Which unis ignore maths grade if taken in y12?

[vegeem]

Hi..At my DC's school, if you do Maths & Further Maths then you do the two courses in series and by default you sit the maths in y12. However you can opt to sit it in y13 instead, which might be a good idea if you're applying to a uni that will ignore your maths grade if its taken early...I know Cambridge is in that category. Anyone know which other unis do the same?

I’m not sure that’s true about Cambridge (or at least not for all courses). The school I work at does Maths/FM in this way & students have had offers from Cambridge

@Decorhate

I’m not sure that’s true about Cambridge (or at least not for all courses). The school I work at does Maths/FM in this way & students have had offers from Cambridge

It doesn't stop them getting an offer, but their 3 target grades need to be in the 3 subjects they do in year 13 ... they can't rest on any laurels they get in year 12.

From Cambridge FAQ's ...

True but the maths grade in year 12 would help them get an actual offer...

I would have thought a yr12 maths A level would be no disadvantage whatsoever! The main thing is to offer 3 A levels at the same sitting in yr13. Quite a few courses that I’ve stumbled upon don’t count maths A level and FM A level as 2 subjects. They count it as 1 (maths). So often if students do FM it needs to be their 4th subject alongside Maths.
I’d ring around a few admissions where your DS fancies and see what they say but I’d be astounded if it was an issue.

I’ve not been clear. If your DS didn’t do A level maths in yr12 then in Yr13 he’d be applying with 4 A levels - Eg Chemistry, Biology, Maths & Further Maths. Very very very few places accept Chemistry, maths, Further Maths. As the maths is the same subject and doesn’t show breadth.
If he does the maths in yr12 then he’d apply with Chemistry, Biology & FM. 3 A levels with breadth (& depth in maths).

Also from Cambridge FAQs:

For courses where A Level Mathematics is required by all Colleges – Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, physical sciences options in Natural Sciences – students taking A Level Mathematics in Year 12, and A Level Further Mathematics and only one other A Level in Year 13 will be considered.

To be clear, he's doing 4 A Levels, not 3.

I've heard it can be an issue for students who are very strong in maths, but weaker in their other subjects. Sometimes they decide to do all 4 exams in year 13 to make sure they get at least a couple of A*'s.

My son is only just starting year 12, and his fourth subject is something he hasn't studied before (Economics), so we don't yet know how strong he will be at it.

He's not actually interested in Cambridge. I just would like to know whether many other universities have the same approach. It can be fiddly to read through all the admissions FAQs for multiple unis (though of course we will need to do it as we home in on some potential options) so, in the meantime, if people have some direct experience to share then that would be welcome.

From my own research so far I think it’s only Oxbridge that don’t really like it if you are only doing 2 subjects in year 13, having done Maths in year 12. I know they say you will be considered but my feeling is that you would only be considered if your school made you do that with no choice. Camb offer A star AStar A For my sons subject and I know most candidates exceed this. Friends daughter has 5 A stars for example! My son is applying to C and I expect his offer to be for 3 subjects sat in year 13. For his other 4 choices I expect those unis to give him credit for the A star he already has. So if Birmingham’s usual offer is A star AA for example, I would expect his offer to be 2 As. He has not actually got an offer at the moment so that might be wrong. Is anyone in this position with an actual offer?

Not 6 or 7 other medical schools I rang, they accepted A-levels taken within 24m of each other, but UCL medicine wanted 3 in one single sitting period.

@NotDonna

I’ve not been clear. If your DS didn’t do A level maths in yr12 then in Yr13 he’d be applying with 4 A levels - Eg Chemistry, Biology, Maths & Further Maths. Very very very few places accept Chemistry, maths, Further Maths. As the maths is the same subject and doesn’t show breadth. If he does the maths in yr12 then he’d apply with Chemistry, Biology & FM. 3 A levels with breadth (& depth in maths).

The assertion that very very very few places take Maths Further Maths and Chemistry simply is not true

The assertion that very very very few places take Maths Further Maths and Chemistry simply is not true

I can't imagine why anyone applying to do either chemistry or maths wouldn't be considered as a strong candidate at most unis wit those subjects. (Physics and 2x maths is of course an entirely normal combination, for physics, engineering, comp sci and maths).
STEM admissions don't usually seem to give a damn about 'breadth' - they tend to prioritise depth.

@ErrolTheDragon trust me I’ve seen a number of courses that have stressed they count maths and Further maths as 1 subject and they want 3. Ive not taken any notice of which they were as my DC isn’t doing FM, but it was probably economics at Warwick, Durham etc. I think some bio sciences weren’t keen either. And I’ve stumbled upon plenty of others. Enough to warn the OP that’s it’s worth looking into.

[quote NotDonna]@ErrolTheDragon trust me I’ve seen a number of courses that have stressed they count maths and Further maths as 1 subject and they want 3. Ive not taken any notice of which they were as my DC isn’t doing FM, but it was probably economics at Warwick, Durham etc. I think some bio sciences weren’t keen either. And I’ve stumbled upon plenty of others. Enough to warn the OP that’s it’s worth looking into.[/quote]
Medical schools count maths and FM as one subject.

Yeah, I only said chemistry and maths, as they'd be the most probable subjects for someone taking that combo.

And I don't certainly disagree with making sure pupils know clearly what the limitations are on any subject combo, 2x maths and one other subject does restrict choice but not quite as much as the poster I was responding to suggested.

Just going back to something the OP said
* I've heard it can be an issue for students who are very strong in maths, but weaker in their other subjects. Sometimes they decide to do all 4 exams in year 13 to make sure they get at least a couple of A's.*

Doing maths in yr 12 might not make so much difference from that POV. I'm not sure if this is generally applicable, but the Cambridge engineering offers typically specifythat the two A stars must be in FM and Physics with the maths (and 4th subject if offered) being As . A stars on the two maths but not the other subject wouldn't meet the offer.