4 A-Levels or not?

[ALevelQuestion]

DD is about to start A-Levels. She is ultimately hoping to apply to Cambridge to do a degree in Economics.
She has chosen Maths, Economics and History to do at A-Level. Is it a good idea to do Further Maths as well, making 4 A-Levels in total?

Thanks for any advice.

Further Maths is not really seen as onerous as taking on a different 4th subject. If the Cambridge course is maths heavy then it’s probably a good idea if she is a good mathematician. But equally if it means spreading herself too thinly & missing the top grade then it’s not wise - does the website give any guidance?

Our school treats Maths and Further Maths as one subject, do all pupils taking FM do 4 A levels.

They're still essentially only doing 3 subjects.

Further Maths is not really an additional subject. If you enjoy maths, then adding FM isn't really too difficult.

Start with 4 as it is easier to drop one than to pick one up. Further maths is seen as a separate a level.

Check the Cambribge website to see if further maths is required for economics, (if offered by the school), .

@JustRichmal

Start with 4 as it is easier to drop one than to pick one up. Further maths is seen as a separate a level.

Check the Cambribge website to see if further maths is required for economics, (if offered by the school), .

Thank you. I have checked the Cambridge University website which seems to state that most successful applicants for their Economics degree have Further Maths. She has decided to definitely do Further Maths alongside Maths, Economics and History.

At our school Maths is taught in yr12 and FM in yr 13, so it 'counts' as one subject even though they'll get 4 A levels.

Not all schools offer it unfortunately, so Unis can't require it.

Dd is going into y13 and is not doing a maths or economics degree, but is doing FM anyway, so I did not pay much attention to that part in the virtual open day. However I seemed to remember that for some subjects, though FM is not a requirement if the school did not offer it, there would be questions as to why it was not taken if the school did offer it. It may vary between colleges.