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Failing A level maths

I’ve been studying A levels for 6 months now and I really seem to be struggling with maths. I would say I’m a pretty hard worker, I complete all homework, revise for assessments consistently and even set myself extra work but I still seem to be getting U’s in every test!! I revised for a recent test I had pretty much all of half term and I still got a U:frown: I just dont know what I am doing wrong, everyone else in my class is doing a lot better than me and I don’t really know what I’m doing any different to them. I don’t know if its my lack of self confidence which means I don’t perform up to my potential in tests. Has anyone else been in the situation before and if so have you been able to turn your grades around? Also does anyone have any study tips and ways to be more confident. Any help would be appreciated!!

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Honestly, was in a similar situation in further mathematics. If you got the money, defo get a tutor. Ensure you know EVERY mistake you make in a test and if not, go over it with a teacher. Get revision guides if available and do a lot of past papers. Good luck!
Make sure you're revising effectively, spend the most time working on concepts that you aren't so strong on. Also make sure you're prwcticing with actual exam/ test style questions, you can revise the concepts all you like but if you can't apply them to questions with context it's not worth anything.
Don't let it get you down, maths takes time and practice to understand, which varies massively for everyone. Keep working hard and you'll get there.
Original post by lou0901
I’ve been studying A levels for 6 months now and I really seem to be struggling with maths. I would say I’m a pretty hard worker, I complete all homework, revise for assessments consistently and even set myself extra work but I still seem to be getting U’s in every test!! I revised for a recent test I had pretty much all of half term and I still got a U:frown: I just dont know what I am doing wrong, everyone else in my class is doing a lot better than me and I don’t really know what I’m doing any different to them. I don’t know if its my lack of self confidence which means I don’t perform up to my potential in tests. Has anyone else been in the situation before and if so have you been able to turn your grades around? Also does anyone have any study tips and ways to be more confident. Any help would be appreciated!!

You have the work ethic, but have room for improvement in the exam technique. Aside from what other people have said, I would say go and find harder questions in the topics that you make mistakes in and attempt those. Half of the example questions shown are so basic that it is completely unrealistic for them to be asked in an exam. By doing the harder questions (end of the chapter, online question sheets, etc.), you will not only solidify your understanding but also increase your confidence in your own ability to tackle the questions. (P.S. if it is a topic like calculus that you want harder problems for, MIT OCW online should have some of their problem sheets/exam papers which may be worth taking a look at).

Furthermore, I would also encourage you to write out all the steps in your working. It can become very boring (and mundane) to continually write out the same steps for the exam, but the examiners will award marks for working. Also, it helps you to keep track of what you are doing and stay focused.

You may also want to think about time management in exams. Perhaps you should leave the hardest questions for last and come to those after you have completed the easier questions and banked those marks.
What did you get at GCSE?
Try and shake up your current methods and maybe see if anything more unconventional might work? Like making physical models of equations and more abstract stuff from that :smile:
I managed to turn my maths A level from a U to a D on quite poor work ethic on the whole.

I refused to get a tutor at the time. I should have done.
Are you in year 12? What did you get for GCSE?
Reply 8
Original post by _gcx
What did you get at GCSE?


Original post by pinkypaz123
Are you in year 12? What did you get for GCSE?


at gcse I got a 7 so I basically scraped the grade requirement
Reply 9
Original post by pinkypaz123
Are you in year 12? What did you get for GCSE?

yes Im in year 12 and I got a 7 for gcses
Original post by lou0901
I’ve been studying A levels for 6 months now and I really seem to be struggling with maths. I would say I’m a pretty hard worker, I complete all homework, revise for assessments consistently and even set myself extra work but I still seem to be getting U’s in every test!! I revised for a recent test I had pretty much all of half term and I still got a U:frown: I just dont know what I am doing wrong, everyone else in my class is doing a lot better than me and I don’t really know what I’m doing any different to them. I don’t know if its my lack of self confidence which means I don’t perform up to my potential in tests. Has anyone else been in the situation before and if so have you been able to turn your grades around? Also does anyone have any study tips and ways to be more confident. Any help would be appreciated!!


When you get your tests back do you go over them to see exactly where you went wrong?
What exactly does your maths revision entail?
Is there a particular topic/module that you're really struggling with?
What has your teacher been doing to help you?
Sorry ik I'm asking a lot of qs, but I just want a clearer picture to try and help.
Reply 11
Original post by SoDarkSoCold
When you get your tests back do you go over them to see exactly where you went wrong?
What exactly does your maths revision entail?
Is there a particular topic/module that you're really struggling with?
What has your teacher been doing to help you?
Sorry ik I'm asking a lot of qs, but I just want a clearer picture to try and help.


