cared for and safe.” Mr Usuanlele.
Mr UsuanleleParent
We were super happy with your approach and B settled in so well. She looked forward to the tutoring and got a lot out of the sessions. Without a doubt her confidence has grown and I wouldn’t hesitate to use I Love to Learn again in the future. Many thanks, Cat
We are Super Happy!
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)
We are so pleased that Mahera has got a FULL BURSARY for the local girl’s high school in Portsmouth.  She has been to your centre before for tuition but we came back in November so she could get ready for the exams.   She has worked so hard and Linda has really encouraged her in her writing!  Thanks so much!
Mahera's Mum
“Joshua got his GCSE results today and I just wanted to let you know how he got on. He got an 8 in English Language and a 7 in English Literature, he has always struggled with English and wouldn’t of been able to achieve these amazing grades without yours and Adam’s help, if you could please let him know how Joshua done. So once again thank you for all the work you did with him.” Emily (parent) 2021
Emily EvansparentI Love to Learn Portsmouth
She is a quiet girl and I was concerned that her poor spelling was not being corrected.  When she saw the progress Bella was making in such a short time, I enrolled her for Maths as well!   It has transformed her thinking and she now has the self-esteem to ask questions in both numeracy and literacy.
Ms R Temple
At the time of writing this testimonial, my daughter has had only 5 sessions and her confidence and ability has increased significantly!  (Now) she talks of enjoying maths and of her abilities in maths instead of her inabilities, participates more in maths lessons at school and is keen to do her maths homework, both from school and from the sessions.  As a parent I am thrilled that her confidence has grown significantly and would recommend I Love to Learn without hesitation.
S BondParentPortsmouth
Thank you both so much for all the support you have give our Darcey.  she really has grown in her confidence with her maths and you have defo given her the foundations to grow.  She is very excited about starting senior school in September and I am sure we will be back in the future for more support for her or her younger sister.  Big, big hugs.
Heidi & Lee
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

Top Ten GCSE Maths Exam Tips & Dates

When are the GCSE exams 2025?

 
GCSE exams in 2024 start from the week commencing Monday, 5 May and finish on Friday, 20 June.
 

GCSE Maths exams

 
AQA, Edexcel and OCR maths paper 1-foundation and higher-takes place on Thursday 15 May
 
AQA, Edexcel and OCR maths paper 2 – foundation and higher- takes place on Monday 4 June
 
AQA, Edexcel and OCR maths paper 3 – foundation and higher- takes place on Monday 11 June

 

GCSE English Language exams

 
AQA, Edexcel and OCR English language paper 1 exams will take place on morning of Thursday 23 May
 
AQA, Edexcel and OCR English language paper 2 exams will take place on morning of Thursday 6 June

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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