Students choose to study Mathematics in the Sixth Form for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it is a rich and intellectually demanding subject which calls for mental discipline and clear, logical thinking. As such, it is very highly regarded by universities and employers alike, irrespective of your chosen career direction.

Secondly, Mathematics forms the basis of many fields of study in Engineering and the Physical Sciences, and is therefore a prerequisite for further development in these areas. Moreover, recent trends have seen the applicability of Mathematics expand way beyond these traditional fields.

The subject is increasingly used to solve complex problems of Management and Finance, particularly in industry, and also for research in Economics, Geography and the Biological Sciences.

A wide range of career options also means a chance to earn more money: a recent study, conducted by economists at the University of Swansea, showed that Maths and Computing degrees make the biggest difference to lifetime earnings. On average, a graduate of any degree can expect to earn £149,760 more in his or her lifetime than a person leaving education with two A-Levels. For Maths and Computing graduates, this figure rises to over £220,000!

Further Mathematics is a separate A-Level to Mathematics which extends the core topics and introduces new material normally encountered during the first year of a degree course. It is therefore a particularly demanding A-Level although many find it even more exciting and rewarding than single Maths.

Anyone considering studying Engineering, Mathematics or Economics at a top university must study this subject.

Course Content and Methodology

Written examinations on Pure Mathematics: 2 by 2 hours 66.66% of the qualification

Content of Pure Mathematics Topics (Overview):

• Proof
• Algebra and functions
• Coordinate geometry in the (x,y) plane
• Sequences and series
• Trigonometry
• Exponentials and logarithms
• Differentiation
• Integration
• Vectors

Written examination on Applied Mathematics: 2 hours 33.33% of the qualification

Content of Applied Mathematics overview

Section A: Statistics

• Topic 1 – Statistical sampling
• Topic 2 – Data presentation and interpretation
• Topic 3 – Probability
• Topic 4 – Statistical distributions
• Topic 5 – Statistical hypothesis testing

Section B: Mechanics

• Topic 6 – Quantities and units in mechanics
• Topic 7 – Kinematics
• Topic 8 – Forces and Newton’s laws

A plethora of extra resources are available on all of the topics and tutorials are always available whenever they are required.

Assessment

3 written examinations each 2 hours long and worth 33.33% of the qualification.

Course Requirements

Many students find the step from GCSE or IGCSE to A-Level difficult; the experience of most students is that the subject becomes harder but a lot more interesting and rewarding. Hence since, Mathematics in the Sixth Form is such a challenging subject the minimum requirement is a grade 7 (A) in GCSE or IGCSE Mathematics.

Facilities