Further Mathematics

We would expect students to have met the expectations for entry to 6th form and to have a grade 7 in Mathematics. We welcome conversations with individual students about their suitability for the course.

At Beverley Joint Sixth Form we offer Further Mathematics as an A Level qualification. It is a subject which both broadens and deepens the mathematics covered in A Level Mathematics. Further Mathematics must be taken alongside an A Level in Mathematics.

The structure of A Level Further Mathematics varies across the different specifications. We will be studying the AQA (7367) specification. It is a linear qualification, meaning that students will sit all their exams at the end of the course.

Two thirds of the content of the course is Further Pure and, at Beverley Joint Sixth Form, the remainder is Mechanics and Statistics. This content will be taught across both BGS and BHS, with 5 hours of in-class study. Students will be set approximately 1 hour of work from every lesson to be completed in their non-contact time. They will also have access to support sessions at both schools.

There are many good reasons to take Further Mathematics: 

  • Students taking Further Mathematics overwhelmingly find it to be an enjoyable, rewarding, stimulating and empowering experience.
    It is a challenging qualification, which both extends and deepens your knowledge and understanding beyond the standard A Level Mathematics. Students who do it often say it is their favourite subject.
  • For someone who enjoys mathematics, it provides a challenge and a chance to explore new and/or more sophisticated mathematical concepts.
    As well as new learning new areas of pure mathematics you will study further applications of mathematics in mechanics and statistics.
  • Students who take Further Mathematics find that the additional time spent studying mathematics boosts their marks in single A Level Mathematics.
    Studying Further Mathematics consolidates and reinforces your standard A Level Mathematics work, helping you to achieve your best possible grades.
  • It makes the transition from sixth form to university courses, which are mathematically rich, that much easier as more of the first-year course content will be familiar.
    If you are planning to study a degree in Engineering, Sciences, Computing, Finance/Economics, etc., or perhaps Mathematics itself, you will benefit enormously from taking Further Mathematics. Further Mathematics introduces new topics such as matrices and complex numbers that are vital in many STEM degrees. Students who have studied Further Mathematics find the transition to such degrees far more straightforward.
  • It enables students to distinguish themselves as able mathematicians in their applications for university and future employment.
    Further Mathematics qualifications are highly regarded and are warmly welcomed by universities. Students who take Further Mathematics are really demonstrating a strong commitment to their studies, as well as learning mathematics that is very useful for any mathematically rich degree. Some prestigious university courses require you to have a Further Mathematics qualification and others may adjust their grade requirements more favourably to students with Further Mathematics.Example

If you have any further queries about this subject please email enquiries@beverleyj6.co.uk

Career Opportunities:

Further Mathematics is listed as useful for:

Actuarial Science/Studies; Aeronautical Engineering; Biochemistry; Biomedical Sciences (including Medical Science); Chemical Engineering; Chemistry; Computing; Dentistry; Electrical/Electronic Engineering; Engineering (General); Mathematics; Mechanical Engineering; Medicine; Optometry (Ophthalmic Optics); Physics; and Veterinary Science.

In addition, Further Mathematics is listed as sometimes essential for Mathematics.

 

STUDENT QUOTE

I enjoyed studying maths as I was able to use methods and skills learnt in previous years to help me in my new topics so I already had some understanding. Hannah,  Maths student

Do you hate Maths? If so, I'll be frank, don't do Further Maths. However, if you hope to leave Sixth Form and study Mathematics, Computer Science, Chemistry or Physics, I highly recommend it. Not only does it give a foundation for University style application of Mathematics, but if you do well in Further Maths, the exams taken can boost your Maths grade. The topics you explore will not only appeal to the top universities, but once you are there, will make your life significantly easier. I personally doubt I would have had an as strong university application without having taken Further Maths. Oliver

1. I chose to study mathematics as it is one of the only subjects where the answers have to be either either correct or incorrect, so once you understood the methods then you could answer all questions and have a good idea of the marks you'd get, rather than having to estimate. This allowed me to have more confidence in my answers and so I found it less stressful in exams.

2. I enjoyed studying maths as I was able to use methods and skills learnt in previous years to help me in my new topics so I already had some understanding. With maths, it's really all about learning the methods and techniques needed to answer questions and then lots of practice applying it in different forms, but once you know the methods you should be fine in all contexts. there are a range of topics in maths, from algebra to shape and so even if you don't like one topic you would normally like another so it makes learning more enjoyable. Also, I like to know where I've lost marks and most subjects its harder to find out what you should've included in an essay but in maths it is clear which step you've missed or done incorrectly thus making it easier to learn from your mistakes and improve at a fast rate.

3. My advice is that once you are happy with the main methods for questions, you should practice lots of exam questions from past papers - this allows you to see the ways in which you will need to apply the methods and also how they will word the questions so once you've done a few and are happy with them you'll find that you can face the majority of questions that come your way afterwards. There are always plenty of past papers to do, and I guarantee that if you complete them all and go over all your wrong answers until you understand what to do to make them all correct you should be eagerly anticipating a good grade at the end of the course.