Impossible GCSE Maths question that even parents struggled to answer

23 August 2023 , 17:25

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The question has a lot of parents stumped for the answer (Image: SaveMyExams)

After months of revision and studying, hundreds of thousands of students across the country are preparing for the nerve-wracking and long-anticipated GCSE results day tomorrow (August 24) and students will be wondering how they ended up doing. As parents, you may have been roped into helping with homework and revision, and you may be secretly being tested yourself.

Many teens complained their exams were "harder than ever" and it seemed as if they could be telling the truth, as one GCSE maths question has got even the brainiest of parents scratching their heads, despite 75% of parents who still believed they could pass their children's exams.

Even the brainiest of parents struggled with it (SaveMyExams)

It comes as maths has been proven to be the subject many parents struggle with the most (53%), followed by Science (35%), Spanish (30%), French (29%) and English Literature (27%). Of the 1,000 parents quizzed, 92% were unable to answer the question and 8% failed to get the correct answer.

One in two (52%) admitted they don't always understand the homework questions their children are set, though. So, if you're willing to give it a go, the GCSE maths question that the parents all failed shows a shape with all its measurements in centimetres, where the area of the shape is A cm² and respondents are asked to show that A = 2x² + 24x + 46. If you're struggling, don't worry - the answer is revealed below.

Did you manage to solve it?

Thankfully, Save My Exams' maths lead Lucy Kirkham has worked out the answer for anyone left stuck by the question. Sharing advice, Lucy said: "Seeing questions with loads of Algebra can be scary but breaking them down into smaller chunks will help you work through them more easily.

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"Our maths experts at Save My Exams create colour-coded model answers that break down each question into easier steps to carefully guide users to the correct answer. This question gives you the answer you're working towards, which can sometimes be off-putting as you wonder 'How am I ever going to get there?'. Don't let it worry you, just try to start with the first step and you'll surprise yourself with how far you can get. Even if you don't get all the way through, marks are awarded for different stages of your work so you can always try to pick up some marks and use our model answers to see how you'd pick up the rest."

Niamh Kirk