A'level maths, further maths and physics. Good combination ?

[FixundFoxi]

DS 2 in yr 11 is thinking about taking these subjects next year as A'levels. To me it seems like he's missing another subject but as someone with a degree in modern languages I haven't got a clue !
He's convinced further maths is a whole A'level subject in itself but I'm not so sure.
Can anyone put us right and is it a decent choice ?

@TeenDivided It possibly has its origins from when some schools did all A Level Maths in Y12 & then all FM in Y13. So you might then only be sitting 2 A Level subjects in Y13. Which might be viewed as not rigorous enough.

They also won’t accept Chemistry plus Biology plus Human Biology so perhaps it’s having 2 similar subjects they don’t like.

@EastCoker They were all top set (Grammar school) maths so took a further maths GCSE and also a statistics GCSE as well as the normal one - so 3 maths GCSEs in total.

For A Level most of his friends started with Maths, and Further Maths plus 2 others. A lot struggled with FM so dropped it at the end of Year 12.

FM is a full A level whatever you may read on MN. My dcs' school is often happy to allow maths, FM and one other - taking (for example) chemistry as well is a lot of work.

Mate of ds took maths, FM and PE and is studying maths at Bath so not too dusty.

Check the school are happy tho. And check your DS LOVES maths as that is more or less all he will be doing. What is his PG in maths? Needs to be an easy 9. If in any doubt, best to add a fourth, so he can drop FM if its too much. If he is happy with the maths, he can drop the fourth ( if that makes sense).

(many years ago ) I did A level physics and maths, and it’s a very good baseline combination for Uni in fields such as engineering, computer science, etc. As I followed on through degree, masters and PhD in comp science I did obviously take additional courses in Maths related to the field I was following.

I’m clearly out of touch with the requirements for University entry in UK though. It’s somewhat surprising that further maths is required for a specific uni course. Personally, I would (and did) take a different subject to give options later. Having said that, I never used my Chemistry, and it was a huge extra workload for a topic I had no real interest in, or aptitude for.

What does he want to do? Both are ideal for maths at degree level. They are absolutely considered as separate subjects but generally are taken by students who know they will be following a maths, physics, engineering route. There is some bad advice on here. My dc is taking maths, further maths and a language. Currently holding 3 Russel group offers, including Warwick and has just been invited to interview at Cambridge. It is a separate subject but as a combination probably better suited to those sure of their future interest.

I did Maths, Further Maths and Physics at A level (I also did the largely-useless General Studies as everyone at my school did whether they wanted to or not!) and they were all counted separately back in the mists of time.

What I can say is that FM even back then made my physics degree a lot easier in the first year when they were trying to get everyone up to the same standard before they really started working us in Y2! But if someone didn't have it, they'd need to pick up the equivalent knowledge in the first year in most maths-heavy STEM courses which aren't often known for being a doddle in the first place.

I still regret not being allowed to do chemistry as well, but I've made a good career in physics regardless.

DD is yr11, so our selective school advice might be relevant.

Drs//Vets/Oxbridge aside, all start by choosing 4 A-levels they fancy studying for yr 12. (A few might start with 5 if they have a real aptitude, by invitation only).

Most will drop a subject after two or 3 terms so they are back down to 3 solid A levels by year 13. There are no AS levels, which seems a shame to me (but I suppose they are irrelevant if you already have a dozen decent GCSEs?).

A few years ago most would have completed 4 A levels, but the Uni grade hikes have sent the school down this more restricted route of study.

Electrical&electronic engineering.
I'm not an academic, but got good advice on here when dd was going through the system and have retained an interest (and an ability to google).

@ErrolTheDragon

Love it!

Sheffield is probably the best UK university for engineering. (And not bad for maths).

Another here who did that combo plus chemistry at A level (admittedly more than 20 years ago!). I agree with @TerminallyIndecisive that chemistry is a natural fit with maths, further maths and physics due to the overlaps between the subjects. As a result of these overlaps, I'd say doing that combo is not as much work as covering 4 very different subjects. The further maths, in particular, makes the basic maths A level feel quite easy. Like @TerminallyIndecisive I went on to do Chemistry at Uni too. If your DS plans to do a hard science subject or maths at Uni, throwing Chemistry into his A-level mix is a great option.

One dd did maths, biology and psychology other dd did French , Eng lit, biology and physics. I'd throw in a language or another science or if he feels 4 are too much drop fm.

I did those A levels plus Geography. They work well together but most people doing further maths do 4 A levels - but it is a whole A level in its own right.

My daughter did maths, further maths and physics at a level. She started doing chemistry a level too but dropped that after she got as level in the first year.
She had a plan to do maths at uni and now has a maths degree.
I reckon she'll end up being a maths teacher but she still wants to be a coder having loved coding as part of her degree.
If you love maths, those are an excellent combination.