Before you enter college you’ve got choices. It can be stressful to consider all the combinations, this article answers that.
Is Further Maths the right subject for you?
Entry Requirements
Different schools and colleges have a variety of entry requirements, however, they’re usually higher than standard Mathematics. If your strength in Maths is relatively weaker, you may need to reconsider your college choice or ask for a special considerations for entry requirements. Typically this can be a 7+ grade requirement for most schools. If you do want to continue be prepared to work hard and consistently throughout the years!
Difficulty
Further Maths has a large difficulty spike compared to regular Maths and because of this, it’ll require you to put more effort into its advanced techniques. If you don’t enjoy Maths and think it’s just something to round out your A-Levels, then pursuing Further Maths will probably not be for you due to the level of rigour it demands. Choosing something you enjoy and like to study will make your college experience that much more enjoyable in the long term. To put into context the difficulty, a lot of the Maths techniques are expanded upon with harder applications being the necessary basis to answer questions. Alternatively, doing Further Maths, if successful will make straight Maths easier.
Course Structure
Further Maths is split into modules with 50% comprising of Core Pure 1 and 2. This is compulsory content that all students must take with an additional two further options each weighted at 25% each. There may be some degree of choice at your school / college (although this is not guaranteed). The options generally are, Further Mechanics 1 and 2, Further Statistics 1 and 2, Further Pure 1 and 2, and Decision Maths 1 and 2. You’re restricted in taking one pair of Paper 1s from any subject or a matching pair of Paper 1s and 2s from a specific topic. With the students I’ve tutored, they’ve often taken a pair of Paper 1s; usually Mechanics and Statistics. This is typically because Paper 2s are usually harder than the respective Paper 1s so it’ll be easier and more risk-averse to reach those top grades with two Paper 1s. Check if your school/college offers the units you’re interested in if it’s a factor that is important to you.
The content of Core Pure will cover new concepts and develop regular ones you’ve already seen in regular Maths such as integration and differentiation, or complex numbers and matrices. If you have a choice, you could chose the modules which will help your chosen university path or interests/skills. Further Pure is developing more on algebraic skills, whilst Decision uses computer science skills with algorithms and programming. Conversely, Mechanics focuses on engineering /physics problems.
When I studied Mathematics and Further Mathematics my school had focused solely on Mathematics in year 12 then further Mathematics in year 13 meaning I had more lesson time compared to peers. This had the benefit of thoroughly understanding the Maths basis before persuing the harder concepts in Further. My peers, on the other hand, in other colleges had found specific topics more difficult when they were doing both subjects simultaneously, such as integration and first order differential equations. Check how your college formats their teaching schedule.
Balance and Miscellaneous Aspects
The time taken for further maths is relatively high due to the amount of content, with usually 5 hours given per week with a lot of outside study necessary to wrap your head around the concepts. Having a stronger basis in Maths will help make this easier. Consider what other commitments you do have both outside and inside of college and how that aligns with your goals.
It is also recommended to get Casio FX-cg50 or other graphical calculator which may be relatively expensive, but try to look for used ones at CEX or eBay. Generally the prices can be above £50. Although not explicitly needed, it does expedite many processes and problems when you’ve mastered how the calculator works. Definitely worth the investment if you are able to.
If you’re thinking further Maths and Further Maths subjects at A-Level, these subjects leave a wider range of university degree choices open to you. The Russell group universities state that any two of the following facilitating subjects will keep a wide range of options available for you. “Biology, Chemistry, English Literature, Geography, history, Maths & Further Maths, Modern and Classical Languages and Physics”
If there’s a specific course you already have in mind, the best place is to check the universities you’d like to attend and pick options that they’re requiring!
If you do need help, don’t hesitate to book in your session today to have your solution talk with us!
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