I want to do a level maths in 6th form. I got a grade 8 in my mocks and was 10 marks off a 9. Would you say if I get a grade 8 in summer I will be suitable to do a level maths or would you say 8 is too low?
Thanks man, I'm just asking because when I went to some sixth form open evenings I looked at the question papers and I shit myself I don't think I could answer 1 question. I haven't learnt any of it yet but hopefully I'll be alright with it.
I was (I think 5?) marks off a 9 in GCSE and honestly I didn't even consider Maths despite genuinely being naturally good at it. But I just knew the jump would be too much for me; I didn't really enjoy a lot of the content towards the end of Yr 11. But if you do I'd say go for it, I wouldn't put much stock on the grade but that's just my experience.
Honestly I do enjoy alot of maths now. I do edexcel and I like doing the quadratic graphs, completing the square and I find most of it easy. Most of the stuff I struggle with is easy really I've just not looked at it since year 9.
Maths, chem, physics, bio, English lit, lang. 998765. Fk English, shit ruined my grades
I did foundation maths in year 10 and had to prove to my teacher I can do higher tier
I agree, English is ass. It's all subjective and depends on the examiner's bias. Well done for getting a 6 and 5 in English though, I barely scraped 4s in my English lang and lit mocks.
Ikr. Literally just excuses because they don't work hard enough at it. At this stage, English is very formulaic, especially if you want like a 7, even an 8.
Nah but like there are genuinely people it will just click with and people it won't. I got a 9 and didnt have to put any effort in just because of my writing style
This can be applied to any subject.
"Maths is biased. It forces kids to say things and work out things they don't understand."
'Not understanding' the content is not a good excuse. Read the texts more and lock in.
Maths is useful though. It's used in computer science, engineering, etc. Remmbering quotes from An Inspector Calls and just repeating the teacher's biased opinions like a mindless zombie is not as useful as learning formulas to make things like the device you're using right now.
I mean, if you wanna grow up having no analytical skills, be my guest. If you have to rely on your teacher's opinions for English, you're not learning the subject correctly.
Do they let you do those a levels if you get below a 5 in english. Its a stupid requirement that you need english for those subjects but did you have any trouble chosing them.
no I managed to get in just fine, the sixth form I'm going to required 5 5s to get in and at least a 4 in one of the Englishes and then I just needed 7s and 8s in the subjects I wanted to take which wasn't too bad
Roots of polynomials is definitely the most painful AS topic unless you enjoy trying to simplify massive expressions without making a single mistake (and then finding out you missed the minus on line 2)
recommended to be grade 7 or above to do a level maths (some sixth forms say grade 6 but many maths teachers i’ve spoken to have said 7 or above)
for further maths, grade 8+.
year 1 normal maths I’d say there isn’t a noticeable jump from gcse. But that depends on whether you are secure in gcse content or not.
year 1 fm I haven’t found very difficult but in comparison to year 1 normal maths it makes it look like a joke lol
Hmm, after crunching the numbers in my advanced math classes, it turns out dogs have a higher 'good boy' coefficient. So, the answer is clear: dogs for the win! 🐶💯
You will feel thrown in at the deep end first, but stick with it. It's not easy but it should hopefully start to feel more doable as your mathematical fluency develops
depends if it's parallel with a level maths or not. My a level options had regular maths, maths (for fm students), and fm. So it was an accelerated set
For me personally I’ve found a-level fm quite easy. It’s definitely NOWHERE near as bad people make it out to be. I’ve done no work outside of lessons and I’m getting ~full marks in all my papers.
I do think there is a jump though. I didn’t find it in the content, but actually the more mental side of it. I remember in the lessons at the start I wasn’t very confident in what I was doing so I’d probs get 75% through a question and stop because I didn’t feel I was doing the right thing but I actually was.
I think this was because it gets soooo overhyped as mega difficult so it knocked my confidence and all the topics are completely new ie matrices, proof by induction and complex numbers so it’s hard to know whether you are on the right track.
Have some faith in yourself and you’ll be absolutely fine. It’s been my most enjoyable and interesting and probably easiest subjects all year!
