Gcse Vs. A-level Mathematics

Difficulty It is more difficult, but not hugely so at first. AS modules are not considered particularly difficult, though core A2 modules are more advanced. They do, however, build on work from previous modules so the learning curve is manageable. Anyone confident with GCSE maths should at least be able to manage AS maths with appropriate effort.

Comment: I Found this subject very difficult at AS and ended up scraping an E after an A at GCSE. This was the case with a lot of people I know who do/did maths. If you are going to take this subject you need to be sure that you will have the motivation to put quite a lot of work in or you will fail (I didn`t). Despite this, if you put the work in every week you probably wont find it too difficult.

Comment: I didn`t find it too hard, and at my school, it`s known to be one of the easiest subjects to get an A in, since if you`re good at it, it isn`t difficult. Just make sure you understand the stuff as you go through it in class. In my opinion, I think the above comment makes it sound more difficult than it actually is - I know plenty of people who didn`t do too much work and still got As. (Though I have only done the AS. I`m doing the A2 this year so I might find it a lot harder.)

Comment: I didn`t find this course very hard at all. The AS modules includes many topics taught at GCSE. The A2 modules are more advanced and do become harder but still very much manageable. If you are studying further maths at the same time, you`ll find the A-Level Maths course very straightforward.

Comment: C1 (the first, easiest pure module you will take) is designed to be A* level GCSE. So if you could do all the A* questions quite easily, the first module at least will be a doddle. The modules get progressively harder, but the jumps aren`t that big. You might be introduced to a new idea in C2, then use it a bit in C3, then learn more about it in C4.

Workload This depends largely on the individual. Some people will pick up new topics quickly, while others may find they have to work at it more and put more time into doing practice questions in order to fully understand a topic.

Required Individual Study Students should spend time doing extra practice questions on topics they are less confident with in order to improve their skills. Time spent doing past papers, either open book or in exam conditions, is also very useful, particularly as a means of revision in the weeks immediately before exams.

Comment: A good tip that I find useful, whenever you have a free moment look a couple of pages ahead, it`s a major advantage to be that little bit ahead of class, it allows you to have a further understanding and also allows for a longer amount of time to be spent on the exercises.

How is it assessed?

Exams There are 3 modules required for the AS and 6 modules for the A2. Each module is assessed by a 90 minute exam, marked out of 75. Typically, 30/75 is required for an E and 60/75 is required for an A, however these vary depending on the difficulty of the exam.

There are 4 types of module you can take - the compulsory Core modules, and the three branches of applied module: Decision (being able to think like a computer), Mechanics and Statistics.

For the AS, you are required to take C1 and C2 as well as one of D1, M1 or S1. For the A2, you are required to take C1, C2, C3 and C4, as well as two of D1, D2, M1, M2, S1 or S2

Each modules has a weighting of 100 UMS and in total the AS is marked out of 300 and the A2 is marked out of 600. The gradings for A-E are as normal (80%, 70%, and so on) however for the A* grading at A2, only C3 and C4 are taken into account. You will need to score an average of 90% or more when the scores for C3 and C4 are combined to get an A* (as well as achieving 480/600 overall).

Where can I go with a Maths A-Level?

A lot of courses at university require A-Level maths. These include physics, economics, computer science and engineering. It is also highly regarded by many other courses, such as medicine, because of the analytical and logical reasoning skills learned in A-Level maths.