Yearly warning not to take A-level maths with less than a 7 at GCSE

[noblegiraffe]

GCSE results day and therefore A-level sign-up day is coming.

So with that in mind I just thought I'd post the table of conversions from GCSE to A-level results for maths to show that there is a strong correlation. This is because A-level Maths basically starts with a quick review of grade 8/9 GCSE algebra content and then gets more difficult. Students starting with a 7 will have to work very hard to keep up, students with a 6 often flounder.

There are sixth forms and colleges that will accept students with a 6 onto A-level maths, but from many years of experience, this is not a good experience for the student. Many will drop out and switch courses early on (and therefore not appear in the results table), but some will struggle on for 2 years and then come out with a grade that really doesn't help them with university applications.

If you take A-level maths with a 6, even if you manage to complete the course (and a lot won't), about three quarters will get a D or below, with E the most common grade.

This data is from 2019 because obviously more recent data has been screwed up by covid.

If your child is keen to do maths, but gets a 6, please consider Core Maths which is designed to be taken alongside 3 A-levels and provides supportive maths content for A-level sciences and social sciences (e.g. psychology, geography).

If your child is going to do A-level maths (particularly if they are on a 7 but also 8/9), check that they have done summer bridging work so they hit the ground running in September.

Can i ask a question for further maths at A level.
My son was predicted a 6 in maths for his GCSE, he was not offered the extra maths some high achieving kids do.
Through his own work and drive, he got a solid 8.
He would like to do Maths and Further maths at a level. Is this a ridiculous idea? He would like FM but is worried he might not be good enough or it might need too much work. (He will do geography and economics)
Or would it be more sensible to start with 4 A level and drop one for Y13? (Either geography is the maths and FM are good or FM if it is too much for him)
thank you

In this scenario starting with 4 is advisable in case further maths turns out to be too much for him. Nothing wrong with starting with four and seeing how it goes.

@babylone definitely worth a shot, but as Pythag says he should 100% start with 4 so he can drop one once he's got a better handle on whether he can cope.

Thank you 🙏

Why is the grade boundary so high this year? Is it because kids keep getting better and better at these exams and it means only a certain percentage of the cohort can get a 9?

It's so tough out there :(

The papers were really easy this year for the top end.

The edexcel papers were a bit easier than last year, so higher grade boundaries were necessary. Kids did not become better! Teachers also did not become better.

My ds got 90% on AQA maths and got an 8.
2 marks off a 9...
Then got 9 for further maths so swings and roundabouts!

@noblegiraffe thanks for responding

He needed AAB at the time for uni so it really put the pressure on as Maths was always going to be the B (at best!). He did get AAB but with hindsight made it difficult for himself.
In contrast, DS2 got a 9 at GCSE and Astar at A level and loved every minute!

@noblegiraffe such a useful post. As a parent what resources would you suggest students could use, outside of lessons, to move that 6/7 to a grade 8/9. As no guidance has been given by school. Have a child willing to work outside of lessons and the set worksheets given for homework but no idea on where to guide them.

Is he going into Y11? Does he know from his Y10 exams some weak areas he can work on? If so, that might be a good place to start.

https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk/gcse.php is a good website as it specifically lists topic by grade so he can work his way up to more difficult topics. The link on the left is a video, then practice questions and worked solutions. He should watch the video with pen and paper (buy him a big pad of paper) and work through the examples with the video and try the 'try me' ones as it goes along. Then once he thinks he has the hang of it, he should try the worksheet and mark his work using the solutions. If he gets stuff wrong he should try to understand where he has gone wrong, possibly going back to the video for more help. There are other videos/worksheets he could use here https://corbettmaths.com/contents/ but they are listed alphabetically rather than by grade so a bit more difficult for structured self-study. You learn maths best by doing maths - watching a video isn't enough, he needs to do questions and review his answers.

Once he has done his mocks he should have an even better idea of what he needs to work on.

When the exams get closer he can switch from targeted topic revision to more mixed revision like past papers (also available on those websites).

Is he in top set? Is he going to be taught the full syllabus? Otherwise he may need to teach himself some of higher topics himself to maximise his chances.