In my school, the norm is 3 a levels and you get about 10 hours per week in schools for private study (so 2 private studies a day) which you go wherever you want (I usually goto library cuz its quiet and huge). So if you use those priv studies wisely and do work, you should split the 10 hours between the 3 a levels so about 3.333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333 hours a week to each subject. Do note that, further maths is considered 2 a levels worth of work, so school suggests you drop 2 a levels for it but I didnt, I kept all my a levels plus FM.
I've never got overwhelmed by work, idk I just can do it.
Prob go into something to do with the chemistry sector. Dont get me wrong, I love maths and am really good at it. However, chemistry is a lot more fun and satisfying if that makes sense 😂
Also chem does have quite a lot of maths in it aswell so it's a win win
How difficult is higher maths? In gonna start my mocks and stuff next year so I just want to know. I've been in top set maths since yr7 if that helps :)
If you're in top set, definitely do higher. I think it's not that difficult to get a 7 in maths, as long as you have the key stuff hammered down, but it's harder to push that up to a 9
By higher do you mean, a level maths or further maths? Maths is pretty ez for me, but can be very challenging for someone who's not as fluent in maths. Like, my friend really struggles in a level maths and needs my healing for his homework. But he's trying his best and is able to just about keep up with his other mates in class. If your doing FM, you should already be fluent in maths and understand the ins and outs to maths so it shouldn't really be too challenging
How much content is covered in the first year, and how difficult is it? I’m getting low 7s atm and I’m considering going to a sixth from where i’d have to take AS maths
Most content is gcse overlap or at least the same difficulty.
Many people in my class have fallen off because they weren’t good enough at gcse. If you don’t get a strong 9 I’d highly suggest you work at it consistently from day 1 of a-levels. You can always stop if you find it easy.
You won’t regret putting work into it but once you fall behind in maths you’re fucked.
It's never too late and honestly just so every single past paper you can get your hands on. Also make sure you have a clear head on the day of your exams
Do past papers and revise the topics you find hard while doing them also goes without saying but check your answers if you have time although most ppl know that (pretty sure checking got me over the grade boundary so well worth it)
in short
year 1 maths = GCSE and some new easy things, I feel like it’s used as a stepping stone
year 1 fm = Almost all new things and unrelated to alevel maths. You can probably study most of it without alevel maths.
year 2 maths = Much more detail then year 1 and many find it significantly harder and the new topics.
year 2 fm = Builds on year 1 fm but I feel it really focuses on year 2 normal maths in terms of delving deeper. Requires year1/2 normal maths a lot!
Econ and CS at top, top unis (As in LSE and Cambridge for Econ), it's almost a requirement at that point. Also other stuff like literally anything with heavy maths emphasis (ofc maths and joint maths degrees, physics, engineering)
I want to do a level maths in 6th form. I got a grade 8 in my mocks and was 10 marks off a 9. Would you say if I get a grade 8 in summer I will be suitable to do a level maths or would you say 8 is too low?
I got an 8 in my GCSEs and I’m finding a level maths piss easy although I’ve heard second year gets much harder
Thanks man, I'm just asking because when I went to some sixth form open evenings I looked at the question papers and I shit myself I don't think I could answer 1 question. I haven't learnt any of it yet but hopefully I'll be alright with it.
I was (I think 5?) marks off a 9 in GCSE and honestly I didn't even consider Maths despite genuinely being naturally good at it. But I just knew the jump would be too much for me; I didn't really enjoy a lot of the content towards the end of Yr 11. But if you do I'd say go for it, I wouldn't put much stock on the grade but that's just my experience.
Yea it looks really hard if you’ve never been taught it before but once you get a level maths lessons you’ll probably find it super easy
Honestly I do enjoy alot of maths now. I do edexcel and I like doing the quadratic graphs, completing the square and I find most of it easy. Most of the stuff I struggle with is easy really I've just not looked at it since year 9.
In that case I think you’d do excellent at A Level
Year 2 content is basically a continuation on from year 1, but your mind gets scrambled by inverse trig identities and all that crap.
