How Improving from F9 to D7 Changes Mathematics Confidence.

1. The Power of “One Small Step” (The Kenkey & Fish Strategy)

If you are hungry and buy a huge ball of Ga kenkey with fried fish and pepper, you cannot swallow it all at once. If you try it, it will choke you. You must break it down, take one small dip into the pepper, chew it slowly, and finish it bit by bit.

Studying Core Mathematics when you are at an F9 is exactly like that. If you open a past WASSCE question booklet and try to solve a full 15-mark question on coordinate geometry or circle theorems right away, you will get frustrated and close the book.

Instead of trying to learn everything at once, focus on the low-hanging fruit—the specific, high-yielding topics that pop up every single year in Section A of the theory paper:

• Linear Equations: Learn how to group like terms perfectly. If you can move +3x across the equal sign to become 3x without making a mistake, you have taken a huge step.
• Change of Subject: Think of it like peeling a yam. You are just removing the outer layers one by one until the main variable stands alone.
• Sets and Venn Diagrams: Master how to find the intersection (“only region”) and the union. These are highly predictable marks that can easily push you out of the failing zone.

2. Motivation Through Small Wins (The Trotro Journey)

Imagine you are boarding a trotro from Accra Central to Madina, or from Kejetia to Sofia in Kumasi. When you sit inside the car, you don’t magically appear at your destination. The trotro must move past specific landmarks.

In mathematics, your journey from an F9 to a D7 is a trotro journey, and every small victory is a landmark:

The Progress Landmark Table

Where You Start (F9)	The Small Win (E8)	The Breakthrough (D7)
You look at an algebraic fraction like (1/x) / (x/1) and you panic or guess blindly.	You master the “reciprocal” rule and successfully turn the division sign into multiplication.	You can now solve a full, multi-step fraction equation in Section A of the exam.
You get confused between x + x and x times x.	You correctly realize that x + x = 2x (like one mango plus another mango) while x times x = x^2.	You can confidently expand brackets and simplify expressions without losing your signs.

When you get a single homework assignment back and see a checkmark on a problem you used to fail, celebrate it! That small win means your brain is changing. You are no longer guessing blindly; you are beginning to understand.

3. The Truth About Moving from F9 to D7

Let nobody deceive you: moving from an F9 to a D7 is actually the hardest part of the entire journey.

Why? Pushing a stationary taxi that has broken down on the side of the road takes massive energy just to get it to roll. But once the car starts rolling and the engine kicks over, maintaining that speed becomes much easier.

When you achieve a D7, something beautiful happens to your mind:

• The Fear Melts: You realize that mathematics is not a spirit or a witch out to get you. It is just a set of rules you hadn’t practiced enough.
• Your Vision Changes: Once you hit that solid pass, you stop looking at the ground. You start looking at the dashboard and thinking, “Eish, if I can move from F9 to D7 by practicing just 30 minutes a day, then with a little more effort, a C6 or a B3 is completely within my reach!”

Stop Guessing. Start Understanding.

Do not let a past grade define who you are. True confidence does not mean scoring 100% on day one. It means looking at a past WASSCE question you couldn’t solve last week and realizing you can comfortably break it down today.