Mathematics

Course summary

Mathematics is a universal subject that has applications in many other areas of study. An essential part of mathematics is the challenge of analysing a problem and developing an effective strategy to find a viable solution. Mathematics is not about learning facts. You will not achieve success by just reading a textbook or by revising from detailed notes; you will spend your time thinking about logical processes and developing understanding of abstract concepts. In addition, you will need to ‘do’ mathematics and your time will be spent working through problems. It teaches you to think in a logical way, something which is vital when putting across a coherent argument. Mathematics A-level is well respected by employers and admissions tutors for all degree subjects and is considered a good platform for a wide variety of courses. Our opinion is that mathematics gets more interesting the further you take it and can lead to some surprising areas of further study. At GCSE, you are building the foundations so that you have the tools which will enable you to understand many interesting A-level topics. However, compared to GCSE mathematics, this A-level is more abstract and understanding of algebraic processes is a central skill. All students who take A-level mathematics will study pure mathematics units which will develop rigorous thinking and an appreciation of the beauty within abstract processes. You will also study the application of mathematics to both statistics and mechanics. The use of technology is an integral part of this course, so you will develop an appreciation of the use of calculators and spreadsheets and graphing software for mathematical investigation.