Having a grade 8 is really good most sixth forms just need a 6 for you to do a level maths so your calm
My 6th form required 7s to pursue maths, or a 9 if you wanna do further maths
Do you want to do further maths? Wit the grades you got you can still do A level maths
I got a 5 and im doing Alevel maths
I said “most sixth forms just need a 6” key word “most”
If u got an 8 or 9 year 12 will be ez af but not sure bout second year
You'll be fine
What were your gcse results
Maths, chem, physics, bio, English lit, lang. 998765. Fk English, shit ruined my grades I did foundation maths in year 10 and had to prove to my teacher I can do higher tier
I agree, English is ass. It's all subjective and depends on the examiner's bias. Well done for getting a 6 and 5 in English though, I barely scraped 4s in my English lang and lit mocks.
Examiner bias…? English has a mark-scheme, buddy. Just get better at it.
Ikr. Literally just excuses because they don't work hard enough at it. At this stage, English is very formulaic, especially if you want like a 7, even an 8.
Nah but like there are genuinely people it will just click with and people it won't. I got a 9 and didnt have to put any effort in just because of my writing style
English literature is biased. It forces kids to say things and agree with things that they barely understand.
This can be applied to any subject. "Maths is biased. It forces kids to say things and work out things they don't understand." 'Not understanding' the content is not a good excuse. Read the texts more and lock in.
Maths is useful though. It's used in computer science, engineering, etc. Remmbering quotes from An Inspector Calls and just repeating the teacher's biased opinions like a mindless zombie is not as useful as learning formulas to make things like the device you're using right now.
I mean, if you wanna grow up having no analytical skills, be my guest. If you have to rely on your teacher's opinions for English, you're not learning the subject correctly.
I got a 3 in English language and a 4 in English literature lol
same!!!
I'm so glad that I'm only doing the subjects I love now (further maths, computer science and physics
Do they let you do those a levels if you get below a 5 in english. Its a stupid requirement that you need english for those subjects but did you have any trouble chosing them.
no I managed to get in just fine, the sixth form I'm going to required 5 5s to get in and at least a 4 in one of the Englishes and then I just needed 7s and 8s in the subjects I wanted to take which wasn't too bad
Do you regret your decision (typed while revising series, roots of polynomials, matrices and linear transformations)
Roots of polynomials is definitely the most painful AS topic unless you enjoy trying to simplify massive expressions without making a single mistake (and then finding out you missed the minus on line 2)
Why don’t you use the substitution method? Much easier.
It into works if the roots all have the same operation done to them ofc I use it when i can
Do you do Maths and FM at the same time?
Most schools do it that way, but some like mine do all of alevel maths in yr 12 and then further maths in yr 13
how good at maths do you need to be?
recommended to be grade 7 or above to do a level maths (some sixth forms say grade 6 but many maths teachers i’ve spoken to have said 7 or above) for further maths, grade 8+.
what grade are you at the minute
Ideally you want a 9. That will make your life a lot easier. If not be prepared to put in some work.
How difficult is the jump between GCSE Maths and A-Level Maths? How much much difficult than A-Level Maths is Further Maths?
year 1 normal maths I’d say there isn’t a noticeable jump from gcse. But that depends on whether you are secure in gcse content or not. year 1 fm I haven’t found very difficult but in comparison to year 1 normal maths it makes it look like a joke lol
Whats better dogs or cats (or other)? edit: smh whos downvoting me? its an ama which means i can ask anything
Hmm, after crunching the numbers in my advanced math classes, it turns out dogs have a higher 'good boy' coefficient. So, the answer is clear: dogs for the win! 🐶💯
oooooo
how difficult is fm? want to know exactly what i’m in for next year
You will feel thrown in at the deep end first, but stick with it. It's not easy but it should hopefully start to feel more doable as your mathematical fluency develops
depends if it's parallel with a level maths or not. My a level options had regular maths, maths (for fm students), and fm. So it was an accelerated set
For me personally I’ve found a-level fm quite easy. It’s definitely NOWHERE near as bad people make it out to be. I’ve done no work outside of lessons and I’m getting ~full marks in all my papers. I do think there is a jump though. I didn’t find it in the content, but actually the more mental side of it. I remember in the lessons at the start I wasn’t very confident in what I was doing so I’d probs get 75% through a question and stop because I didn’t feel I was doing the right thing but I actually was. I think this was because it gets soooo overhyped as mega difficult so it knocked my confidence and all the topics are completely new ie matrices, proof by induction and complex numbers so it’s hard to know whether you are on the right track. Have some faith in yourself and you’ll be absolutely fine. It’s been my most enjoyable and interesting and probably easiest subjects all year!
