Mathematics and/or Further Mathematics

This course is designed for students who enjoy mathematics, particularly algebra, trigonometry and problem solving. You will be able to think logically and analytically. You will be expected to have achieved at least a grade 6 in your GCSE. If you wish to take Further Mathematics, you will need to achieve a grade 8 or 9.

What will you study and learn?

Mathematics at A-level is a course worth studying in its own right. It is challenging but interesting. It builds on work you will have met at GCSE, but also involves new ideas that some of the greatest minds of the last millennium have produced. It serves as a very useful support for many other qualifications as well as being a sought after qualification for the workplace and courses in higher education.

While studying mathematics you will be expected to:

• use mathematical skills and knowledge to solve problems
• solve quite complicated problems by using mathematical arguments and logic
• understand and demonstrate what is meant by proof in mathematics
• simplify real-life situations so that you can use mathematics to show what is happening and what might happen in different circumstances
• use the mathematics that you learn to solve problems that are given to you in a real-life context
• use calculator technology and other resources (such as formulae booklets) effectively and appropriately; understand when not to use such technology and its limitations

At Kingsley we study mathematics at

A-level in the following branches:

1. Pure mathematics – When studying pure mathematics at AS and A-level you will be extending your knowledge of such topics as algebra and trigonometry as well as learning some brand new ideas such as calculus. If you enjoyed the challenge of problem-solving at GCSE using such techniques then you should find the prospect of this course very appealing. Although many of the ideas you will meet in pure mathematics are interesting in their own right, they also serve as an important foundation for other branches of mathematics, especially mechanics and
2. Mechanics – When you study mechanics you will learn how to describe mathematically the motion of objects and how they respond to forces acting upon them, from cars in the street to satellites revolving around a planet. You will learn the technique of mathematical modelling; that is, of turning a complicated physical problem into a simpler one that can be analysed and solved using mathematical methods. Many of the ideas you will meet in the course form an almost essential introduction to such important modern fields of study as cybernetics, robotics, biomechanics and sports science, as well as the more traditional ideas of engineering and physics.

3. Statistics – When you study statistics you will learn how to analyse and summarise numerical data in order to arrive at conclusions about it. You will extend the range of probability problems that you started for GCSE by using the new mathematical techniques studied on the pure mathematics Many of the applications in a wide area of other fields – from assessing what your car insurance is going to cost to how likely it is that the earth is going to be hit by a comet in the next few years.

Students studying Further Mathematics are able to study a fourth branch of mathematics:

4. Decision mathematics – When you study decision mathematics you will learn how to create and apply algorithms and use linear programming to solve You will learn how to apply methods of optimisation to real-life problems in order to improve profit and efficiency. Many of the ideas you will meet in the course are very strongly linked to computer technology and programming and form an almost essential introduction to business, finance, project planning and management.

Course content and examinations

The examination board is Edexcel.

A-level units:

1. Pure Mathematics 1 (33.3%) 2 hours
2. Pure Mathematics 2 (33.3%) 2 hours
3. Statistics & Mechanics (33.3%) 2 hours

Further Mathematics A-level:

1. Further Core 1 (25%),
2. Further Core 2 (25%),
3. Further Option 1 (25%),
4. Further Option 2 (25%)

Each unit has a 1 hour 30 minute examination at the end of Year 13.

Where could the subject take you?

A-level Mathematics is a much sought- after qualification for entry to a wide variety of full-time courses in higher education. There are many areas of employment that see A-level Mathematics as an important qualification and it is often a requirement for the vocation qualifications related to these areas.

Higher education courses or careers that either require A-level Mathematics or are strongly related include economics, medicine, architecture, engineering, accountancy, teaching, psychology, computing and information technology.

If you wanted to continue your study of mathematics after A-levels, you could follow a course in mathematics at degree level or even continue further as a postgraduate and get involved in mathematical research.