Mathematics A-Level

Course summary

It all comes down to what maths is.... Just as languages provide the building blocks and rules we need to communicate, maths uses its own language, made up of numbers, symbols and formulas, to explore the rules we need to measure or identify essential problems like distance, speed, time, space, change, force and quantities. Studying maths helps us find patterns and structure in our lives. Practically, maths helps us put a price on things, create graphics , build websites, build skyscrapers and generally understand how things work or predict how they might change over time and under different conditions. The Mathematics department at St John’s Catholic Comprehensive School offers you two separate qualifications. Students can study A level Mathematics on its own or together with A level Further Mathematics. A level Further Mathematics is discussed on a separate page. Please note: Further Maths cannot be taken on its own. It can only be taken in addition to A Level Maths A Level Mathematics includes Pure Maths, Mechanics and Statistics. There are no optional units. . Course Details All modules are compulsory for A-Level maths. There is a mixture of Pure, Statistical and Mechanical content. The course is linear; 3 papers will be sat at the end of Year 13–2 Pure Papers and 1 Applied Paper (Mechanics and Statistics). ■ A deep appreciation of the skills, knowledge and understanding of Mathematical methods. ■ Competence and confidence in a variety of practical, mathematical and problem solving skills. Pure Mathematics covers topics familiar from GCSE in more depth such as • Algebra • Geometry • Number • Trigonometry • Calculus • Exponentials • Series • Vectors • Proof You will also cover statistics topics such as: • Probability • Normal Distribution • Data Analysis