How much harder is Further Maths Alevel than Maths?

[Indec1s1on]

Tia

Significantly. A-level maths is also a big step up from GCSE. I would only recommend it to talented mathematicians who get a grade 8 or 9 at GCSE.

Do you mean how much harder is further maths A level than maths A level?

My daughter got a level 9 in GCSE maths along with all her other subjects. She found maths GCSE “easy” She is exceptionally good at self teaching and can figure out moth mathematical problems by herself. She gave up further maths in the November of year 12 as the workload and the level of the maths was not worth the risk of her dropping a grade. Her maths teacher said forget further maths unless you are planning on taking maths at degree level.

Interesting responses. DS plans on taking double maths A level as long as he gets at least an 8 in his GCSE tomorrow. He has very comfortably got 9s in mocks so is expecting a 9.

His school do 9 maths lessons a week but do the normal maths A level content in yr 12 and then the further maths content in yr13 taking both exams at the end of year 13.

I got an A in GCSE Maths but dropped out of A level maths after a term as I was predicted an E

In hindsight I worked bloody hard for that A at GCSE and I’m certainly not a natural mathematician.

I remember my best mate and a couple of others finding it extremely hard! They did the A level in one year then the further maths the next.

20 years ago - if GCSE maths was a doddle and you started looking at the Maths A-Level syllabus in year 11 because you were bored with the triviality of the GCSE syllabus then it's worth doing further maths.

if GCSE felt like it was the "right" level of challenge and stretch for it to be some work for you and not too easy, then just the ordinary A-Level would be the right next step. depending on the specific board the school uses, one could do a half-way option by doing an A-level in maths that had modules in pure maths and applied mechanics, and then separately an AS in statistics. then you get 1.5 A-Levels without having to tackle the more challenging higher level stuff.

Nightmare decision Ds did very little revision for mock and got an 8 I think. Has hovered between set 1 and 2 in a grammar. Gave up gcse further maths alongside incase it detracted from him getting a 9 in maths gcse( on recommendation of teacher) but had done most of the work.

He needs an A at maths Alevel regardless. Toying with further maths Alevel as a 4th or extended project. 😩

I thought I'd offer a slightly different perspective. I didn't do further maths but I do have a maths degree from a Russell Group university. We caught up the further maths curriculum quite easily in the first term of the degree. Maths is a bit like that, if you are lucky enough to be gifted at it, it is very easy, if not, it is a slog!

Naturally gifted mathematicians (someone who has always been at the top of class/ year group and who can get the top grade - a 9 - without hard work) won't struggle with further maths but personally I preferred not to narrow down my options at 16.

Good luck with the grades - hopefully it's all been sorted now and your DS will get his 9.

I agree with what's been said. Not worth bothering unless you want to do a degree in maths. My dd did it, then a level, then a masters degree and is now a secondary school maths teacher but she overtook maths ability aged 7.

My son did both initially but gave up Further Maths pretty quickly. It’s hard and you need to be v keen and live maths. He hit an A* in A level maths too. Worth bearing in mind that the new linear maths is much harder than old modular A level.

DS is only doing Maths GCSE. They were going to do Further Maths but for whatever reason never started the COURSE (I Athink staffing problems).

Would A Level Further Maths be too much without the GCSE?

Further maths GCSE is nothing to do with further maths A-level, it’s designed to help bridge the gap to maths A-level so you can definitely do FM A-level without the GCSE.

I think a Y11 who found FM GCSE too much and dropped it might not be the best FM A-level candidate though. There’s a lot of maths when you are studying two A-levels in it so you have to be really keen on it.

I did Maths and Further maths alevels 25 years ago and I know things have changed.

When I did it, the topics on the pure and stats sides weren't significantly harder for me, it was the time pressure to learn the breadth of material in 9 months.
The mechanics I did find a lot harder, and unlike half the class I wasn't doing physics, so didn't have that reinforcement.

It was worth it, it made the maths classes at uni (for computing degree) a doddle.

In my opinion based on a DH and DD who excel at maths and me and other D.C. who are average.
If you can pass your GCSE with an A with ease and love maths and the teachers predict you will get an A or A at A level then further maths is an option. But only if it is relevant to your chosen degree path, maths or physics for example. At DD school the few that did FM were in a separate class for all maths and worked at a completely different level.
If you are at GCSE A or B and/or need to work for it then it is just not worth it and you are not going to get a result you are happy with.

My dd2 is going to take A level maths and Further maths, but she is extremely talented and loves maths. She is expected to get 9
DD1 dropped out of A level maths after two weeks despite getting grade 8 because she found it too difficult.
So anyone considering Further Maths must
have a natural flair for maths.

Could your DS not do the 4 A levels and EPQ to begin with, then drop either FM or EPQ once he had made up his mind which he preferred?

DS got an 8 at GCSE & found FM really hard. He got an A at A level for maths & a C for FM.

Not worth bothering unless you want to do a degree in maths.

F Maths is also extremely helpful for some engineering degrees.

Also bear in mind that FM students will spend a lot of their time studying maths, so they really have to enjoy it.

Although he’s clearly very capable, not revising for mocks, and giving up GCSE FM might suggest his heart’s not completely in it?

@RuthW
Her maths teacher said forget further maths unless you are planning on taking maths at degree level.

@HipTightOnions
Not worth bothering unless you want to do a degree in maths

Not quite true. If you want to study engineering or physics at a top tier university then further maths is very important.

Not quite true. If you want to study engineering or physics at a top tier university then further maths is very important.

That’s what I said, @FarTooSkinny! (The bold part was quoting another poster.)

@HipTightOnions sorry I quoted the wrong post.

Imperial now seem to be saying it’s not absolutely necessary and they’d rather you choose subjects you love. He got an 8 in maths and 9s in physics and chemistry so sticking with extended protect and he’ll do it in an area he loves and thus more likely to score high. He’s good at maths but doesn’t love it. If he decides to go for top unis such as imperial and doesn’t get in they simply aren’t for him but other courses are out there and will be. He now knows he needs to get his finger out.

[quote FarTooSkinny]@RuthW
Her maths teacher said forget further maths unless you are planning on taking maths at degree level.

@HipTightOnions
Not worth bothering unless you want to do a degree in maths

Not quite true. If you want to study engineering or physics at a top tier university then further maths is very important.[/quote]
@FarTooSkinny

DS was looking at a few Physics courses, so he worked his way down the rankings list of University and looked at the requirements.

The top University (Oxford) say it would be helpful. Not essential, not even recommended... Just helpful.