Course Leader:

Mr S Moodley – smoodley@sackvilleschool.org.uk

Exam board: Pearson Edexcel

Guidance: Grade 7 or above in GCSE mathematics. For students taking 4 A Levels, consideration around university choices and end of Year 12 grades will determine if the full Further Maths course is studied. Please note this course must be taken alongside A Level Mathematics.

Course length: 2 Years

Course description

If you have a particular talent for and enjoyment of Mathematics, then you should consider studying Further Mathematics. It will allow you to broaden and deepen your knowledge of Mathematics beyond the A-level Mathematics syllabus. It is of particular use to students wishing to study Mathematics, Physics or Engineering at degree level, as well as many other maths-related subjects.

Course units

Compulsory units – Core Pure Mathematics

• Proof
• Complex numbers
• Matrices
• Further algebra and functions
• Further calculus
• Further vectors
• Polar coordinates
• Hyperbolic functions
• Differential equations

Optional units – to ensure breadth we offer the following

Further Statistics 1:

• Discrete probability distributions
• Poisson & binomial distributions
• Geometric and negative binomial distributions
• Further Hypothesis Testing
• Central Limit Theorem
• Chi Squared Tests
• Probability generating functions
• Quality of tests

Further Mechanics 1:

• Momentum and impulse
• Work, energy and power
• Elastic strings and springs and elastic energy
• Elastic collisions in one dimension
• Elastic collisions in two dimensions

Decision Mathematics 1:

• Algorithms and graph theory
• Algorithms on graphs
• Algorithms on graphs II
• Critical path analysis
• Linear programming

 

(Click here for course specification)

Assessment

Paper 1: Core Pure 1 (90 minutes) 25% of qualification
Paper 2: Core Pure 2 (90 minutes) 25% of qualification
Option paper 1: Further Statistics (90 minutes) 25% of qualification
Option paper 2: Further Mechanics (90 minutes) 25% of qualification
Option paper 3: Decision Maths (90 minutes) 25% of qualification

Please note: these module choices will depend on the strengths, interests and university choices of those who have chosen the course.

What can I do with this qualification?

“Doing... maths may be a sensible choice of A-Level for those aspiring to a high-ranking university, even if the content is not required for the intended course.” Catherine Dilnot, Institute of Education, 2017

Beyond studying Mathematics, Further Mathematics is a ‘facilitating’ subject, well-respected by employers and higher education institutions. It opens many doors to careers, with huge demand for those with mathematical skills from industries such as Science, Engineering and Manufacturing in particular. These industry areas are not only well paid, but can be both interesting and rewarding.

What degree courses could this lead to?
• Mathematics
• Engineering
• Sciences
• Computer Science
• Medical Sciences
• Statistics

What careers could this course lead to?
• Engineer
• Accountant
• Data analyst
• Actuary
• Statistician
• Scientist
• Architect
• Software Engineer