Yearly warning about taking A-level maths with a 6 at GCSE

No it's not as simple as that. The % needed for the various grades differs from subject to subject. Subjects with higher and foundation tiers will also differ (which is why a 6 at higher maths is a much lower % than a 6 at untiered english or history).

It also varies from year to year though not that much tbh.

Why they changed it? hahah don't ask me. I suspect bc they wanted to differentiate the very highest marks tbh. And they can always add a 10. I hope that doesn't happen tho. My A grades at O level already look crap next to DD's 9s.

I love this! big well done to her

Why did they change it though? Is a 9 90% and a 7 70%?

@clary you were on my thread when I was panicking about DD (but I couldn't send the Spanish test to you), when she was predicted a 3 - max 4 in Spanish - she got a 9!

I think there is a possibility of movement in the first couple of weeks, but I am not sure what would she would choose out of the other options - economics maybe (but her friend did GCSE economics and DD said it looked awful and wasn't interested).

Apparently she needs a really expensive calculator (this was told to those taking it on transition day - which obviously she didn't get this particular memo for, as she went to other classes.

Would it be an idea to wait to buy the calculator? The transition students were told to have it for the first lesson, but as we only rushed into this yesterday, I am not keen to buy it, if she realises in the first week it is not for her (and would obviously buy it straight away if it is).

It is weird as it was one of her original choices, but the mock freaked both her and me, although her teacher knew it was a 'blip' and was right, she did however go from a 3 to a 9 in Spanish, so can apply herself and work hard when needed.

She probably didn't revise as much for maths either - we bought higher maths past papers and she would always get 100% in less than half the time the paper required, so not sure what was going on really.

I think it is also worth remembering that years ago (admittedly a lot of years ago!) there was only one grade higher than a B. Now there are three grades higher than a 6. One grade below the top is an 8 and no one is suggesting that's not enough for A level.

Thank you - I keep forgetting a 6 is a B in old money and plenty would've gone on to do A level with a B. Also was reading about the grade boundaries etc this year, and apparently there were changes to MFL meant to make things more equitable, but actually it was harder once again. He would've got a 7 with the same percentage last year.

@Anonymousemouses a 7 is equivalent to an old A at GCSE. No one including noble is saying students should not do maths A level with a 7. Despite some saying we are.

A 7 is most likely to lead to a grade B/C/D – fine for many uni applications and for sure better than doing something she hates. If the maths teacher is behind her doing it then it sounds good. Is there any way she could start with a fourth in case the maths is too much? So sorry that she cannot continue with her Spanish, a 9 at GCSE is excellent.

I completely agree with this point actually. It's the teens who need at least 3 A's for their course and are aiming for the higher tier unis who will need to think carefully about maths A level. If they are more likely to meet their offer with a different subject, it may make sense for some teens not to risk it with maths. For others, B's and C's will get them where they need to be. So it really depends on the individual teen ( and good guidance from parents and teachers, based on the teens goals can help here I think).

I don't think you need to be quite so scared!

The warning is only that those with lower grades might find the A Level hard/not get a top result! They're not routinely sending kids with a C in A Level maths to gulags! It's going to be fine either way!!

I would try and calm down a little!

She wouldn't even consider it. We were on a tie constraint - it is a grammar, and they need to finalise the internal students numbers on classes to then offer to external, so it was very pressured.

She refused RS in her options, so discounted it straight away.

I am worried, but her teacher did say that she was capable of A Level and the 5 in the mocks was a blip.
I m still terrified though.

I also don't think she wants to do three essay heavy subjects (English literature is obviously essay heavy and from sociology myself I remember it was also quite heavy, plus she us doing a written EPQ (I have no idea what it is - but they had to do an extension course too), so she didn't want an essay based third subject).

She wants to do criminology/forensic psychology, so she said none of the other options would help with that.

Sorry I am clueless.

So a 7 - is that like a C in old style GCSEs?

Is it impossible to do maths with a grade 7?

Bloody freaking out now.

In our school we suggest these students will have much more success taking vocational courses, eg BTECs. They will be the top of the r cohort so likely to get Distinctions or Distiction* and then have high number of UCAS points so can access good universities.

Thanks for the taking the time to reply, it's very much appreciated. I just asked him and he said, "s'alright". I asked if he likes it and he said yes. I'm none the wiser.

I've told him he'd best crack on with the bridging work and given him a dire warning about getting ready to work hard if he wants to do the subjects he's planning on taking (one is art and design - an absolute TONNE of work needed for that one too)....

@Anonymousemouses DD should consider moving schools to do the subjects she wants to do, not over-compromise just to stay somewhere known.

That's the good thing about Hants. Pretty much everyone has to move as almost no schools have 6th forms, so no compromising on subjects just to stay where you are.

Thank you for this.

But before deciding not to take A-Level
maths after getting a 6, talk to your maths teacher. DC2 got a 6 and their maths teacher was totally happy for them to take A-Level, even though the school officially required a 7. DC2 got a B at A-Level. Although I agree in general.

