What’s new
in Yr 10
Maths?
Main content of Yr 10
Maths?
Common challenges for students in Yr 10
Maths?
Main outcomes for Yr 10
Maths?
Most important concepts to ensure your child understands
in Yr 10 Maths?
If you chose to get a tutor, study habits and content
to focus on in Yr 10 Maths?
Main challenges involved in tutoring a Yr 10 Maths
student?
Some good ideas on how to help your child in Yr 10
Maths?
What’s new in Year 10 Maths?
Expressing recurring decimals as fractions and rounding numbers to
specified numbers of significant figures. Year 10 maths will also introduce compound interest, depreciation
and discounts. Algebraic expressions this year will involve fractions and negative indices. Similarly,
quadratic equations, simultaneous equations and linear inequalities will be new. In coordinate geometry,
simple parabolas and hyperbolas will be taught while in statistics, students can expect to learn
box-and-whisker plots, find standard deviations and use terms such as ‘skew’ and ‘symmetry’. This year’s
trigonometry problems will include three-figure bearings; congruent triangles will be studied extensively and
the relationship between internal and external angles in polygons will be examined.
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Main content of Year 10 Maths
Year 10 maths introduces recurring decimals
and significant figures. Compound interest calculations will also be handled as well as depreciations and
successive discounts. The core content of this year’s algebra will include solving algebraic expressions
involving fractions and negative indices, solving linear and quadratic equations as well as linear equalities
and simultaneous equations. Coordinate geometry topics will include studying intercepts and gradients of
straight lines as well as working with parabolas and hyperbolas. In statistics, plots of data sets will be
studied with respect to the skew and symmetry of distribution curves as well as standard deviations of those
data sets. Measurement will be a study in complex composite figures and solids, examples of which are cones,
spheres and cylinders. The core of trigonometry in year 10 maths will involve using cosine and sine rules as
well as trigonometric ratios. Construction of proofs will be required for deductions with special triangles,
quadrilaterals and related angles.
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Common challenges for students in Year 10 Maths
A common challenge for students in this year is the use of
deductive reasoning in constructing proofs for special angles in triangles and quadrilaterals. Trigonometric
ratios will also be difficult for some, at least initially.The statistical plots and distribution curves to
be studied this year can also be burdensome.
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Main outcomes for Year 10 Maths
Students, at the end of year 10 maths, are expected to be able to
convert recurring decimals to fractions and round up decimals to specified significant figures. They are also
expected to be capable of solving consumer arithmetic problems involving discounts, depreciation and compound
interest. They should be familiar with algebraic expressions of all types as well as linear inequalities and
linear and quadratic equations. For coordinate geometry, students should be able to draw line, parabola and
hyperbola plots as well as calculate distances, gradients and midpoints. For statistics, they should be
able to calculate standard deviations. Solving for perimeters, areas, surface areas and volumes of composite
figures and solids should be mastered by the end of this year. In trigonometry, sine rule, cosine rule,
relationships between angles and the construction of deductive proofs are some of the concepts that should be
well understood.
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Most important concepts to ensure your child understands in
Year 10 Maths
This year, your child should understand and be able to solve
problems involving interest rates, complex algebraic expressions, linear and quadratic equations, standard
deviations, composite solids and trigonometric rules as well as be able to construct trigonometric
proofs.
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If hiring a tutor, what study habits and content to
focus on in Year 10 Maths?
Encourage a concentration in deductive reasoning this year. Every
topic from algebra to statistic and geometry will benefit from this ability to think outside mere numbers.
There is, of course, no substitute for practicing more and solving more problems.
Also, continue to stress a focus on algebra, especially harder and more technical problems. Although this may not
seem absolutely necessary, if your child masters the language of algebra, rather than merely getting by, it
will immensely help in all other areas of math.
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Main challenges involved in tutoring a Year 10 Maths
student
Maintaining interest and concentration in the student is a main
challenge in tutoring students in year 10 maths, especially as you delve deeper into geometry and
trigonometry. The maths becomes a lot more technical and structured this year and this can often overwhelm
students or serve to subdue their interest. This especially happens when students focus on
memorising rules rather than comprehension which should be avoided.
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Some good ideas on how to help your child in Year 10
Maths
Involve your child more; encourage active participation and
independent thinking but above all, you and/or a tutor should rigorously go over the steps involved in
arriving at conclusions and solutions. Ask your child to explain concepts back to you to ensure they are
properly understood and not just memorised.
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