Grade 6 IB maths looks far behind what her CBSE cousins are doing. Do we add something?

moss_veranda_829210 Aug 2026

Over the weekend our daughter's cousins, who are in class 6 and 7 at CBSE schools, were comparing notes with her. They were doing algebraic expressions and long problem sets. She was doing an investigation into patterns in tiles, and couldn't follow half of what they were saying. Her school says the programme builds understanding first and the procedures follow. I can see she thinks well. I also know that if she ever wants to try for a different school, or sits any entrance test, she'll be tested on procedures, not tiles. Has anyone added a maths class or a tutor alongside the IB programme? Did it help, or did it confuse things with two different methods?

3 comments

juniper_sparrow_173810 Aug 2026
This is the worry I would have too. Our son is in class 6, CBSE, and honestly the procedures are most of what the class does. Long exercises, same type again and again. He can do them fast. Ask him why something works and he is lost. So I wouldn't assume she's behind. She may be ahead in the part that's hard to teach later ❤️
maple_notebook_492610 Aug 2026
I would want to know which kind of 'behind' it is. Is she unable to do a procedure she has been taught, or has she simply not been taught it yet? The first is a concern. The second is a sequencing difference between programmes. If the worry is an entrance test, a short, targeted course a few months before would address it more directly than ongoing tuition now.
cinnamon_lantern_776110 Aug 2026
Looking at it from the other end: my elder son is in class 11 now, CBSE all the way, and the boys I see doing well in maths there are the ones who understood why, not the ones who did the most sums. I'd hold off on extra classes unless she's unhappy or asks. If you do add something, choose a tutor who is willing to start from what she already understands.