Further maths GCSE

[var123]

Can anyone help me understand the English exam system, particularly the GCSEs?

Things I don't understand:-

1. Why there are several exam boards, and what it means in practice.
2. Do the GCSEs count for anything once you've got your A Levels?
3. Do the GCSE choices limit which A levels you can do?
4. What the difference between igcse and GSCE is?
5. Are there still resits? Does the child have to wait until the following summer or is there another moment?
6. Why would a child do further maths GCSE and what are the implications if the school does not offer it?
7. Is it the current year 8s or current year 9s who will take the new GCSEs for the first time?

I know its a lot of questions but help with any one of them would be much appreciated!

By way of background, I have two sons, both are very good at maths. DS1 is in year 8 and I noticed on the school web last night that there are a list of GCSE options. Triple science is marked as "optional" but I can see no mention of further maths, which very likely means the school doesn't offer it.

However, maths is my DSes thing. They both enjoy it, find it really easy and I can see at least one of them wanting to go on to university to study it.

I think its a waste too. If he had a talent in music, he wouldn't be asked to play scales for another 3 years, or in DS2's case another 5 years before everyone else is ready to actually play a tune!

It would be good if both boys could actually do something more useful in maths classes than practice staying quiet and not letting their boredom show. What though? How would UKMT work if the rest of the class is learning about trignometry (say)?

If he had a talent in music, he wouldn't be asked to play scales for another 3 years

That's a bad example, because playing scales is very much part of practice at Grade VIII (as the noises around our house tell me daily).

If they're bright, they'll be able to find things to do. Buy them a Raspberry Pi and get them to code up solutions to the problems they're doing.

he can do different work in the classroom though :)

Actually var - the lack of differentiation in music drives me spare, so yes, dc that start secondary already able to play instruments do twiddle their thumbs or end up helping others in their groups (well, in my dcs' school anyway)

dd came home from "Geeks Maths" exam today (as she likes to call it, as, at their school it's something the dc predicted an A or A for their normal maths, get invited along to, and they do it as an afterschool club - no timetabled lessons ), saying it as REALLY* hard - that's the first of all the exams she's said that about so..... we'll see I guess.

BforG, if it's the aqa igcse FM they all seem to think it was harder than past papers. Mine said 'nasty but good'

I haven't got the timetable in front of me, and haven't memorised the boards, but she had first one this morning and second one on Friday morning??
Yes, she did say Even {insert name of the school maths genius} said it was hard....... ....then started telling me how low a mark they could still get a 'C' with

var123
The UKMT works like this

1. Year 7/8 can do the Junior (individual) Maths Challenge. They only need y7/8 knowledge and concepts to do most/all of the questions. The top 3000 get invited to the Junior Kangaroo or the Junior Olympiad with the Olympiad is a lot harder. They get certificate if they get to a certain marks.

1. Year 9/10/11 can do the Intermediate Maths challenge. Same as the Junior, the second round is divided into groups, Some get invited Grey Kangaroo for year 9, Pink Kangaroo for year 10 & 11. The top scorers in year 9 sit the Cayley Olympiad, year 10 sit the Hamilton Olympiad and year 11 sit the MacLaurin Olympiad.

1. Year 11/12/13 can sit the Senior Maths challenge, similar to the other two, some best scorers sit the Senior Kangaroo. The very best sit the British Maths Olympiad (BMO) 1. The reason the Senior Kangaroo exist is to find any exceptional candidates that might not do very well in the Senior Maths challenge for whatever reasons. Top scorers in the BMO1 sit the BMO2. From the top scorers in BMO2, the UK squads are chosen for various international competitions. Notably, the Balkan Olympiad is where the UK normally does quite well. Ultimately, the International Maths Olympiad is the hardest and the best of all the pre University Maths competitions. Many of the winners have gone on to become famous mathematicians.

As the UK Maths challenges are only taken as one paper in one day. With some high scorers get to do one more paper so it does not provide enough challenge. Schools can sign up to the UK mentoring scheme by emailing the UKMT and sign up to their mailing list. Every month, 3 sets of problems, corresponding to 3 levels of the competitions, will be sent to school. Each set of problems consist of 5-10 problems. They are aimed at pupils who have got to the Olympiad round of each level so they are very hard and take time to do. My junior mentees normally can do 6 out of the 8 problems, the intermediate lot can normally do 6 or 7 out of 8 over a month period with some input from me. At senior level, pupils will need to have a undergraduate, I think from Cambridge, assigned to them so they can be given help if needed.

Another thing you can use is the weekly problem set by the King's College school of Maths. You can easily google it. They are quite good but it is not structured enough for my liking.

nRich is another source.

If you want to have a look at a problem sheet for the UK mentoring, pm your email and I can give you a problem sheet for your son to try.

younger kids can also sit SMC :)

back - that'll be the one. The grade boundaries are always low anyway compared to most gcses - last year it was C 36, B 60, A 85, A* 114, A^ 144 out of 175.

senior mentors also come from other unis. I think they usually have had success at Olympiads.

No need for pming, there are loads of the mentoring sheets available online, here:
www.ukmt.org.uk/mentoring/

Also have a look at what artofproblemsolving.com has to offer. Free online problems in the Alcumus systems, good textbooks (available from ukmt in the uk), online courses, though they don't have uk-friendly times at present so can't get the realtime experience.

It's worth asking for your DC to have separate work to get on with, and if you can commit the time, offering to provide it. Dependent on flexibility from the staff to consider it and, of course, will only work if your DC really would get on with it. Nothing venture nothing gain, though.

I forgot about the ones in previous years are available online. The most recent sets are not available until next year I think.

The artofproblemsolving is a great website as well. completely forgot about that one. thanks ScottishProf for reminding me.

Thanks Errol