Maths
What does the course cover?
During this course you will learn to extend your knowledge of algebra and geometry from GCSE and explore the ways in which mathematics can be applied in the real world. Areas which you will cover include:
- New topics such as coordinate geometry, series, differentiation and integration, all of which are highly algebraic and are an excellent introduction to maths at a higher level.
- Branching further into core maths with topics such as logarithms and exponentials, radian measures and higher level trigonometry.
- More complex pure maths including trigonometric proofs, further differentiation and integration as well as numerical methods for finding solutions.
- Further and more complex work on coordinate geometry as well as vectors in 3D. Lots of the maths studied in earlier core modules is linked together here.
- • Mechanics and Statistics: this applied paper introduces students to mathematical modelling of everyday experiences, like driving a car, throwing a ball up in the air, walking across a bridge and playing snooker. In order to be successful in this area you need to be able to visualise a situation and simplify the forces acting on different parts of it. You will have a better understanding of how the physical world operates and how to use maths to predict what will happen next following this module. Using statistics, you will also get to: Interpret measures of central tendency and variation, extending to standard deviation, understand and use simple, discrete probability distributions (calculation of mean and variance of discrete random variables is excluded), including the binomial distribution, as a model, calculating probabilities using the binomial distribution and use the Normal distribution as a model, finding probabilities using the Normal distribution.
WHAT THE LEARNERS SAY:
“Maths is a subject that gets vastly more interesting at A-Level, introducing you to many topics that are totally unexplored at GCSE level, such as calculus, vectors and logarithms. Maths was the natural choice for me, as I have always been interested in problem solving and logical thinking, and was something I thrived in at a GCSE level too.
My personal favourite topic in maths was differential calculus, as it made me consider things about graphing that I had never thought of before, such as finding the gradient at a given point, finding maximums and minimums of graphs, and its derivation in differentiation by first principles.
Doing A-Level maths has influenced my decision to study a joint honours degree in Mathematics and Computer Science, as it is something I see myself taking further.
The staff are very supportive and are always available to help students when needed, and explain things clearly, which is often very important when learning new things. Maths would be a good pick at A-Level if you have an interest in Maths, are eager to learn new ideas, and fancy a challenge.”
How is the course assessed?
AS Unit 1: Pure Mathematics A
- Written examination: 2 hours 30 minutes
- 25% of qualification 120 marks
The paper will comprise a number of short and longer, both structured and unstructured questions, which may be set on any part of the subject content of the unit. A number of questions will assess learners’ understanding of more than one topic from the subject content. A calculator will be allowed in this examination.
AS Unit 2: Applied Mathematics A
- Written examination: 1 hour 45 minutes
- 15% of qualification 75 marks
- The paper will comprise two sections:
- Section A: Statistics (40 marks)
- Section B: Mechanics (35 marks)
The total assessment time of 1 hour 45 minutes can be split between Section A and Section B as learners deem appropriate. The paper will comprise a number of short and longer, both structured and unstructured questions, which may be set on any part of the subject content of the unit. A number of questions will assess learners’ understanding of more than one topic from the subject content. A calculator will be allowed in this examination.
A2 Unit 3: Pure Mathematics B
- Written examination: 2 hours 30 minutes
- 35% of qualification 120 marks
The paper will comprise a number of short and longer, both structured and unstructured questions, which may be set on any part of the subject content of the unit. A number of questions will assess learners’ understanding of more than one topic from the subject content. A calculator will be allowed in this examination.
A2 Unit 4: Applied Mathematics B
- Written examination: 1 hour 45 minutes
- 25% of qualification 80 marks
- The paper will comprise two sections:
- Section A: Statistics (40 marks)
- Section B: Differential Equations and Mechanics (40 marks)
The total assessment time of 1 hour 45 minutes can be split between Section A and Section B as learners deem appropriate. The paper will comprise a number of short and longer, both structured and unstructured questions, which may be set on any part of the subject content of the unit. A number of questions will assess learners’ understanding of more than one topic from the subject content. A calculator will be allowed in this examination.
What are the entry requirements?
Maths is known as a tough A-Level. The Pure modules start at A/A* GCSE level and goes upwards. For this reason a Grade A at GCSE is essential and a Grade A* is advised. Furthermore, there is an entry assessment that tests GCSE A/B grade work prior to the start of the course where pupils need to achieve 70% to start. We prepare the pupils with a revision booklet. All the questions on the assessment come from the revision booklet. We find that those pupils who do not achieve 70% on this assessment really struggle to access the A Level content.