Hi, we have no feedback on areas, but he can identify some himself. Yes, year 10 and top set.
He has a good work ethic and is methodical in the way he revises for tests, so your suggestions are amazing.

thanks!

I pointed this out on a thread and it didnt ho down well @noblegiraffe!
I know kids who got 9s in maths and biology and still struggled with A level biology

I got my daughter a subscription to numerise. I've set it to target grade 7-9

I know kids who got 9s in maths and biology and still struggled with A level biology

Anecdotally my DD says there are some students in all her A level subjects (Chem, Biol, History) who got 9 at GCSE but have struggled with A level because they haven't learnt how to effectively revise, because they found GCSEs easy and could wing it.

The reality is that all A levels are hard, all require you to work, and all are easier to get good grades in if you achieved a good grade in GCSE (and the stats shared are not representative of the current situation because they are affected by Covid years). Maths is not unique in this, it's just common sense. Where Maths is unique is what a core subject it is, that's why it's the most popular A level. And as good as the idea of core maths is because there's so much focus from the top Universities on the 3 A levels above anything else I can see not many sixth form colleges offering core maths because it'll be seen as a distraction.

@noblegiraffe Are there any statistics on % of those who got a 9 at GCSE but also took GCSE Further Maths?

When my DD was looking at sixth forms there was a prerequisite you would have a 9 at GCSE to do further maths and several of them required catch up work over the summer if your school didn’t offer further maths.

Her place to study maths, further maths, physics and DT is confirmed but it’s playing on the back of her mind that she “only” got a high 8 in maths and she’s “not good enough”.

I read somewhere that a very high proportion of 9 grades are those who have studied further maths too but now I can’t find it!!!

To add, her school didn’t offer further maths so it was never an option.

Around 25,500 kids got a 9 in maths. Further maths had around 35,300 entries. There's going to be an overlap because further maths is generally only offered to the brightest students. Ofqual don't report on level 2 certificates though so I don't think that data has been combined.

But my school doesn't offer further maths GCSE and A-level further maths is fine without it.

The school that sets catch-up work for those that don't have it are presumably teaching on the presumption that the kids have already done e.g. matrices so they don't teach it again properly.

Is your DD going to be studying it at a school that assumes kids have taken it? If not, she'll be absolutely fine without it.

She's taking 4 subjects so if she does find further maths too much she has the option to drop it. She might really enjoy it though!

@noblegiraffe Thank you. Her sixth form only expects you to have done normal GCSE maths, not further so I’m sure she’ll be fine.

She’s just a bit down on herself after “only” getting three 9s, three 8s, two 7s (one going for remark) and a 6. She wants to do engineering at university and getting an A star in A-level maths is fairly fundamental for top universities. All her STEM subjects were the 8s and 9s and she got a 9 in physics. We’ve told her not to worry and she’s done brilliantly but she thinks she’s ruined her chances.

Which is just utterly bonkers!!!!

afaik there aren’t many engineering courses which require A specifically in maths. If they ask for AAA most of them will be happy with the star being on physics (or the third subject). And there are excellent courses which don’t need any stars.
She’s certainly not ruined her chances with those gcse grades! Some students find A levels a hard jump; others, liberated from the subjects that they had to do for gcse but didn’t love really hit their stride and thrive.

@ErrolTheDragon please may I congratulate you on the most amazing way to quote the highest grades available without converting all the text to bold. Please, take a bow and a 🌟

@ErrolTheDragon Thank you. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. Essay subjects really aren’t her strong point and she worked overtime to get good grades in those subjects. Being able to concentrate on the subjects she loves will make things much easier for her.

I just want to give her head a bit of a wobble to be honest. I guess that shamefully, I too have been swallowed up by the many social media posts talking of people getting 20+ grade 9s 😂😂😂

Interesting reading this, my DD got a 9 in Maths and 8 in Further Maths (actually only two points away from a 9). I’m so please she did well as she’s planning to take Maths and Further Maths at A level along with Spanish and Economics. Feels like a strong mix, I hope!