Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
Originally Posted by Mija_Maryy
This. I wish I had refused to do my Maths early as it limited what universities I could apply to as now im doing 2 A2s and 2 ASs.
I'm confused, surely the whole point of taking it early is to have new options open to you? Couldn't you have chosen more AS' in year 13? Because, LMAO - yep, here we go - when I go to IV form/college I don't want to fail it because of the 'pressure,' having said that, I don't want to fail it now either. I've always assumed there'd be no problems afterwards, couldn't you have taken the subject again? If things came to that, I would.
Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
Erm, one more thing, has anybody done FSMQ alongside their GCSEs? I've been looking at a few past papers online, for the advanced one where you actually get UCAS points and they seem fairly easy. I'm asking because Additional Maths is said to be good prep.
Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
Originally Posted by h_a_f_s_a
I'm confused, surely the whole point of taking it early is to have new options open to you? Couldn't you have chosen more ASs in year 13? Because, LMAO - yep, here we go - when I go to IV form/college I don't want to fail it because of the 'pressure,' having said that, I don't want to fail it now either. I've alsways assumed there'd be no problems afterwards, couldn't you have taken the subject again. If things came to that, I would.
I think the real problem is unless you pick subjects you know with some work you will get As in then don't do the maths early. Sometimes univerisities won't accept the early A-level and you need to personally e-mail them as I had to do and doing an A-level early limits which universities you can apply to. For example, I can't apply to UCL or St. Georges as I'm only doing 2 A2s in year 13.
Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
Originally Posted by Mija_Maryy
I think the real problem is unless you pick subjects you know with some work you will get As in then don't do the maths early. Sometimes univerisities won't accept the early A-level and you need to personally e-mail them as I had to do and doing an A-level early limits which universities you can apply to. For example, I can't apply to UCL or St. Georges as I'm only doing 2 A2s in year 13.
It's easy to say in hindsight but usually the reason for doing an AS level early is so that you can do more A levels overall...I know my school made sure I ended up doing at least 3 A levels in Year 13 despite the random order I did everything in. Math is slightly different to other A levels in that you can then go on to do Further Math and then Additional Further Math etc. so If you start early you can always fit more in if you're in danger of having too little to do in Year 13
Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
Originally Posted by skipp
It's easy to say in hindsight but usually the reason for doing an AS level early is so that you can do more A levels overall...I know my school made sure I ended up doing at least 3 A levels in Year 13 despite the random order I did everything in. Math is slightly different to other A levels in that you can then go on to do Further Math and then Additional Further Math etc. so If you start early you can always fit more in if you're in danger of having too little to do in Year 13
I agree, I thought the entire point of me doing this was to cram in as many as possible but at the same time making it easier for myself - I think I’ll settle for five over three years. Sounds very reasonable. If you don't mind me asking, what did you take? You said something about having some information I may later need, can't recall your exact words, so could you sort of tell me everything you have to say concerning my little dilemma, and I’ll ask what ever I need to.
Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
Originally Posted by h_a_f_s_a
I agree, I thought the entire point of me doing this was to cram in as many as possible but at the same time making it easier for myself - I think I’ll settle for five over three years. Sounds very reasonable. If you don't mind me asking what did you take? You said something about having some information I may later need, can't recall your exact words, so could you sort of tell me everything you have to say concerning my little dilemma, and I’ll ask what ever I need to.
Thank you.
That sound pretty sensible
Something that I found helped was the following map for the MEI OCR math modules: http://www.mei.org.uk/images/MEI_TREE_small.jpg
Although all exam boards are different in terms of what modules they run the basic structure of the Mathematics modules is the same. Seeing the map helped me plan what modules I wanted to do based on how many I could fit in. In terms of other help you seem a little more clued up about what you're doing than some but just in case here's how the A level structure works;
C1 & C2 are compulsory for Math AS + 1 applied module chosen from Statistics, Mechanics or Decision
C3 & C4 are compulsory for Math A2 + 1 more applied module
FP1 is compulsory for Further Math AS + 2 more applied modules chosen from the same as above or any others shown on the diagram
FP2 is compulsory for Further Math A2 + another 2 applied modules
You can also get up to an A level in Additional further Math if you really want to, I learnt for an AS but didn't take the exams, it learnt FP3 for that but not sure if it's compulsory for that qualification or whether it can be used as an applied module.
The applied modules are distributed to give you the optimum grades when you eventually cash your A levels in to give you an A in math (or as close to as possible if no combination will give you an A) and the highest grade in further math as is possible with your remaining modules.
