Why do I need maths?

Here’s a simple yet incredibly pointed question: why do we need maths? Why is a maths GCSE talked about as though it is the most central and important thing in terms of finding work. I speak on this issue as a creative writing/English literature graduate.

I’ve done all that is requested in order to show that I have a life outside of education: I have work and volunteering experience. I have undertaken a work programme through the NAS and completed an online course in understanding autism and reached out to other services. These days it feels like they benefit me only in the sense that if somebody asks me “have you tried ‘x’ ” I can say “I’ve done that”, which doesn’t amount to much.

You know what Adele, Simon Cowell and Richard Branson all have in common? None of them have a maths qualification – one’s a world conquering singer, one’s a respected record executive and TV personality, the other is one half of the duo that founded the Virgin Group. I only feel uneasy about the last example because businesspeople like to downplay how they became successful and make it seem as if they made it without any help, which is far from the truth.

But if you were to listen to them, it’s either you pass, or your prospects are bleak. This kind of thinking and the advice that is based around is often stated in a way that is meant to make you think “realistically” about the world, a jolt that is meant to provoke you into getting your priorities and actions in order, but it is at best a cold comfort. To be a person in “the real world” with a degree without a maths GCSE is as bad as somebody who went through compulsory education and didn’t get any qualifications which if you ask me is insulting to both parties. That at best you might end up being a waiter, or in a customer service role with no chance of progressing up the ladder, because of a qualification you didn’t get at 16, due to what my mother used to label “a few silly little mistakes”. That used to eat me up.

Some of us are descended of people who couldn’t read or write, I know this because my great grandmother was one of those people. From the stories I’ve been told she couldn’t read or write, but her mental arithmetic skills were solid – she would go down to Coronation market in Jamaica to sell fish and all manner of things. The assumption from people like my nan was that her mother was “stupid” but she told me, after my diagnosis, things began to click for her and turns out that that wasn’t the case.

I’m very lucky that I’ve had the energy and the drive to try different things, but on some level I’d be a liar if I were to say outside pressure hasn’t factored in. The fear that if I stop or quit doing this performance it will be akin to laziness.

There are a lot more people than me who struggle to perform. Autism is not a one size fits all condition, some people flat out can’t, and it’s better not to chastise them or repeat that old Victorian logic that all people need is more rigour, hard work and swift kick up the backside to get them going, which can be counter-intuitive and harmful. On top of that I am a Black autistic person, and you’re not given the benefit of the doubt the way your white peers are.

What I’m addressing is greater than perhaps an article can give but I want to make sure that I give some advice for those reading. Specifically to look into whether the line of work you’re looking for even requires a maths GCSE, in order to avoid the awful eroding feeling that the whole process of looking for work is pointless. But it also enables some precision, some agency as to whether the job you are looking for fits your particular set of skills.

Secondly the whole act of elevating one field of skills over another is something that needs to be stopped. Britain is a country caught between two different impulses, we’re proud of our literary heritage culturally but demean that same heritage employment wise; STEM subjects get acclaim and push while English and history are deemed useless, and as a result the former sees record numbers of enrollers while departments for the latter get closed down. This comes down to the idea that some subjects are more “difficult” than others and that if you study and work in that particular field you’ll get a job with a large income.

The arts and creative industry has contributed so much to peoples lives not just in terms of money: advertising, the news, translation are all fields of work that require things to be written. For a long time in TV, the theatre and film there were people involved in those fields who didn’t have degrees or come from well to do backgrounds. There are many fields where those skills can be useful and are widely applicable, not just in education or journalism. Lastly more people have gotten by and done well without maths than you think.

Editor’s note: In a recent development, those running apprenticeships for people over 18 are now allowed to consider whether maths (and English) GCSE are really necessary for the job and to remove the requirement for these qualifications if they are not. Essential qualifications and knowledge should always reflect the specific requirements of a role.

Odai Quaye

March 2025