Is GCSE Maths Hard?: A Teacher’s Perspective

Written by: Dan Finlay

Reviewed by: Roger B

Published

5 May 2025

Illustration of a teacher pondering, with the text "Is GCSE Maths Hard? A Teacher's Perspective" and various mathematical symbols in the background.

Contents

If you’re wondering whether GCSE Maths is hard, you’re not alone. Many students find this subject hard. In fact, of students 16 and under, nearly 1 in 3 students did not achieve at least a grade 4 in summer 2024.

During my eight years of teaching, I have seen many students initially struggle with GCSE Maths. However, there is no need to panic. Whether you are just starting your GCSEs or preparing for your exams, Save My Exams has got your back. In this article, I will discuss why students tend to find GCSE Maths challenging and how it can be made simpler.

So, is GCSE Maths hard?

I am going to be honest with you, a large proportion of students say that GCSE Maths is their hardest subject. However, it really depends on each student. Personally, I found GCSE English much harder.

I liked that most maths questions have a definite correct answer. I could usually tell whether my answer was correct or not by checking it at the end of the exam. However, in subjects like English and the humanities, you cannot always tell whether you have fully answered a question.

However, when I became a teacher, I started to see this question from a student’s perspective. Some students loved open-ended written answers, as they could happily give their thoughts and opinions. Whereas, they hated maths questions because they knew when they had lost marks.

What makes GCSE Maths difficult?

The sheer amount of content

There is a lot of content in GCSE Maths. It is not uncommon for schools to give their students four or more hours’ worth of maths lessons each week. This can make it feel like there is a lot to remember for the exams.

There are also three papers to revise for. This can make you feel overwhelmed when it comes to revising for your exams. Most subjects at GCSE have large amounts of content to learn. However, for some people, it can feel like maths has the most.

The amount of prior knowledge needed

You have been studying maths since primary school. Some students have had a bad experience with maths from a young age, and that makes them think of maths as being difficult. A lot of my students in my GCSE resit classes tell me they find maths hard as they are forced to learn topics too quickly.

You might have found some topics difficult when you were younger, such as fractions. For some people, the topic makes sense as they get older. For others, the problems can get worse. Maths is full of connected topics. If you find fractions hard, then you will likely find probability difficult.

Abstract concepts

Part of maths involves generalising patterns and rules with algebra. Some people find this very challenging. Some of my students could easily solve the following problem:

I think of a number. I square it and add 3. The answer is 28. What could my number have been?

However, those same students would struggle to solve the same problem when written using algebra:

n² + 3 = 28

Also, probability is a very theoretical topic. I have had students who found the difference between expected frequencies and actual outcomes very confusing. For example, one student thought that if I flipped a fair coin 100 times, then it should land on tails exactly 50 times. If a question said it landed on tails 49 times, then they’d tell me that the coin is unfair.

Problem-solving

It is true that maths has a lot of problem-solving questions. You might find it difficult to know where to start. Comparing this to other subjects can make maths feel very hard. In English, you might have to write an essay. Even if you are not confident, you can always write down something. Whereas for maths, you might genuinely not be able to write down anything for some questions.

Pressure to pass

There is a lot of pressure for you to pass your GCSE Maths exams. Many jobs and further education courses require specific minimum grades. You tend to have more lessons in school for maths compared to subjects such as history and geography. In some cases, schools put students in extra maths lessons instead of other subjects. This can make students resent studying maths and see it as a hard subject that is forced upon you.

How to overcome the challenges of GCSE Maths

Choose the correct tier for you

There are two tiers for GCSE Maths exams: higher and foundation. If you are finding the higher exams difficult, then ask to sit the foundation exams. If you need a grade 6 or above, then you need to sit the higher papers. However, if you just want to pass, then the foundation papers are usually a safer bet.

In the past, I have had resit students who originally sat the higher exams. Initially, when I told them they would be sitting the foundation papers, they were disappointed. They thought it was easier to pass the higher exams as they needed fewer marks. However, after practising a few papers, they soon came around to my way of thinking. The foundation papers have much easier questions, which can give you confidence leading up to your exams.

Make connections between topics

Maths can seem like a large subject, however, most of the topics are connected. For example,

ratios and fractions are very similar
rearranging formulas and solving equations involve the same skills
multiplying numbers and expanding brackets use the same methods

The more connections you can make, the easier maths gets. The best skill to practise is forming and solving equations. If you know your basic facts and formulas, then you can easily form equations using the information given in the question.

When it comes to actual facts to memorise, there are far fewer for maths compared to subjects like geography or French. Using flashcards can help you to master the basics and make maths feel less difficult.

Use concrete examples

Some students find formulas confusing and hard to understand. One way to overcome this is to use real examples. For example, to increase a number by a percentage, you multiply it by the relevant multiplier. This can sound a bit confusing. To make it easier, you could write out an actual example such as “To increase £50 by 15%, you work out £50 × 1.15”.

Frequently asked questions

How hard is it to get a grade 9 in GCSE Maths?

It can be quite challenging to get a grade 9 in GCSE Maths, but not impossible. In August 2024, only 3.5% of students were awarded a grade 9 for Edexcel GCSE Maths. The percentages for AQA and OCR were 3.0% and 3.41% respectively.

Is GCSE Maths hard to pass?

Some people find GCSE Maths hard to pass. It has one of the lowest pass rates according to JCQ. The only subjects which normally have lower pass rates are GCSE Double Award Science and Engineering.

How many students pass GCSE Maths each year?

In August 2024, 522,508 out of the 878,165 students passed their GCSE Maths exams. This is around 59.5% of students. During the COVID years, it was as high as 65%, but normally it is around 60%.

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