I was in the top set for Maths GCSE in 1988 and took it a year early, getting an A in old money. They made us do AS Maths in what would now be year 11. Woah it was hard. I got a B but I'm sure it ultimately helped me get an A at A level two years later.@Phineyj
Same as me (different year). It put lots off doing the A level.

It's worth remembering that a grade 6 in Maths can be gained with less than 50% of the marks so it is not surprising that the step up to A level would be hard. Last year with the very high grade boundary for grade 9 there were quite a few with grade 8 who had just made careless errors. A grade 6 in English needs 65%+ as it is not tiered.

Nothing wrong with B or C at A level and students with these grades at their degree subjects can get 2ii and 1st at good universities.

I did French A level with a B at GCSE. I got an A at A level and went on to study it at university (alongside law) and got a 2:1 from a Russel Group uni.
If he puts the work in at A level he can do well.

Wouldn’t you consider moving schools on that basis, as I am?

@Anonymousemouses I get the fear. I have a son doing French A-level with only a 6 and that worries me. I think maths would a 7 would worry me more, but sometimes you have to let them try. I'm trying to get him to swap to Film Studies but he's just not interested.

However I just want to mention RS as it was one of her options. At my son's school it is called Philosophy (though it is the same subject) and when you look at what is actually taught, it's really interesting stuff about ethics. It could pair well with English and Sociology.

This thread has TERRIFIED me!.

DD originally chose maths as an A Level, when they made thir initial choices last year (before their January mocks).

Then she got a 5 in her mocks. It spooked her enough to decide to do double English (her school do literature and language as separate A Levels).

At the post mock parent's evening, her maths teacher said the 5 was a 'blip', and she was capable of doing maths A Level, but it spooked DD too much.

Yesterday, after we got the results, we went in. We then found out doing literature and language was NOT an option, as they were in the same block.

DD was devastated.

DD chose Spanish as her MFL - AGAINST the advice if her Y9 Spanish teacher (and her Y8 one also said she would 'struggle'.

Her Y10 Spanish teacher had faith in her and said she was capable of an 8.

Then, the start of Y11 her new teacher predicted a 3/4 and suggested foundation Spanish. I advocated for DD and we agreed to wait for the mocks. She got a 7. Her teacher then invested in DD and DD worked her socks off- she really did - she got a 9!!!!

Yesterday, with double English off the table. and with the encouragement of her amazing Spanish teacher, she decided to do Spanish.

However, despite thos being an option 'in' school, once the choices were confirmed online, we were told that Spanish was NOT an option - as it clashed with both English literature and sociology.

She had to choose between economics, politics, geography (which she hated and only got a 6 in), or RS.

DD was hysterical. She didn't want to sacrifice two subjects and do Spanish + 2 she didn't like, but even with two she wanted, she hated the other choices.

They then said she could do maths - she agreed as it was the only one she could 'stand'.

But reading these posts have terrified me. She got a 7 in her GCSE, which was a leap from the 5 mock - although teachers have NEVER doubted her ability, unlike Spanish - where she leapt from a 3/4 to a 9, so she can work hard, but I am just so scared for her.

However - she also got a 7 in Literature- and I would never doubt her ability to do that A Level, she got the same score in maths, but this thread has literally terrified me.

@noblegiraffe You said on a thread recently that your school allowed Maths A level with a 6. So no one takes any notice in your school! Or many others. I agree it should be a 7 but many schools won’t care. Parents should though.

I really don't think anyone is saying it's not worth getting a B or a C in maths A level. Who here says that?

The point is that there will be students who might need an A for their uni app and could have got that with a different subject but were not advised that a 6 in maths was more likely to lead to a lower grade. For 75% of students, a 6 will lead to D/E/U. Not a B or a C. A D or E can get you into a uni but if you would have got a B or C in another subject then you might wish you had known that.

My DS got a B in maths A level btw and it was more than worth his while to take. He didn't want to go on to Oxford or Imperial to study maths, but he studied science at a great uni and his maths supported that, as he freely admits.

I am not sure though that maths A level should be aiming at making the population more mathematically adept. It's meant to be for people who are good at the subject and have a passion for it. Like any A level tbh. I agree tho that education of our YP will benefit society overall.

I am coming to the conclusion that Maths A-level has been designed to support people who are also doing Further Maths to have a flying start at Oxbridge STEM and Imperial. That’s it. It’s not actually aimed at making the population more mathematically adept.

This is quite a longstanding fight in education. Is it supposed to be educating the people for the overall benefit of society, or just a feeder system for who gets the top jobs/most money?

The conviction that a B or C in Maths makes them not worth studying at all would seem to indicate the latter.

We had to do both stats, pure and mechanics for AS and A level in early 00s. I dropped it at at AS level after getting a D.
I think I failed the mechanics (I hated physics and felt like I was in a physics lesson!) but managed to get a C in stats and similar in pure which made the D overall.
I felt like I was learning maths in a foreign language!