Many IGCSE Mathematics teachers in Nigeria tell the same story: students do reasonably well on Paper 2 short-answer questions but struggle badly on the multi-step, structured questions in Paper 4. The syllabus is not the issue—the gap is in how students think through complex problems.

In a busy Nigerian classroom in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, or Kano, teachers rarely have time to walk every learner through multi-step reasoning. This article shares a classroom-ready framework Nigerian Cambridge teachers can use to help students decode, plan, and execute multi-step questions with confidence.

Why Nigerian IGCSE Students Struggle with Multi-Step Questions

From lesson observations in Nigerian Cambridge schools, three recurring challenges stand out:

• Reading the question superficially: Students rush, missing key phrases like “hence,” “show that,” or “in terms of.”
• Not separating the steps: They treat a four-step algebra or geometry question as one big mystery instead of a sequence.
• Weak link between Paper 2 and Paper 4 skills: They do well when the question is “one move only” (typical of Paper 2) but freeze when asked to combine topics.

Your goal as a Nigerian IGCSE teacher is to turn Paper 4 questions into a series of smaller Paper 2-style steps your students recognise and can tackle.

The “Problem-Decoding Workshop” Model for Nigerian Classrooms

Once a week, turn one lesson into a Problem-Decoding Workshop. Instead of rushing through many questions, focus on 3–5 carefully chosen multi-step problems, ideally past-paper questions that Nigerian students commonly miss.

Step 1: Colour-Code the Question

Give each student (or group) three coloured pens or highlighters:

• Colour 1 – Given information (numbers, diagrams, equations).
• Colour 2 – What is required (the final answer).
• Colour 3 – Hidden hints (words like “hence,” “show that,” “perpendicular,” “similar,” “in terms of,” “exact value,” “estimate,” etc.).

Ask students to annotate the printed question before touching their calculators:

1. Underline all given data in Colour 1.
2. Circle the exact requirement in Colour 2.
3. Highlight hint-words in Colour 3 and discuss what each hint implies mathematically.

In many Nigerian schools, printing is expensive. To adapt:

• Project the question using a projector or TV screen and do the colour-coding as a whole-class activity.
• For classes without projectors, draw a simplified version on the board and invite students to come up and colour-code.

Step 2: Break the Problem into “Paper 2–Sized” Steps

Now, train students to rewrite the big question as a list of mini-questions, similar to short tasks they see in Paper 2. For example, a 6-mark algebra problem could be decomposed into:

1. “What equation can I write from the given information?”
2. “How can I simplify or rearrange this equation?”
3. “How do I solve for the unknown?”
4. “How do I check that my answer matches the context of the question?”

On the board, model this breakdown explicitly:

• Write the original question on the left.
• On the right, list numbered micro-steps in simple English.
• Ask students to copy the micro-steps into their exercise books before solving.

Over time, ask Nigerian students to generate their own micro-steps in pairs or small groups. This gradually builds independent problem-planning skills.

Step 3: Use “Think-Aloud” Modelling with Local Examples

Nigerian learners often benefit from concrete contexts. When modelling, use local Nigerian-style word problems, such as:

• Transport costs between Lagos and Ibadan.
• Bulk buying and discounts in a local market.
• Sharing farmland or family land ratios.

As you solve, speak your thinking out loud:

“The question says ‘hence.’ That means Cambridge expects me to use my previous answer, not start again. So my first micro-step is to write down what I just found.”

Encourage students to practise think-aloud in pairs, where one explains and the other checks for missed steps.

Blending Paper and Digital: Step-by-Step Calculators

Many Nigerian schools now have access to computer labs, tablets, or at least student smartphones after school. You can blend traditional teaching with:

• Step-by-step online calculators for algebra, graphs, and simultaneous equations.
• Free tools like GeoGebra for geometry and coordinate problems.

A suggested workflow:

1. In class, students solve a question fully by hand using the decoding method.
2. As homework or in the lab, they input the same question into a step-by-step tool.
3. Ask them to compare:
   • Where did their steps match the tool?
   • Where did they skip or combine too many steps?

Stress that the calculator is not for getting the answer, but for checking the sequence of reasoning—exactly what Paper 4 rewards.

Building a Nigerian “Question Bank” of Multi-Step Problems

Work with other IGCSE Mathematics teachers in your Nigerian school (or across your group of schools) to create a shared multi-step question bank:

• Tag each question by:
  • Topic (algebra, geometry, trigonometry, functions, vectors, etc.)
  • Difficulty (foundation, core, extended)
  • Skills tested (forming equations, interpreting graphs, reasoning with diagrams).
• Mark which questions your students in Nigeria commonly miss, and repeat them later in the term with decoding workshops.

Over a year, this becomes a localised, Nigeria-relevant resource, informed by your own students’ weaknesses rather than generic lists from abroad.

Supporting Mixed-Ability Classes in Nigeria

In many Nigerian international schools, one class can contain both very strong and very weak students. Use differentiation inside the same decoding framework:

• Struggling students:

  • Give them partially decoded questions where some micro-steps are already written.
  • Let them work with “support partners” who are slightly stronger, not overwhelmingly better.

• High-achieving students:

  • Ask them to create their own multi-step questions based on Nigerian contexts (e.g., fuel price changes, currency exchange, school fees).
  • Let them design the micro-step breakdown and answer key for younger classes.

This keeps everyone working on multi-step reasoning, but at an accessible level.

Question Format Guide

• Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics Paper 2 (Short-Answer):

  • Use problem-decoding workshops to show students how each step of a multi-mark Paper 4 question often looks like a Paper 2–style mini-task.
  • Train them to extract key numbers, operations, and hints quickly while avoiding careless reading errors.

• Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics Paper 4 (Extended Structured Questions):

  • Focus your colour-coding, micro-step planning, and think-aloud strategies on 4–8 mark multi-step questions from past papers.
  • Emphasise linking each written step to method marks on the mark scheme so Nigerian students understand that showing working earns marks even when the final answer is wrong.

• Internal School Assessments and Mock Exams in Nigerian Cambridge Schools:

  • Mirror the Paper 2/Paper 4 balance in your termly tests so students see multi-step reasoning throughout the year, not just before final exams.
  • Use data from mocks to update your Nigerian question bank and plan future decoding workshops.

How AI Buddy Supports These Strategies

AI Buddy helps Nigerian IGCSE Mathematics teachers turn these multi-step problem-solving ideas into everyday classroom practice. In seconds, you can generate exam-style questions tagged by paper and topic, scaffolded worksheets that nudge students through colour-coding and micro-step planning, and model solutions that make examiner-style reasoning visible without taking hours of teacher marking time.

Because AI Buddy understands your Nigerian school context, you can feed it the kinds of algebra, geometry, and functions your students struggle with, plus details about class size and timetable pressures. It will propose tailored lesson prompts, differentiated homework, and revision checklists that align with Cambridge assessment objectives while staying realistic for busy teachers in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, and beyond.