I try to go over them but its hard to when I don’t really know where I went wrong, I normally have a look at the mark scheme but they’re so vague they confuse me even more😂
In terms of revision I normally answer questions from the kerboodle text book and watch exan solutions videos if I’m really stuck on what to do. I also do maths genie questions and past paper questions
And no topic in particular I’m just struggling in general, the test I had was on exponentials and logs so I guess that is not my strongest point! I’m also not amazing at coordinate geometry or vectors, those were the other tests I have recieved a U in. Just started mechanics and finding that really hard!! Stats is alright though i seek to get it more.
My teacher said they will go over the test with me because I talked to them about it but I’m not sure when that’s happening
thanks for your help!!
If you're doing this badly despite putting work in, then the likelihood is that you're not doing the right kind of work. Maths is not really like other subjects - information recall is virtually worthless here without the understanding and the ability to apply it. Learning methods takes a different type of revision to learning facts. If you know those methods, then you need to practice them. Do past paper questions until you get totally bored because you've seen almost everything before but with different numbers. If you don't know the methods, you need to relearn them by going back to examples, videos, your teacher etc. The basics are important and if you don't master the first year, the second will be even more brutal than it is normally.
Get a tutor - or use your teacher - book some 1-1 time with them, or maybe with another Maths teacher in the school because it might be that your teacher isn't explaining things in a way that suits your learning style. Do your school run "maths sessions" before or after school? Most schools do a "drop in".

Alternatively, can you ask one of your classmates or a yr 13 to help you?
I agree with getting a tutor. Even having another student who is good in Maths to help you is better than working on it yourself if you've tried so hard and not be able to work it out.

I took my A Levels in the November series as a homeschooler and self taught myself everything (but I don't have your amazing work ethic. My mother would be proud to have a child like you). Tutorials and guides for understanding concepts are easy to come by but trying to understand why or how I get something wrong often feel close to impossible. I only got myself an online tutor a week before the first exam date (which is stupid, don't do that, the more time you have to work on your Maths the better) and we tried working every day. I only got an e pass at AS level but without the tuition, I'm pretty sure I'd fail completely.

The problem I had with Maths is that even after I understand the concepts, the questions are killer hard. I don't see how I could use what I learned to solve the question. That's where constant practice helps but if you don't have someone to teach you how in the first place, you may still find it really, really hard.
Reply 15
Original post by lou0901
I’ve been studying A levels for 6 months now and I really seem to be struggling with maths. I would say I’m a pretty hard worker, I complete all homework, revise for assessments consistently and even set myself extra work but I still seem to be getting U’s in every test!! I revised for a recent test I had pretty much all of half term and I still got a U:frown: I just dont know what I am doing wrong, everyone else in my class is doing a lot better than me and I don’t really know what I’m doing any different to them. I don’t know if its my lack of self confidence which means I don’t perform up to my potential in tests. Has anyone else been in the situation before and if so have you been able to turn your grades around? Also does anyone have any study tips and ways to be more confident. Any help would be appreciated!!

I recently gave my c12 exam in maths and I'm soon to re-take it as I didn't get the grade I wanted. I think that what I did wrong was to not practice enough. Practicing in maths is vital because that's when you get the hang of the question the most. So, I guess if I could give you a tip (and to myself) is to practice as much as you can by solving as many exercises as possible.
Perhaps compare your answers with those of people who did a little better at the test in your class - they will be able to explain to you where you went wrong, and you can see how the answer might be laid out.
Practice is key, and also knowing why a certain method is done as it is (like calculus from first principles) can really help you to truly understand what you're doing, I think.
Original post by lou0901
I’ve been studying A levels for 6 months now and I really seem to be struggling with maths. I would say I’m a pretty hard worker, I complete all homework, revise for assessments consistently and even set myself extra work but I still seem to be getting U’s in every test!! I revised for a recent test I had pretty much all of half term and I still got a U:frown: I just dont know what I am doing wrong, everyone else in my class is doing a lot better than me and I don’t really know what I’m doing any different to them. I don’t know if its my lack of self confidence which means I don’t perform up to my potential in tests. Has anyone else been in the situation before and if so have you been able to turn your grades around? Also does anyone have any study tips and ways to be more confident. Any help would be appreciated!!


I was never confident in maths and got a B at gcse, for my A-levels i got an A. The best way to revise maths is just to practice and practice. I probably did every maths paper from 2005 to 2017 4 times for every module. The best sites are physics and maths tutor where you can find your exam board. If youre doing edexcel theres a youtube channel called exam solutions which has worked solutions on every paper! This will 100% turn your grade around. Go through an exam paper everyday for each module and remember to note down tricks and patterns or methods you learn whilst doing the questions, Good luck!
Original post by lou0901
I’ve been studying A levels for 6 months now and I really seem to be struggling with maths. I would say I’m a pretty hard worker, I complete all homework, revise for assessments consistently and even set myself extra work but I still seem to be getting U’s in every test!! I revised for a recent test I had pretty much all of half term and I still got a U:frown: I just dont know what I am doing wrong, everyone else in my class is doing a lot better than me and I don’t really know what I’m doing any different to them. I don’t know if its my lack of self confidence which means I don’t perform up to my potential in tests. Has anyone else been in the situation before and if so have you been able to turn your grades around? Also does anyone have any study tips and ways to be more confident. Any help would be appreciated!!

make sure you understand what you're learning, rather than just memorising it.
Just drop it and swap out for something else?
If that's not an option then you'll have to stick it out and hope for your predicted grade or more.

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