A Level

What is Mathematics?

Advanced Level (A-Level) Mathematics is a qualification of further education taken in the United Kingdom and occasionally in other countries as well. In the UK A-Level exams are traditionally taken by 18-year-olds after a two-year course at a sixth form or college.

Like other A-level subjects, mathematics has been assessed in a modular system since the introduction of Curriculum 2000, whereby each candidate must take six modules, with the best achieved score in each of these modules (after any retakes) contributing to the final grade. Most students will complete three modules in one year, which will create an AS-level qualification in their own right and will complete the A-level course the following year with three more modules.

Why study Mathematics?

A-level Mathematics is the start of any student’s real Mathematics education and will challenge the more able mathematicians. Cross curricular links can be found in every subject from Social Sciences and the use of statistics to Geography and using exponential graphs. Even in the essay based subjects such as History, A-level Mathematics can be useful as it teaches you to think in a logical way, something which is vital when putting across a coherent, logical argument.

Exam Board: Edexcel

Course Summary 

Paper 1: Pure Mathematics 1	Content overview Proof Algebra and functions Coordinate geometry in the (x, y) plane Sequences and series Trigonometry Exponentials and logarithms Differentiation Integration Numerical methods Vectors
Paper 2: Pure Mathematics 2	Content overview As above
Paper 3: Statistics and Mechanics	Section A: Statistics Statistical sampling Data presentation and interpretation Probability Statistical distributions Statistical hypothesis testing Section B: Mechanics Quantities and units in mechanics Kinematics Forces and Newton’s laws Moments

What skills will I gain from studying Mathematics?

The experience of the vast majority of A Level students, is that to succeed, they need to apply themselves steadily throughout the course: there is steady demand to build up hierarchical concepts almost daily, and without that very frequent application students soon start building on sand. This often comes as a rude awakening to the relatively able 16-year-old who achieved a respectable grade at GCSE apparently by osmosis! Students will usually have set exercises to complete on at least a weekly basis, but that will also require making sense of mathematical text, and building new concepts rather than just reproducing algorithms. The satisfaction lies in the complete mastery of problems, but the frustration when the building blocks are not there, can be significant.

Where can I find out more information?

Mr Plackowski, Mr Goodridge, Mrs Smith: mplackowski@parkhall.org

See leaflet below