A Level Maths - how important is it?

Hmm - either all boards are not he same, or DD1 has a really weird way of thinking. Perhaps its the wordiness of some of the S1 questions that make them more difficult for her. Shes finding C2 the easiest, and did far better in that in her recent mock.

Circular, it doesn't matter that the stats concepts are new, S1 is mainly calculator skills and sticking numbers in formulae. Calculate the equation of a regression line, calculate the standard deviation, calculate Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficient, or the Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. Most of the formulae are in the formula booklet. The main problem students have with S1 is permutations and combinations because the questions actually require some thought, the rest basically tell you what to do. Most students usually do better on S1 than the core modules.

Algebra on the other hand, if you can't manipulate algebraic expressions easily and confidently, you're going to find the core modules very tough. Stuff that's A* grade GCSE that a lot of A grade students will not have grasped are whizzed through in C1 then expected knowledge in C2.

Tiggy quite puzzled by the idea that algebra is the sticking point and stats seen as easier?
Unless they have done a stats GCSE, most of the concepts are completely new.

Please don't push her towards maths unless she wants to do it and has an aptitude.

At school and at home, everyone told me I'd need maths to do sciences at University. I'd got an A at GCSE without too much effort but my heart wasn't in it. I got to the middle of the first term of A level and couldn't hack it, it just didn't interest me at all, and I swapped to a humanity. I got in to medical school without any issues. I know if I'd struggled on with maths I'd have got lower grades in other subjects because of the extra time I'd have needed to take to keep up.

Hello again Tiggy - I just read the link you posted and it is very interesting. Thanks!
Good luck Op - DD1 is loving 6th form. She enjoys the fact that she is studying subjects she really likes now - I do think this is 'key' to doing well in AS and A level.

OP we had similar conversations with DD1. She chose Chemistry, Biology, Geography and Maths as her original A level options, but gave up on Maths after half a term. She just did not enjoy AS Maths and, as others have said, found it a massive step up from GCSE level and very hard work for those who do not have a natural flair.
DD1 then swapped Maths for Govt. and Politics, which meant lots of family members insisting that Maths was the way to go/best option for a career/essential to understanding life/good to work hard etc etc.

Her final A levels were Chemistry, Geography and Govt and Politics.
In the event, DD1 got offers from all the RG unis she applied to (she studied Geography) and now has a much sought-after graduate training contract with a Big Four accountancy firm.

For her, doing what she liked and felt an affinity with topped the idea of doing something because it was 'good for her', so make of that what you will!

Thanks tiggy. To be fair, in DD's school they do an extra algebra course in year 11 to help 'bridge' the gap. But she is loving maths and on target for at least a B in AS (got As in her 2 mocks so far) - assuming she doesn't have a terrible day!

They sound good choices op.
But please can people not sound the 'doom & gloom' klaxons everytime AS maths is mentioned! DD1 is at a state comp and doing AS and really enjoying it. She got an A at gcse (and that was with me helping her at home with past papers etc). Her school say minimum of a B at gcse and some of the ones with Bs are doing fine, some are struggling - but the same can also be said of ones who got As and A*s! The ones who seem to 'get' AS are the ones who enjoy algebra.

Chemistry definitely helps with A'level biology and if she may be thinking along the science route, she needs 2 sciences at A'level (but not necessarily maths). Plenty of students get into good universities with neither English nor Maths A'level - if she hates it at GCSE, she really is unlikely to do well at A'level.

We've had long discussions in this subject here too.
DD initially put biology, chemistry, physics and maths in her A level form (with the firm intention of only taking maths to AS), as she's A/B borderline and that's not enough for A2

However, she has put her foot down and change it to art. She declared a firm wish to stay sane. She draws and sings for fun, unlike DH who things a book of complex graphs is holiday reading.

I would really advise against taking Maths unless really committed.

DS1 got A* at GCSE and took Maths to go with science A levels. But he simply couldn't manage it,scraped an E at AS and dropped it.

All subjects open some doors and shut others clearly, but Maths is no better or worse for doing this. Unless it is really pertinent to the subject she wants to study then the grade will be more important.

Im a similar situation this time last year, only one subject DD1 really needed, and English her worst subject too.
Good but not great at maths, tolerated rather than liked it, also predicted A at GCSE but got B in mock (although mock was a past paper and they hadn't completed the syllabus at the time.
Wanted to take Physics, and in the end did the maths to support the Physics, with the intention of dropping maths at AS.

Although finding all her subjects a challenge, is absolutely loving maths now - her second favourite subject.

Jock what about biology, PE, chemistry and perhaps psychology instead of sociology? It does seem that maths is not a good idea for her if she dislikes it.

I wouldn't push her to do maths unless she gets A*. It really is a big leap.

Just to add that if she is n't particularly strong at maths she should n't consider doing it beyond AS and maybe as mrscog suggests do an AS in statistics

IMO chemistry better choice than sociology and more important than maths for sport science. If she is reasonably academic then I wouldn't advise her to do both sociology and PE unless she is really poor at chemistry and does n't like anything else. Adding maths in would give her more options if she changed her mind