Further Mathematics is a terrible name for our A level: it sounds like an entirely unconvincing euphemism for ‘more hard sums’, and fails to describe this beautiful, powerful, valuable and stimulating subject. The transferable skills of logical thinking and clear expression are invaluable across the full range of academic subjects, and not just obviously quantitative subjects like physics and engineering. Further Mathematics is undoubtedly a challenge but that is also one of the main reasons why it is so highly regarded, and the reason why those who have completed the course are often so proud of their achievements. It is worth noting that level Further Mathematics is not a minority subject at Highgate, there are currently around 40 pupils studying it in Year 12. You can’t study A-level Further Mathematics without studying A-level Mathematics: you are simultaneously choosing two of the four subjects that you study. It is permissible to study Mathematics, Further Mathematics and one other subject in Year 13, though many decide not to drop anything at the end of Year 12. Further mathematicians are an individual group, taught separately from the single mathematicians. You have twenty-four lessons per fortnight with three teachers looking at different aspects of the subject. There are three small classes each year, to maximise the attention and help that you receive from teachers. Unlike single mathematics, where all the material is compulsory, you can specialise in either mechanics or statistics. For example, if you are more interested in statistical applications then you can choose to ‘major’ in statistics or if you are veering towards physics or engineering, you can concentrate on mechanics and take the ‘minor’ paper in statistics.
If you like mathematics and you are likely to get a grade 8 or a 9 at GCSE, then you will enjoy A level Further Mathematics. You do not need to be the best in your class to succeed; interest and commitment are far more important than stellar performance in every test.
There are three strands to our course. In pure mathematics, you answer many intriguing questions. How can you solve the equation x2 = -4? Why can’t you solve x2 + 5y2 = 10003 in whole numbers? How does the calculator ‘know’ the values for sine and cosine? In mechanics, you study motion and change: why do you fall backwards when the tube carriage lurches forward? How do you kick a football over the goalkeeper and into the net? Why can you predict solar eclipses next century but not the weather next Tuesday? Classical mechanics will be particularly fascinating if you are interested in physics and engineering. In statistics, you learn to make justifiable inferences despite the ineradicable presence of uncertainty. We are surrounded by data to an unprecedented degree, and the ability to accurately interpret data is increasingly important in natural and human sciences. You sit all papers, for both A-level Mathematics and Further Mathematics at the end of Year 13. You take about six hours of examinations in total for both A levels.
About Education Provider
Region | London |
Local Authority | Haringey |
Ofsted Rating | |
Gender Type | Co-Educational |
ISI Report | View Report |
Boarding Fee | Unknown |
Sixth Form Fee | £25,515 |
Address | North Road, Highgate, N6 4AY |
Further Mathematics is a terrible name for our A level: it sounds like an entirely unconvincing euphemism for ‘more hard sums’, and fails to describe this beautiful, powerful, valuable and stimulating subject. The transferable skills of logical thinking and clear expression are invaluable across the full range of academic subjects, and not just obviously quantitative subjects like physics and engineering. Further Mathematics is undoubtedly a challenge but that is also one of the main reasons why it is so highly regarded, and the reason why those who have completed the course are often so proud of their achievements. It is worth noting that level Further Mathematics is not a minority subject at Highgate, there are currently around 40 pupils studying it in Year 12. You can’t study A-level Further Mathematics without studying A-level Mathematics: you are simultaneously choosing two of the four subjects that you study. It is permissible to study Mathematics, Further Mathematics and one other subject in Year 13, though many decide not to drop anything at the end of Year 12. Further mathematicians are an individual group, taught separately from the single mathematicians. You have twenty-four lessons per fortnight with three teachers looking at different aspects of the subject. There are three small classes each year, to maximise the attention and help that you receive from teachers. Unlike single mathematics, where all the material is compulsory, you can specialise in either mechanics or statistics. For example, if you are more interested in statistical applications then you can choose to ‘major’ in statistics or if you are veering towards physics or engineering, you can concentrate on mechanics and take the ‘minor’ paper in statistics.
If you like mathematics and you are likely to get a grade 8 or a 9 at GCSE, then you will enjoy A level Further Mathematics. You do not need to be the best in your class to succeed; interest and commitment are far more important than stellar performance in every test.
There are three strands to our course. In pure mathematics, you answer many intriguing questions. How can you solve the equation x2 = -4? Why can’t you solve x2 + 5y2 = 10003 in whole numbers? How does the calculator ‘know’ the values for sine and cosine? In mechanics, you study motion and change: why do you fall backwards when the tube carriage lurches forward? How do you kick a football over the goalkeeper and into the net? Why can you predict solar eclipses next century but not the weather next Tuesday? Classical mechanics will be particularly fascinating if you are interested in physics and engineering. In statistics, you learn to make justifiable inferences despite the ineradicable presence of uncertainty. We are surrounded by data to an unprecedented degree, and the ability to accurately interpret data is increasingly important in natural and human sciences. You sit all papers, for both A-level Mathematics and Further Mathematics at the end of Year 13. You take about six hours of examinations in total for both A levels.