How to Create an AI Lesson Plan for GCSE Maths

As a private GCSE maths tutor, I know how much time lesson planning can take out of my week. Between checking exam board specifications, designing exercises for mixed abilities, and trying to make lessons engaging, the preparation can feel heavier than the teaching itself. 



This is where AI can be a useful tool. While it should not replace your professional judgment as a tutor, it can act as a planning assistant that saves you time. By using AI lesson plan ideas for GCSE maths, you can prepare more efficiently, and personalise content for students who are working at different levels.

• AI tools can save tutors planning time
• There are a range of AI tools available for a variety of tasks
• Lesson materials can be personalised for different ability levels
• Effective prompting is the key to creating successful lesson plans

In this article, we’ll explore some of the top tips for AI lesson planning that gets the best results.

What Makes an Effective AI-Supported Lesson Plan?

There are a number of key ingredients to keep in mind that ensure AI-supported lesson plans meet your students’ needs:

• Personalisation - Prompt AI tools to generate simple, step-by-step problems for a student who struggles with algebra. Use the content as a base to create more challenging questions for a pupil aiming for grade 9. 

• Interactive elements - By incorporating AI-powered quizzes or visualisations, you can bring abstract concepts to life for your students, instead of relying on textbooks and worksheets. 

• Exam board alignment - Include exam board names (AQA, Edexcel etc.) in your prompt to obtain materials that follow the correct formats for your students. 

• Flexibility - Treat AI output as a draft that you can edit and adapt to fit your students’ learning styles, and your teaching approach. 

Choosing the Right AI Tools for GCSE Maths Tutors

You can make use of different tools depending on the resources and elements that you need:

• ChatGPT is good for generating worked examples and scaffolded practice

• Quizlet can help you to set up flashcards and revision decks for your students to use outside of tuition sessions

• Seneca offers interactive practice aligned with the UK curriculum

• GeoGebra and Desmos for graphing and transformation visuals 

Always check the accuracy of AI-generated content, compare it with exam board expectations, and adapt it as necessary. 

How to Create an AI Lesson Plan Step-by-Step

Following a process can help you to speed up your AI lesson planning: 

1. Define the learning objective. E.g. Solve quadratic equations using factorisation. 

2. Use a prompt to create example questions, a short starter activity, and a progression of exercises. 

3. Sort through the AI-generated content and determine which parts are useful for your lesson plan and the student’s level. Discard any material that is not suitable. 

4. You can add an optional AI quiz, or interactive activity. 

5. Go over the plan carefully and personalise it, ensuring that it aligns with the student’s exam board. 

Designing a process gives you a foundation on which to base future materials, allowing you to create a large bank of examples, worksheets, and revision quizzes.

Using AI with Struggling vs High-Attaining Students

For struggling learners, prompt AI to generate scaffolded exercises with each step explained. It can be helpful to include real-life scenarios that make the maths feel less abstract. For students aiming for high grades, you can use AI to design extension questions, challenge tasks, and timed exam-style activities. 

For all ability levels, make use of AI-generated prompts that ask students to reflect on or explain a method in their own words.  This helps them to consolidate their understanding of mathematical concepts and problems.

Practical Examples of AI-Powered Activities for GCSE Maths

Some dynamic activities to include in your lesson plans are: 

• Error detective questions: students must spot deliberate mistakes in a worked solution

• AI-generated revision quizzes: instant feedback on targeted study areas

• AI-powered flashcards for key formulas: quick, digital revision for important concepts

• Interactive graphs and transformation exercises 

Fun practice activities that target a student’s areas of weakness can help to take the stress out of revising challenging topics. 

Quick Tips for Tutors Using AI in Lesson Planning

There are a few points to keep in mind when using AI for lesson planning: 

• Always double-check the accuracy of AI-generated problems

• Make sure to adapt all materials in line with specific exam boards

• Start small: use AI to create quick warm-ups and practice questions before designing full lesson plans

•  AI can be a fantastic resource, but ensure that your own teaching voice remains central

Talk with your students about using AI responsibly as a study tool, not as a shortcut that replaces real maths practice.

Best Practices for Writing AI Prompts

When it comes to prompting, being clear and specific can make all the difference. Always include the exact GCSE maths topic, the exam board, and the level of the student. 

An example prompt might look like:
Create a 45-minute maths lesson plan on simultaneous equations by substitution for an Edexcel GCSE student who struggles with algebra basics. Include a warm-up activity, main exercise, a quick revision quiz and a final learning reflection.

Conclusion

AI has turned lesson planning from a time sink into a more manageable task, allowing you to create tailored content for students of all abilities without spending endless hours preparing.

Try experimenting with an AI lesson plan for GCSE maths, and add another fantastic resource to your tutor toolkit!