A seven-year-old Indian-origin boy has aced a mathematics exam almost a decade earlier than most schoolchildren in the United Kingdom (UK) and is already preparing for the next level. Jivyan Reddy Dhruva scored 196 out of 240, achieving Grade 8 (equivalent to an A) across three papers in a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exam, normally taken by students aged 16 years.
According to a report by Metro, UK, the young academic from West London took the exam back in May and is already preparing for his A-levels next year. Jivyan's result was officially released as part of GCSE Results Day.
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According to a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI), Jivyan 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," he 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," Jivyan said. "I like maths because I like solving difficult problems and finding different ways to get the answer," he added.
Jivyan's father, Dhruva Katta, an AI engineer, said that his son attended regular primary school until February this year - when he got "too bored" and wanted to be homeschooled instead.
Despite studying mathematics far beyond his age, Katta said Jivyan is still a funny and energetic seven-year-old who loves chess, football, and dance alongside maths.
Speaking with PTI, Jivyan noted: "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."
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," Jivyan's father said.
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Explaining the process of homeschooling, Katta noted: "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."
"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.
His father admitted 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," he added.
"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," Jivyan's father added.
