Maths A Level - how hard?!

[dogsandbunnies]

DS, current Y11, is contemplating Maths A Level as he is keen on PPE as a degree. He is predicted an 8 in GCSE at the moment. DH and I both got As af GCSE but were told we’d find Maths A Level too hard by our teachers (a long time ago!) so we are worried he won’t be able to get a decent grade in it, despite a potentially great GCSE result. What are your experiences of this? He is hard working and motivated but we’ve never seen him as Maths-y (he is predicted 9s in French, RS, Geography, Business Studies for example).

(I know there are unis that don’t require Maths for PPE.)

Following! DS is predicted 9s but I still worry as I remember brilliant friends finding A level maths hard (or to be fair,.perhaps it was further maths they found hard?).
He lives and breathes maths /physics to be fair but I do worry about what kind of step up it will be.

DD got a very high 8 (she did absolutely NO revision for it either) and is finding A Level fine so far, probably her easiest subject although the workload is definitely big - you can't miss a week as they move on fast.

I guess it depends how much he needs to work to get that 8? would that be a breeze or at full pelt with a following wind? but most sixth forms suggest a 7 minimum so it sounds like he'll be fine.

Interesting that we both have that memory from our own school days @OnlyFangs - maybe things have changed?

The sixth form he’s hoping to stay on for offers Core Maths as an alternative to the EPQ so I’m wondering if my DS should do the A Levels he has a more natural affinity to plus core Maths and just not bother with the PPE courses that require the A Level. I’m not sure he’d enjoy it!

DS1 got a 7 at gcse and an A at Alevel.
Ds2 got a 7 at gcse and a C at ALevel.
Neither worked particularly consistently.

@gianfrancogorgonzola He works well in that he always hands in work on time and has good effort grades but he is also very laid back and he could definitely do more!

Dc2 got an 8 at gcse with minimal revision. Is actually finding maths easier than physics at the moment (but that could be topic specific). Has done first lot of tests and got a b, is predicted an A.
One thing dc noted this week is in both physics and maths he's getting higher grades with one teacher over another and the higher grades are in the harder topics. So this (along with how he speaks highly of certain teachers) suggests to me that dc gets more out of certain teaching styles/ has clicked with some teachers over others more than I envisaged.

DS found it module specific with Mechanics more difficult for him and Statistics ridiculously easy, but he's very much into pure maths with no apparent practical output so I think it depends on the child.

I'd go through your exam board syllabus briefly to get a better idea of what's needed.

If you are excellent at maths and enjoy it is is very easy. If you are good at maths and like it it is very hard. If you are okay at Maths and don't enjoy it, it is impossible.

I can't believe your teacher tried to deter you from maths A level with an A at GCSE.

A kid who is getting 8 or 9 at GCSE and enjoys maths should be in a good place to tackle the A level. At my dc's school, 50% of kids take maths A level and they aren't all geniuses. Just encouraged to give it a go.

Head of Maths here!

A student with an 8 - who enjoys Maths and with a solid work ethic - will be absolutely fine at A Level.

A student with an 8 - who has never had to try and gets through GCSE on ‘innate’ ability - will likely struggle.

A student with an 8 - who achieves an 8 through a huge amount of graft and struggles with some of the higher level algebra skills - may find the step up to A Level quite demanding but should still be able to cope.

I think you need to discuss it at the next parents' evening. Your DC's maths teacher will be able to advise. Being predicted an 8 in GCSE sounds like it's going to be firm yes.

I've seen it on here before that you should only consider maybe A-Level if you have a 7 or above. I think that was the requirement at my DCs' school too. Anyway, DC2 was a grade below the requirement and the maths teachers had no hesitation in allowing DC2 to do the A-Level. They came out with a B. So I guess the teachers knew enough about DC2 to know they could do it.

As you can see, from an 8 he has a 7.3% chance of a A*, 29.1% chance of an A, and 24.9% chance of a B. So that's pretty good, assuming you're thinking of B and above as being a good grade.

Firstly I'd talk to the teachers. If they say "great", he's probably fine. If they say "hmm, he may find it hard" then have a think about it.

