Head of Maths: Mr K Brewin
Mathematics at A level offers students a chance to get to grips with ideas familiar from their GCSE course, and explore them in a more elegant and rich way. Students will also study areas of mathematics that are completely new to them, and grapple with mathematical ideas that they have not looked at before.
This prepares students very well for any degree that has mathematical content, but the logical thinking and reasoning skills practised here helps students to solve challenging problems and encourages systematic thinking – all of which means it is excellent preparation for virtually any degree.
Course content
Examination board: Edexcel
– Pure Maths 1: Proof, Algebra and functions; coordinate geometry in the (x, y) plane; sequences and series; differentiation; integration; trigonometry; exponentials and logarithms; vectors.
– Pure Maths 2: Further proof; further algebra and functions; advanced trigonometry; numerical methods; coordinate geometry in the (x, y) plane; sequences and series; further calculus; numerical methods; vectors.
– Mechanics and Statistics: Sampling; presentation and interpretation of data; probability; distributions; hypothesis testing; kinematics; forces and Newton’s Laws; moments.
There are 3 examinations at the end of year 13; one for each of the three sections. Each examination assesses one third of the course and calculators are allowed in all.
Co-curricular
The Maths Department runs a variety of trips for the Sixth Form to enhance the students’ experience of the maths curriculum at A Level. In the past we have run trips to the theatre, to lectures, courses and Team Challenge competitions, and to art exhibitions and building sites where interesting mathematics has been used in practice. We also have a code breaking club which is very popular with A Level students.
University and beyond
Maths A Level is a highly regarded qualification in many varied fields including medicine, engineering, sciences, computing, the social sciences and economics. The mathematical techniques studied at A Level will be used in such courses; your work in the Sixth Form will be used in the degree courses. Maths graduates are in great demand for their ability to think with clarity, and logic and their reasoning when solving problems.
Further Maths
The Further Maths course is a distinct qualification that both broadens and deepens the Maths covered in A Level Maths. For someone who enjoys Maths, it provides a challenge and a chance to explore new and more sophisticated mathematical concepts. It is a very highly regarded qualification that enables students to distinguish themselves as talented mathematicians in applications for university and employment. Students who opt for Further Maths must have gained a minimum of a grade 7 (A) at GCSE and must be studying Maths A Level.