My name is Aanya Malashetti, and I previously did the IGCSE additional maths course.

Some of the feelings I associate with maths is that it’s complex and requires real thinking and hard work to be good at. I am a little nervous about starting this course, mostly because of the depth and volume of information we need to learn, as well as because of the reviews (rumours) I’ve heard about it.

While learning a new concept, I like to be 100% clear about it so that that piece of information will stay with me forever, so I would like to learn maths in a space where I’m comfortable about asking questions even if the questions are a bit silly.

When I’m ‘stuck’ in maths (which isn’t that much of an uncommon occurrence), I usually take out my GDC or bits of technology that can help me understand the question/concept better, enabling me to solve the question. This does usually work if I sit down and really think about it, but if it doesn’t I like discussing it with a friend to see if I’ve overlooked something or if I can approach the question in a different way.

The biggest strength for me while learning maths is being a critical thinker. I know that maths isn’t always easy and I need to put in some effort into a few questions. I also think I need to self-disciplined at the beginning of this course.