For most students in the UK, General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) Mathematics is an examination they take at around 16. But seven-year-old Jivyan Reddy Dhruva has already cleared it, scoring 196 out of 240 to secure a Grade 8 — equivalent to an A.
Jivyan Reddy achieved a high Grade 8 across three papers in a GCSE exam, normally taken by pupils aged 16 years. He appeared for the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Higher Mathematics exam in May and received his results along with other GCSE pupils last week.
"I felt really excited when I saw my result. My parents were very happy, and they hugged me," Jivyan told PTI.
"I wanted a Grade 9, so I was a little disappointed at first, but then I was very happy that I got Grade 8. I like maths because I like solving difficult problems and finding different ways to get the answer. Next I want to learn A-level Maths and Further Maths. When I grow up, I want to invent robots and other things that help people. I want to make things that everybody can use," he said to PTI.
Meet 7-year old Jivyan Reddy
Jivyan Reddy attended a mainstream primary school in London until February this year, after which his parents' originally from Andhra Pradesh and now living in South Ruislip in west London for nearly five years' moved him to home education so that he could learn at a pace more suited to his sharper abilities.
"Even before nursery, we noticed that he was picking up numbers and mathematical concepts extremely quickly. If we explained something once, he would often understand the pattern behind it and start asking questions that went beyond what we had actually taught him," PTI quoted recalls father Dhruva Kumar Reddy Katta.
His father admit that home educating is demanding, requiring a lot of coordination between them, but have struck a rhythm that also factors in enough free time for their son to enjoy life like any other kid.
"We have also used AI as a learning tool to make some subjects more interactive and engaging for him. We try not to make home education feel like sitting in a classroom for the whole day. A lot of learning happens through custom games and apps that I created for him, conversations, puzzles, diagrams, practical examples and questions," said Katta.
"Jivyan asks 'why?' a lot, and we encourage that. Rather than simply giving him a method, we try to help him understand why the method works and whether there could be another way to solve the same problem," he said to PTI.
"We are incredibly proud of Jivyan, but what makes us happiest is not simply the Grade 8 or the number on his certificate. What impresses us most is his curiosity," said Katta.
"We never started out with a target that he must take GCSE Mathematics at seven. His learning kept progressing naturally, and eventually we realised that he was ready to attempt the examination. Even after this result, we want to keep everything in perspective. He is a seven-year-old child first. We want him to play, make friends, enjoy chess and football, make mistakes and have a normal childhood. We are obviously very proud of what he has achieved, but we are even more interested in where his curiosity takes him next," added the proud father.
With inputs of PTI
