Seven-year-old Jivyan Reddy Dhruva has achieved Grade 8 in the UK’s GCSE Higher Mathematics exam and is now preparing to study A-level Maths and Further Maths.

A seven-year-old Indian-origin boy has aced a mathematics exam almost a decade earlier than most schoolchildren in the UK and is already preparing for the next level. Jivyan Reddy Dhruva scored 196 out of 240, achieving a high Grade 8 – equivalent to an A – across three papers in a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exam, normally taken by pupils aged 16 years. He appeared for the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Higher Mathematics exam back in May and received his results along with other GCSE pupils last week.

"I felt really excited when I saw my result. My parents were very happy, and they hugged me," Jivyan told PTI.
"I wanted a Grade 9, so I was a little disappointed at first, but then I was very happy that I got Grade 8. I like maths because I like solving difficult problems and finding different ways to get the answer.
"Next I want to learn A-level Maths and Further Maths. When I grow up, I want to invent robots and other things that help people. I want to make things that everybody can use," he said.
Jivyan attended a mainstream primary school in London until February this year, after which his parents – originally from Andhra Pradesh and now living in South Ruislip in west London for nearly five years – moved him to home education so that he could learn at a pace more suited to his sharper abilities.
"Even before nursery, we noticed that he was picking up numbers and mathematical concepts extremely quickly. If we explained something once, he would often understand the pattern behind it and start asking questions that went beyond what we had actually taught him," recalls father Dhruva Kumar Reddy Katta.
The techie, who specialises in enterprise architecture, artificial intelligence, cloud and platform engineering, divides the day-to-day learning and routine of home-schooling with wife Aishwarya Devi Dhruva.
They admit that home educating is demanding, requiring a lot of coordination between them, but have struck a rhythm that also factors in enough free time for their son to enjoy life like any other kid.
"We have also used AI as a learning tool to make some subjects more interactive and engaging for him. We try not to make home education feel like sitting in a classroom for the whole day. A lot of learning happens through custom games and apps that I created for him, conversations, puzzles, diagrams, practical examples and questions," said Katta.
"Jivyan asks 'why?' a lot, and we encourage that. Rather than simply giving him a method, we try to help him understand why the method works and whether there could be another way to solve the same problem," he said.
Jivyan's ambition at this early stage is to become an inventor and build robots and technology that can help people. He has expressed a passion for creating things that are useful and affordable to all, but his parents are keen to allow him to find his future career path in his own time.
His father admits that Jivyan does miss certain aspects of school life, but as a family they ensure that he interacts with his peers and has many friends from the different clubs – including chess, football, tennis and other hobbies.
"We are incredibly proud of Jivyan, but what makes us happiest is not simply the Grade 8 or the number on his certificate. What impresses us most is his curiosity," said Katta.
"We never started out with a target that he must take GCSE Mathematics at seven. His learning kept progressing naturally, and eventually we realised that he was ready to attempt the examination.
"Even after this result, we want to keep everything in perspective. He is a seven-year-old child first. We want him to play, make friends, enjoy chess and football, make mistakes and have a normal childhood," he said.
"We are obviously very proud of what he has achieved, but we are even more interested in where his curiosity takes him next," added the proud father. 
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