Year 9 student Jack worked on adding and subtracting algebraic fractions, as well as factorising quadratic expressions and solving quadratics using the quadratic formula.

For Year 10, Olivia practiced surface area calculations for prisms, cylinders, cones and spheres, including deriving the formulas from diagrams.

Meanwhile, Year 11 student Liam focused on financial mathematics topics like PAYG tax and calculating gross versus net income, along with simplifying indices and working with negative exponents in algebra.

In Year 4 maths, one student frequently guessed answers under time pressure instead of showing working, particularly with negative numbers—"she tends to guess the answer when there's a time limit," noted a tutor.

In Year 8 English, untidy written work and skipped planning steps made it hard for the marker to follow Rylan's ideas in essays.

Senior students (Years 10–12) often left calculations unwritten or relied on mental shortcuts during algebra and calculus problems, leading to repeated errors and lost marks.

After setbacks on practice tests, motivation dropped noticeably; missed homework compounded this by limiting opportunities for targeted feedback.

One Thornton tutor noticed that a Year 10 student who previously hesitated to check assessment criteria is now independently reviewing exam notifications and seeking out revision points, even gathering statistics for an upcoming task.

In a recent high school maths session, another student—who used to rely on the tutor for each step—worked through compound interest problems she hadn't seen before and explained her reasoning aloud without prompting.

Meanwhile, a Year 6 student who would usually rush answers has started speaking slowly and clearly as she works through tricky fraction problems, pausing to articulate her thinking at every stage.