Further Mathematics (A Level)

Why study Further Mathematics?

If you enjoy Mathematics and are intending to continue with the subject at degree level, or if Mathematics will be a significant part of your course, then Further Mathematics may be a requirement, or at least may be seen as desirable or an advantage, depending on the university. Skills and techniques which are developed include topics such as complex numbers and matrices which are not covered by the standard Mathematics A Level. In addition you will study Mechanics and Statistics in the second year. Further Mathematics is a challenging qualification which both extends and deepens your knowledge, understanding and problem-solving skills beyond the standard A Level.

Entry Requirements

In addition to our general entry requirements, you must have:

GCSE English – grade 5
GCSE Maths – grade 7

You will also need a Casio CG50 graphical calculator (expected cost c.£85) which will support equation solving, graphing, and advanced statistical distributions. The calculator you used for GCSE will not be
suitable.

A prerequisite for studying Further Mathematics is to also study Mathematics A level at the college. The qualifications combined represent two A level subjects and we would expect most students to study only one more subject.

The Course

The content of the Mathematics A Level is fixed for all exam boards and contains a mixture of pure mathematics and applied mathematics. Pure mathematics topics develop the ideas of algebra, trigonometry and geometry and calculus. Applied mathematics topics are from both Mechanics and Statistics. Mechanics is the mathematical study of concepts such as force, motion, equilibrium and momentum. Statistics involves the analysis of data and the use of statistical theory to make judgements about the validity and implications of results. All Further Mathematics students study Core Pure 1 and Core Pure 2, as well as Further Pure 1 modules. We also offer Further Mechanics 1 and Further Statistics 1.

Course Activities

The course builds upon students’ previous experience of Mathematics, developing some topics further and introducing many new topics. When appropriate, work in class will involve the use of graphics calculators and computers.

Career and Progression Opportunities

There are numerous career opportunities. Visit these websites:
http://plus.maths.org/content/Career and http://www.mathscareers.org.uk/careers_advisers.cfm

Course Structure and Assessment

This course is equivalent to two A levels and will take up the equivalent amount of time on your timetable. All examinations are at the end of the second year and cover all the topics listed below which have been studied over the entire course.

Module title and content	Assessment
Core Pure Mathematics Proof Complex numbers Matrices Calculus Vectors Algebra and functions Polar coordinates Hyperbolic functions Differential equations	This content will be assessed in four one hour, 30 minute examinations. Two of these cover the core content, one covers the further pure content and one covers the applied option content (either Mechanics or Statistics).
Further Pure Mathematics Further calculus Further differential equations Further vectors Coordinate systems Inequalities Further numerical methods
Mechanics (option) Momentum and Impulse Collisions Centres of mass Work and energy Elasticity Further kinematics Further dynamics Circular motion Rigid bodies Elastic collisions in 2D	Statistics (option) Bivariate data Statistical distributions Hypothesis testing Probability distributions Combination of random variables Confidence intervals Further testing Probability generating functions

Additional Information

Additional information about Further Mathematics can be found at http://www.furthermaths.org.uk/, an online support programme the College is registered with. In addition to the published entry criteria, you will be given a pre-course task to be completed over the summer period. This will give us a further basis on which to assess your suitability for the course. to be
handed in at enrolment. An early diagnostic assessment will be carried out in the first 1 to 2 weeks of the course. If you fail to complete the pre-course task or don’t pass this early assessment, you may be required to switch to another course.

Examination Board: Pearson Edexcel

Case Study