Hi, my name is Saniya and over the past two years I’ve been enrolled in the CIM (Cambridge International Mathematics) IGCSE course.As a whole I didn’t find this course very challenging, although certain topics took longer to grasp, but I did enjoy the maths involved. I have found that in class the repetition of the same questions format becomes very monotonous and I quickly lose interest in the subject material but in exams I usually perform well. I am eager to try my hand at HL Mathematics as this course is sure to be far more challenging and really test me as a mathematician however I am nervous due to the fact that the vast majority of my class has an Additional Mathematics background and therefore grasp of topics and theorems that were not covered at CIM level, as this could place me at a disadvantage.

Over the years I find that I learn concepts best when the teacher explains it during class and I practice and develop my understanding through practice questions of varying difficulties. However for revision I usually find it most effective to try and work out the problem for myself and only refer to notes and examples when I’m really stuck. I have also found it useful to leave a problem when I haven’t been able to crack it and return to it after solving another question as it usually clears the frustration and allows me to work more efficiently.