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How to get maths GCSE quickly

Here at York Maths Tutor we support students with core subject needs. A frequently asked question we have is how to get a maths GCSE quickly. Standard GCSE exams have limited exam seasons, so for some students this isn’t the best option. In this post we’re going to break down the options available so you can see what will work best for you.


A popular option for a lot of learners is functional skills maths level 2. This is a great option if you have a busy schedule as they are only online, can be sat at home and you can choose a date and time to sit it. This qualification is fully accepted by employers and universities and is regarded as a grade C at GCSE. Some students ask about rules for these exams with them being sat at home, but they follow similar exam conditions as the standard GCSE but adjusted to work remotely. The standard GCSE exam can only be sat in November or May/June and are entirely paper based. For maths specifically, there are 3 papers total. GCSEs also have to be done in a registered exam centre at a pre-decided time, so for each paper you would have to attend the exam centre on the specified date of time. If you aren’t available on these days you aren’t able to change them because everyone in the country sits them at the same time. If it’s results that you need quickly, functional skills take a matter of days and GCSEs take around 6 weeks. From this alone, functional skills tend to be the fastest way to get GCSE maths. There is another alternative which is the GCSE equivalency tests, but these are mainly used for teacher training and so aren’t as widely accepted.


In conclusion, the time of year and how fast you need results can affect how to get a maths GCSE quickly. GCSEs don’t tend to be the quickest option because they can only be done twice a year. This is why a lot of learners tend to choose functional skills instead, as the whole process is much quicker. If you need a maths GCSE, or just have any questions, please contact York Maths Tutor today.


The York Maths Tutor blog helps to keep students, parents and tutors updated with changes to the Maths curriculum as well as the York Maths Tutor service

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