Which Maths course is for me?

Do you want to study Mathematics at Solihull Sixth Form College? Lots of our students do, but with the choice of different Maths courses available they don’t always know which course is the right course for them. This blog aims to help!

Let’s start by listing all the A level Maths courses we offer. They are:

A-level Mathematics

A-level Statistics
A-level Use of Maths
A-level Further Maths

It’s worth read up on what is taught in each of these subjects – if you click the subject above, it will take you to our course information on the College website.

A level Mathematics

Let us start with A level  Mathematics. This is our most popular Maths course and includes advanced mathematical topics in algebra, trigonometry and graphs. Typically, students who do this course enjoy manipulating and solving equations and like the challenge of abstract Maths. Students need at least a B grade at GCSE Mathematics to do this course although in practice most students have achieved an A grade at GCSE Maths.  Students with B grades at GCSE Maths are advised to choose A-level Statistics or Use of Maths, which are slightly less advanced and often more suitable for their university and career ambitions.

Those  mathematicians who do study A level Mathematics have a choice to make. While all students study two Core Maths options in Year 12, there are then two pathways to choose from after that; Statistics or Mechanics. For those students who are also studying A level Physics, AS Mathematics of one sort or another is a compulsory addition. Consideration should be given to what you enjoy most, what you are better at and what you want to do after College. Maths staff can advise you to help you make the right choice for you.

A level Statistics

A level Statistics, as the name suggests, deals with the statistical side of mathematics including looking at how to handle data and calculate probabilities. It’s a very worthwhile subject to pursue, not least because there is a countrywide shortage of people with strong statistical skills (for example Medical Statisticians), so your career prospects are enhanced by taking this course. There are also lots of other subjects that include statistical elements such as Psychology, Business Studies, Geography, IT, Politics and others, so this can be a good support subject for other A levels too.

A level Use of Maths

A level Use of Maths is the College’s most recently added Maths course and the way this course differs from the others we offer is that it focuses more on Mathematics in practical, real-life contexts. This course deals with how Maths applies to everyday life. It also involves a coursework element that A-level Mathematics does not and is useful to those students who need a Maths qualification to support their university application, but who do not require all of the advanced topics that the A level Mathematics course teaches. For most university courses, Use of Mathematics is as valuable a support as A level Mathematics itself and, in many ways it can be more valuable as it focuses on the application of Mathematics in context. It would support Business and Finance, Chemistry, Computing, Biology, Geography, Psychology, Management Science, Computing and most Economics courses.

A level Further Maths

Now, let’s consider A level  Further Maths. As the title suggests, this includes further more advanced mathematics and is an additional A-level in Maths. Students studying Further Maths must also study A level Maths alongside it so will be studying for two A levels in Maths. You need to be a very gifted Mathematician to do this course, achieving a grade A or A* in GSCE Mathematics. If you want to take Further Maths, you will do so as part of a 5 AS package, so only students who pick 5 subjects rather than the standard 4 subjects at AS can study this subject.

Indeed, if you think that Maths is a course you want to study at A level, there will always be an opportunity at interview to talk over the different options, so you can be confident that whichever Maths course you pick, it is the right one for you and for your future ambitions.

Hopefully this blog has helped you to decide which course to apply for, but if you make an application and then change your mind, don’t worry, because nothing is set in stone and changes can be requested. While we can’t always guarantee changes (particularly if they are made very late), changing from one Maths course to another is easier to accommodate than two unrelated subjects.

Please read up on the courses on our website at www.solihullsfc.ac.uk and if you want to make an application, you can do so online at http://apply.solihullsfc.ac.uk/. There will also be an opportunity to visit the College and talk to staff at our Information Evening on Thursday 7 February 2013. We are open from 5.00pm – 8.00pm, with a last entry time of 7.30pm and we ask that all prospective students come accompanied by a parent or other adult please.