Mathematics

Course summary

Mathematics is a fundamental subject to understanding and interacting with the world. Studying Mathematics at A Level improves your problem-solving skills and increases your knowledge and understanding of mathematical techniques and their applications. It is a stimulating and challenging course. As well as being interesting, A Level Mathematics opens doors to a huge variety of university courses and careers. Research has found that having A-level Mathematics has the biggest impact on all subjects, even if it’s not required for a degree course. Many other subjects have a large mathematical component, so taking mathematics can enhance your grades in these. Many university courses, such as engineering, medicine and teaching, require applicants to take an additional admissions test, with mathematical content. Employers often use numeracy tests to filter applicants. If you study mathematics beyond GCSE you will be better prepared for these kinds of tests. A large study in 2016 found that on average people earn 11% more by having an A Level in Mathematics and this is consistent with previous research. No other subject attracted such a wage premium. The Mathematics A Level is made up of Pure and Applied. The Pure component consists of proof, algebra and functions, coordinate geometry, sequences and series, exponentials and logarithms, trigonometry, numerical methods, vectors and calculus. This makes up two-thirds of the content. Applied consists of Statistics and Mechanics, which is the remaining third of the course. Statistics includes sampling, data presentation and interpretation, probability, distributions and hypothesis testing. Mechanics looks at quantities and units, kinematics, forces and Newton’s laws and moments.