Who is the course for?

Students who have obtained the necessary GCSE grade and enjoy Mathematics. Mathematics combines well with all the sciences, as well as Social Science, Business and IT based courses. Both AS and A level Mathematics are highly regarded by employers and Higher Education.

Should I have studied the subject before? Yes. The course is specifically designed to build on your GCSE work.

A minimum Grade B Maths GCSE and an overall GCSE average of 5.5. Students find the progression from GCSE to A/AS level difficult if algebraic techniques in the GCSE syllabus are not well learned. There is also an internal test in algebra / trigonometry after two weeks to determine whether a student can continue on to AS. Some students will be directed on to the course Additional Mathematics for one year instead.

Content outline

The A level course lasts for 2 years with AS level being taken at the end of the first year.

You will receive between 4 and 5 hours of tuition each week and structured guidance on the work requirements out of class. The course will develop your understanding of:

• The fundamental theories and concepts of Mathematics
• The practical applications of Mathematics to other areas
• Logical problem solving

The A level course is split into 6 equally weighted units. To achieve an AS level 3 units are required, which will be completed during the first year.

The AS and A2 qualifications each consist of two compulsory Pure Maths units and one Applied Maths unit.

The Pure Maths units build on the Algebra and Trigonometry from GCSE, and introduce new topics such as Calculus.

The Applied Maths units will be chosen from the following three topics:

• Decision Maths introduces algorithms, networks and graphs and examines how they can be applied in the real world.
• Mechanics includes work on forces and Newton’s laws of motion and applies Mathematical modelling to simple problems.
• Statistics builds on work on averages and probabilities from GCSE and introduces topics such as probability distributions and correlation.

The units we offer are reviewed regularly to meet the needs of our students. Currently, all AS students do Decision Maths and A2 students do either Statistics or Mechanics.