Even though English is the most spoken in the world, mathematics truly is the universal language. Equations and formulae are the same for all countries, and numbers, from one to infinity, are used every day, by everyone. But should maths be used as an intelligence test for everyone?
Many schools across the UK use a 6 in maths GCSE as a boundary to getting into their sixth forms, and it has now been made a rule that anyone who fails maths GCSE (and English) are denied student loan at university. Clearly, this shows how maths is a very important skill that everyone requires, and therefore, it is ignored that students may be better at other subjects, such as essay-based subjects like history and politics. Should this really be the case?
First off, the question is, whether some people are ‘maths people’ and some people are simply not. When asking the class of A level further maths students at Woodford County High School about how maths is for them, they answered that it does come quite naturally. Therefore, it is sometimes hard to explain how they get to their final answer because it is so ‘straight-forward’ to them. Things that seem obvious to them may not be so clear to others. However, they did mention that this point in their knowledge of maths took a lot of time and practice, especially at A level, when the maths they learn is so new.
To Srideeksha Ganta, a further maths student who also takes physics and computer science, maths is described as ‘the perfect balance of logic and creativity.’ “Solving a problem is like solving a puzzle. I like that, even though there is one right answer, there are different ways to get to that right answer, and you can be as creative as you want with your process of it. When all the branches of maths link together, it is beautiful and has embarrassingly made me emotional on certain equations. I should also add that I love it when you solve a hard maths problem, and I do not get that same satisfaction from an essay.”
The students mentioned that maths is necessary for everyday things, not only for your career but even just handling money e.g., taxes, mortgage and even when you are buying a simple coffee. However, even when half their lessons are maths, they believed that maths is not always the most important subject and that other subjects are much more useful, such as geography, history, English and economics, depending on a person’s career path. “Other subjects are just as important and anyone who has a gift in any subject should be commended,” added Srideeksha.
They believed, even though essay-based subjects can be easier due to writing essays on a certain theme and that there can be multiple correct answers rather than a definitive answer, they require a certain level of developed understanding of different topics. As well as this, essay-based subjects help students understand the value of time management. There is a lot of thinking and planning that goes into writing an essay.
“Academics appreciate maths more than other subjects because it appears to be complicated, but this is simply unfair,” said Maryam Dawud, another Further maths student that also takes biology and chemistry.
Being good at maths does mean you are intelligent, but not being good at maths does not mean you are unintelligent. One could say the events are … mutually exclusive.
Additionally, students who take essay-based subjects were asked what maths was like for them. They either said that they were fine in maths, but did not really enjoy the subject, or that they would have to spend hours on it.
“I prefer writing essays to maths because there isn’t a fixed answer or way to do anything- everyone has their own writing styles. Although we are answering the same question, in essence, everyone will approach it differently and I love that. I also think it allows us to be more creative when we expand on our initial answers” explained Hana Alloo, who takes German, Politics, and Classics.
Mia Brooker (an A-level student who takes English, History, Religious Studies, and an EPQ) answered that just like how maths comes naturally to some people, writing essays comes extremely naturally for her.
“I guess with revision processes, I have learned to know the structure and flow of my own writing style so it’s become easy for me to think about what I will write on the day. Essay-based subjects require a much larger grasp of the English language and vocabulary, as well as having your own interpretation whilst maths and stem subjects are much more logic-based.”
They believed that, just like maths, essay-based subjects help build skills you will need for the rest of your life.
“I definitely think essay-based subjects allow us to tap into our own creativity, for example, English literature lets us analyse and discuss fictional pieces of work that might inspire us to write and imagine too.” – Hana
“This grasp of the English language that is used in essay-based subjects is helpful in all departments such as communication, developing ideas and even organisation (i.e., in terms of planning essays, etc).” – Mia
Several students added that, although maths is important, it definitely should not be the only thing we are judged on based on grades, because, as mentioned, it is easier for some to grasp onto the concepts maths holds than for others.
Finally, when asking whether they think maths will be useful in their future, there was a mix in answers. Subconsciously, they still used maths and was grateful for it since it helped develop their brain. “However, I do remember thinking some of the problem solving we did was a bit useless, like guessing figures from a graph or proving something equals something else when it’s already there…” Others also mentioned that there is always the handy invention of the calculator if there is any need for calculations in the future.
To conclude, maths is very important and will always stay that way. However, students have different abilities and as shown here, all students have something they are good at, whether it is doing maths, writing an essay, or even studying a language, and that should always be remembered.
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