Yearly warning about taking A-level maths with a 6 at GCSE

[noblegiraffe]

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

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 I've posted), 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.

If your child is considering maths with a grade 7 but will be applying for extremely competitive uni courses, consider whether they actually need it as A*s and As from a 7 are not likely. Obviously, anything is possible, check how far they were off an 8, ask their teacher for advice, but please don't assume that an (old) A at GCSE translates to an A at A-level.

This data is from 2019, there's more recent data but not in as clear a format, and the message is basically the same.

If your child is keen to do maths, but gets a 6, please consider Core Maths instead, 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.

If they haven't been set any bridging work - don't assume that's ok! There are some resources here to help https://alevelmathsrevision.com/bridging-the-gap/

@AMatterOfInfiniteHope As she doesn’t need 4, the obvious one to go
is biology if she keeps the non stem ones ! Only keep biology if she needs it for a degree. Maths is good for stem and non stem degrees.

@noblegiraffe Would this be a good bridging course between GCSE and AS-level for someone with a Grade 6 who really wants to go on to A-level eventually? https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-awards-in-mathematics/algebra.html

I agree with this. Neighbours daughter got 9 A stars (admittedly during Covid so they were teacher assessed from a private school) and had to work her socks off to get a B at A level. Nephew, a year later ,got a 7 (again from a high performing private school). Chose to move another school for better extra curricular but even a private school education plus a private tutor during the holidays couldn't save him. Totally out of his depth. Had to give it up at end of lower sixth.

@noblegiraffe or other Maths teachers on here, can you advise when in Y12 the work starts getting difficult?

DD is taking 4 A levels including Maths with a view to dropping one by half team. She's only had a couple of Maths lessons so far which have been pretty easy basically going over Y11 work. I'm just wondering whether she'll realise the "jump" in difficulty by half term or whether that happens later in Y12.

She got a strong 8 so I think she can cope but did get 9s in the other 3 she's taking.

If she got a strong 8 and did the bridging work then the start of Y12 won't really be a jump because, as you say, it starts with Y11 work. For others who got a 7 and/or didn't do any work over the summer, they'd already be finding it tough.

She should be doing some new stuff soon, which will be a bit more challenging because it's new but also because it requires fluid application of things that were considered difficult at GCSE like completing the square or solving quadratic inequalities. It's not so much a jump as a smooth increase though and it sounds like she would be ok with it.

I've never taught either of them. The level 2 award looks fairly basic and I would have thought someone with a grade 6 would already know most of it.
The level 3 award is much meatier and would be great preparation for A-level but it also contains some of the A-level spec (e.g. using the discriminant) so goes beyond GCSE and could be quite tricky! Would they be looking to teach themselves?

@noblegiraffe Thanks a lot. There is a workbook for the Level 3 on Amazon, so I wondered if that could be used, or maybe some colleges do offer it. It is a bit tricky since for this boy (not mine), maths is genuinely his favourite and best subject (predicted a 6, along with electronics I think) so it seems a shame if he couldn't take it further at all even if it may take him longer to get to A-level, e.g. do Level 3 Algebra in Year 12 alongside a BTEC, then AS-level maths in Year 13 and then, depending on how that goes, go on to a foundation year based on the AS. I don't think he would put in the work on his own though. He is not a self-teaching kind of boy. On the other hand, core maths doesn't seem that relevant to what he is interested in (engineering / computing). Then again, maybe a BTEC or T-level on its own would already be sufficient for what he wants to do.

@SoftIce Is he just starting Y11 and predicted a 6? In which case, nothing to stop him working hard at his favourite subject and boosting that to a 7! This would be better than trying to patch things up in Y12. Could he get a tutor? Or there are loads of GCSE resources out there if he was motivated enough to engage with them.

@SoftIce BTec or T level in electronics or engineering would include the relevant maths needed for that subject. Certainly possible to continue to degree level with good grades in those subjects or into employment or an apprenticeship. Employers often want people with practical skills as well.