A-level Maths is child's play for boy, nine

Childs play: Xavier Gordon-Brown
12 April 2012

A nine-year-old boy today became one of the youngest children ever to achieve an A grade at A-level.

After scoring an A* in GCSE maths last summer, Xavier Gordon-Brown completed an A-level in the subject in just one year, half the time it takes most candidates and at half the age.

Although he is sometimes teased about his name at school, Xavier is such a star that he has started teaching his own classmates, and even his maths teacher. He loves the subject and has memorised Pi to 2,000 decimal places. He has already begun working on an A-level in further maths.

"I did it (the A-level) just because I wanted to carry on maths and to get better," he said. "It was ok but I felt a bit nervous. It was not too hard for me but not easy either."

He is also a keen footballer and talented musician - at grade seven on the violin and piano, and six on the clarinet. Eventually, he thinks he might become a composer.

Xavier's mother Erica, and father Michael, decided to send him to study with Ryde Teaching, a specialist education centre in Bushey, Herts, because he was so far ahead of his classmates at school, and too bright for most private tutors.

Mrs Gordon-Brown said: "He wanted to do the full A-level in a year. I said I just don't think it's going to happen. But there's no point arguing with him. For him maths is just so easy.

"On the morning of the exam he was body popping. He just likes it as much as he likes football."

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