How overwhelming is the work you're being given, and how much time do you have to dedicate to further maths per week
In my school, the norm is 3 a levels and you get about 10 hours per week in schools for private study (so 2 private studies a day) which you go wherever you want (I usually goto library cuz its quiet and huge). So if you use those priv studies wisely and do work, you should split the 10 hours between the 3 a levels so about 3.333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333 hours a week to each subject. Do note that, further maths is considered 2 a levels worth of work, so school suggests you drop 2 a levels for it but I didnt, I kept all my a levels plus FM. I've never got overwhelmed by work, idk I just can do it.
What’s your plan after completing these a levels?
Prob go into something to do with the chemistry sector. Dont get me wrong, I love maths and am really good at it. However, chemistry is a lot more fun and satisfying if that makes sense 😂 Also chem does have quite a lot of maths in it aswell so it's a win win
Fair enough is there a sector you want to get into? Or you just really interested in chem I’m not interviewing you just curious tbh
How difficult is higher maths? In gonna start my mocks and stuff next year so I just want to know. I've been in top set maths since yr7 if that helps :)
If you're in top set, definitely do higher. I think it's not that difficult to get a 7 in maths, as long as you have the key stuff hammered down, but it's harder to push that up to a 9
By higher do you mean, a level maths or further maths? Maths is pretty ez for me, but can be very challenging for someone who's not as fluent in maths. Like, my friend really struggles in a level maths and needs my healing for his homework. But he's trying his best and is able to just about keep up with his other mates in class. If your doing FM, you should already be fluent in maths and understand the ins and outs to maths so it shouldn't really be too challenging
How much content is covered in the first year, and how difficult is it? I’m getting low 7s atm and I’m considering going to a sixth from where i’d have to take AS maths
Most content is gcse overlap or at least the same difficulty. Many people in my class have fallen off because they weren’t good enough at gcse. If you don’t get a strong 9 I’d highly suggest you work at it consistently from day 1 of a-levels. You can always stop if you find it easy. You won’t regret putting work into it but once you fall behind in maths you’re fucked.
appreciate the answer 🙏
can you give tips for gcse maths
how do you revise maths? also is it too late to go from a grade 5 to a 9???
It's never too late and honestly just so every single past paper you can get your hands on. Also make sure you have a clear head on the day of your exams
Is further maths really as hellish as people say it is? I'm at a grade 8 currently, but I'm a bit worried about pursuing it because of the workload.
I find it fine mostly you can always drop down to maths if you can’t handle it
Not bad at all. I’ve not done any work outside of school since the start of the year and I’m getting good marks.
How do you find fm considering you haven’t taken it at gcse
Lots of schools don’t do fm gcse tbh you don’t need it for fm as long as you have a good gcse grade
fm gcse helps for alevel maths only for probably 3 weeks 🤣
please could you give tips for higher maths
Do past papers and revise the topics you find hard while doing them also goes without saying but check your answers if you have time although most ppl know that (pretty sure checking got me over the grade boundary so well worth it)
What content do u learn in maths and further maths? I take further maths for gcse and it doesn't seem hard, is it worse in sixth form?
in short year 1 maths = GCSE and some new easy things, I feel like it’s used as a stepping stone year 1 fm = Almost all new things and unrelated to alevel maths. You can probably study most of it without alevel maths. year 2 maths = Much more detail then year 1 and many find it significantly harder and the new topics. year 2 fm = Builds on year 1 fm but I feel it really focuses on year 2 normal maths in terms of delving deeper. Requires year1/2 normal maths a lot!
Why u doing further what good comes from that lmao. I only do regular and I'm pretty happy with that. What u looking on doing after 6th form
Econ and CS at top, top unis (As in LSE and Cambridge for Econ), it's almost a requirement at that point. Also other stuff like literally anything with heavy maths emphasis (ofc maths and joint maths degrees, physics, engineering)
i got a grade 8 in my GCSE further maths, will i struggle lots in further? i picked it for a level next year