Because the grade 8 can be:
Child who is coasting, can do the maths, very intuitive and great at algebra but makes careless errors and loses marks on not showing his working.
Child who is working very hard. The can't do the hardest questions on the paper, and struggle with algebra, but what they do they'll get completely correct and get all the marks.

The former should be absolutely fine. They may even sail through A-level because they find it more interesting.
The latter is going to find it a huge workload and they may struggle.

I found the jump from GCSE to A Level maths massive! I did my maths GCSE a year early and found it easy to get an A (it was letters for grading, not numbers, back in my day!), but really struggled with Mechanics in particular and ended up with a C in A Level maths - I was good at pure maths but something didn't click for me early on in mechanics and just never really got it!

Interested in this too! I got an A* at GCSE in Maths, a year early, and they made us do A Level maths for some reason. I found it very hard, spent more time on it than I did on any of my other four A Levels (all As) and got a B. I was so annoyed with my B that I never put it on any CV. As an adult I realise I was being mental being upset with a B, but it really was hard!

DS2 got an A star GCSE in maths 2 years early but then did further maths. He did maths and further maths A level and coasted through the maths A level to get an A star with no revision. He also coasted through maths on his engineering degree in the first year and got a 1st with no revision.

The step up is just the introduction of new topics. But for DS2 these topics had already been introduced in further maths and so it was familiar topics being taught at a lower level.

Unless your DS has really struggled there is no reason to believe, based on predictions which meet requirement for A level maths, that the course will be beyond him and that he should consider core maths - especially if this impacts on his degree choice. Unless he achieves level 4 or 5 in GCSE he should not be considering core maths.

But if his strengths lie in non STEM subjects (although there is little difference between 8 and 9) he should stick with the subjects in which he excels provided they give him what he requires for the next step. What other A levels is he planning?

@PocketSand at the moment he has French, Politics and Economics as the main contenders but could also go for Geography or RS (Philosophy and Ethics).

With regards Core Maths - DS’s FE College requires A level scientists not doing A level Maths to do Core Maths (they require A level Physics students to do A level Maths, as did mine 35 years ago). Anyway, DS got a 7 for GCSE maths this summer just gone, but it was hard work. He is loving Core Maths. It’s all about how to use maths, estimating things, interpreting graphs etc to support his Chemistry and Biology.

DS got a 9 at GCSE, got 70% overall at A-level - and still only got a B.

I think it must really depend on the student and their work ethic and true understanding of the subject at A Level.
My DS1 got a B at GCSE and an A at A Level and then a first in a maths degree at a top 10 uni.
My DS2 got an 8 at GCSE and is currently studying A Level and finding it fine but I'm not sure he's reaching his potential because he doesn't study enough.
My sister, a long time ago, got one of the highest GCSE marks but struggled with A level and had to get a tutor to pass it.

I totally get what you are saying - if you struggle with GCSE maths but have good basic skills core maths with no abstract concepts is a joy. There will be some that reach their wall. Advanced study of maths is not for everyone.

@dogsandbunnies with French, politics and economics A levels what does DS want to study at university? Have you considered history or philosophy?

At this stage, I would say that work ethic matters the most. Grade 8 at GCSE is a good starting point. Maths comes natural for some people, but for most people, hard work is required. A good teacher can also make a huge difference.

I think it also depends a lot on what topics he finds easy at GCSE level. A-Level Maths is 90% algebra and trig. If he is confident with those topics at GCSE then he will find A-level fine with a 8.

I think it also depends a lot on what topics he finds easy at GCSE level. A-Level Maths is 90% algebra and trig. If he is confident with those topics at GCSE then he will find A-level fine with a 8.

OP has said - PPE

Work ethic, asking for help when they don't quite understand something and going back over work will help him secure a high grade at A level in maths and any other subject.

If they do an end of topic test and get 80% then to achieve well they should revisit that test. A lot of students never look back. They should go over it in class so they add what they missed and correct what they got wrong. Then they should resit that paper again a few months down the line to see if they have secured that knowledge. This is the key to success.

Also there are a lot of free resources on youtube covering all subjects. Attitude to learning, how they spend their free periods in school and time at home matters. They have to figure out what is important to them.