In the Sixth Form, girls may opt to study Mathematics involving topics from Pure and Applied Mathematics, i.e. Mechanics, Statistics or Decision Mathematics. Girls in the Sixth Form who are able to cope with a faster pace may opt to take both Mathematics and Further Mathematics as two separate A Levels, which involves studying all four disciplines.

 

The department is able to offer extra tuition to any girls who would benefit from individual lessons with an experienced tutor. These sessions typically take place during lunch breaks and private study periods and progress is closely monitored to ensure that the girls continue to advance in Mathematics.

 

 

The IGCSE in Mathematics provides the opportunity for all girls, whatever their ability, to be challenged to think abstractly as well as clearly about the world around them. The Edexcel IGCSE syllabus includes numeracy, geometry, algebra, statistics and probability, trigonometry, graphs, vectors and transformations.

 

Since the IGCSE does not include coursework, the more able girls have the opportunity instead of studying a number of A Level topics which provide an insight into Mathematics at a more advanced level. These topics include set theory, functions and basic differential calculus.

 

Girls take two 2-hour papers in the May of Year 11 and calculators are allowed in each paper. The vast majority of girls attempt the Higher Level papers but a small proportion are entered for the Foundation Tier which still enables them to reach a grade C on a restricted syllabus.

 

 

 

There are many reasons why pupils continue with Mathematics in the Sixth Form, but perhaps three main reasons are:

Edexcel Mathematics at AS or A2 level is a course worth studying in its own right. It is challenging and interesting. Also, these courses are useful in the work-place and are often pre-requisites for entry to many higher education courses. All Year 11 pupils already know whether they like Mathematics or not. If you enjoy it now and can cope easily with algebra, trigonometry, geometry and problem-solving, you will probably come to enjoy Mathematics in the Sixth Form. A Level lessons proceed at a brisk pace and the problems encountered require more insight.

 

Mathematics is studied by module examinations. The subject is split up into four disciplines: Pure Mathematics (C), Mechanics (M), Statistics (S) and Decision Maths (D) and a brief description of what is involved in each discipline is given in the Further Mathematics section.

 

This involves studying three modules in the Lower Sixth year – C1, C2 and one of S1, D1 or M1, so this course gives a basic grounding in Pure Mathematics and one applied module.

 

This course requires you to take six modules by the end of the Sixth Form. Three of these will have been taken at the end of the Lower Sixth year. You will take C1, C2, C3, C4, and two of S1, S2, M1, M2, D1 or D2.

Edexcel Further Mathematics can only be taken by pupils who are also studying A2 Mathematics. It is a separate A Level which requires an additional six modules, comprising Further Pure Mathematics FP1, FP2, FP3 and three modules taken from the applied disciplines of Statistics, Mechanics and Decision Maths.

 

Further Mathematics is not absolutely essential for those who plan to read Mathematics at University but if you are likely to cope easily with the demands of the single subject, Further Mathematics could provide a more exciting challenge. Many of those taking Further Mathematics will read subjects at University which benefit from the deeper understanding and breadth of knowledge that the double subject provides. Certainly, the Further Pure modules are at least on a par intellectually with any first year Mathematics degree course.

 

 

The first part of the course develops the ideas and techniques which you have already met at GCSE – algebra, trigonometry, co-ordinate geometry and also introduces calculus (C1). In C2, more techniques are covered in algebra and calculus with applications to curve sketching. C3 and C4 work develops the ideas developed in C1 and C2, together with more sophisticated techniques such as summation of series, vector geometry and iteration. These aspects of the course are interesting in their own right and serve as mathematical tools for problem-solving in the application modules.

 

 

When you study Mechanics, you will learn to describe mathematically how bodies move, e.g. cars moving in a straight line, the line of trajectory of a cricket ball, together with ideas of force, friction, centre of mass, momentum and energy.

 

 

The Statistics course includes sampling (how to sample and how to draw conclusions), presenting data and producing data in a manageable form for describing in a clear way, probability, hypothesis testing, regression and correlation. Applications to real life problems are important to show how the theory fits in with reality. In the more advanced part of the course, ideas of taking an unbiased sample from a population and making inferences about the population from the sample are developed. It is worth pointing out that statistics modules S1 and S2 are mathematically rigorous and are much more difficult than the statistics you will have encountered at GCSE.

 

 

This is essentially a problem-solving discipline where 100% of the problems are encountered in the ‘real world'. These include problems involving sorting, distribution of goods in the most efficient way, use of algorithms, producing the most efficient solution to a project using critical path analysis. This is a growing area of applied mathematics, much sought after, and likely to continue even more so in the 21st Century.