That may be more than you'll ever need to know, depends how many qualifications in Maths you want (I don't think any one would recommend only doing Maths )
I took AS Religious Studies Studies in Year 11 with my GCSE's, AS Math Spread between Year 11 & Year 12, AS Psychology, Chemistry, Art in Year 12, AS further Math between Year 12 & Year 13 (Self taught), I continued Art & Math on to A2 in year 13 & tried to cram in A2 Further Math, I also took AS physics that year and learnt for AS Additional Further Math, which I didn't take exams in. I'm now on a gap year teaching myself A2 physics.
As you can see my academic history is a bit of a mess....If you want a neater version with the subjects and grades look on my profile. I would recommend being a little more prepared and planning better than I did (which you're already doing ) and definitely not mixing Arts, Humanities and Sciences so much like I did
In terms of other advice I can give you some people like advice on university courses if they have one in mind and want to know what A levels they'll need. There's loads you can do with mathematic ability so it'd be impossible to list but ask if there's anything in particular you're thinking about
Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
Originally Posted by skipp
That sound pretty sensible
Something that I found helped was the following map for the MEI OCR math modules: http://www.mei.org.uk/images/MEI_TREE_small.jpg
Although all exam boards are different in terms of what modules they run the basic structure of the Mathematics modules is the same. Seeing the map helped me plan what modules I wanted to do based on how many I could fit in. In terms of other help you seem a little more clued up about what you're doing than some but just in case here's how the A level structure works;
C1 & C2 are compulsory for Math AS + 1 applied module chosen from Statistics, Mechanics or Decision
C3 & C4 are compulsory for Math A2 + 1 more applied module
FP1 is compulsory for Further Math AS + 2 more applied modules chosen from the same as above or any others shown on the diagram
FP2 is compulsory for Further Math A2 + another 2 applied modules
You can also get up to an A level in Additional further Math if you really want to, I learnt for an AS but didn't take the exams, it learnt FP3 for that but not sure if it's compulsory for that qualification or whether it can be used as an applied module.
The applied modules are distributed to give you the optimum grades when you eventually cash your A levels in to give you an A in math (or as close to as possible if no combination will give you an A) and the highest grade in further math as is possible with your remaining modules.
That may be more than you'll ever need to know, depends how many qualifications in Maths you want (I don't think any one would recommend only doing Maths )
I took AS Religious Studies Studies in Year 11 with my GCSE's, AS Math Spread between Year 11 & Year 12, AS Psychology, Chemistry, Art in Year 12, AS further Math between Year 12 & Year 13 (Self taught), I continued Art & Math on to A2 in year 13 & tried to cram in A2 Further Math, I also took AS physics that year and learnt for AS Additional Further Math, which I didn't take exams in. I'm now on a gap year teaching myself A2 physics.
As you can see my academic history is a bit of a mess....If you want a neater version with the subjects and grades look on my profile. I would recommend being a little more prepared and planning better than I did (which you're already doing ) and definitely not mixing Arts, Humanities and Sciences so much like I did
In terms of other advice I can give you some people like advice on university courses if they have one in mind and want to know what A levels they'll need. There's loads you can do with mathematic ability so it'd be impossible to list but ask if there's anything in particular you're thinking about
You did seven different subjects, what were you thinking? I haven't got a clue what I'd like to study at University - something Science/Math based, lol. I know where I want to go though, bet you can guess, Whereas I've decided what I'd like to do over that 3 year period. It'll, somehow, equate to five A-levels in Math, Further Math (or Geography ), Biology, Chemistry and Physics. I've decided I definitely will take up the early GCSE option for Math and will probably ask my Stat and Science teachers to let me do the same in those lessons too. That way, in Science, I could begin AS Biology (me and Biology are good friends) and in Stats I could work on AS Math. Clever, no?
Thanks for explaining the whole C1 thing, something I didn't know before. You were saying something about the applied modules. What I understood was that, if you were to get 90% in the first two compulsory ones the one/those you've chosen from your small scope of choice would be worth only 10% regardless of whether you managed to get everything right, right?
Say I decide to sit the AS with AQA and that I decide I want to do modular exams. Does that mean the exams will be spaced out, sit 20% here and 30% there, or does that mean each exam will follow the other in July but that the only difference is that they're topic based?
Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
Originally Posted by h_a_f_s_a
You did seven different subjects, what were you thinking? I haven't got a clue what I'd like to study at University - something Science/Math based, lol. I know where I want to go though, bet you can guess, Whereas I've decided what I'd like to do over that 3 year period. It'll, somehow, equate to five A-levels in Math, Further Math (or Geography ), Biology, Chemistry and Physics. I've decided I definitely will take up the early GCSE option for Math and will probably ask my Stat and Science teachers to let me do the same in those lessons too. That way, in Science, I could begin AS Biology (me and Biology are good friends) and in Stats I could work on AS Math. Clever, no?
Thanks for explaining the whole C1 thing, something I didn't know before. You were saying something about the applied modules. What I understood was that, if you were to get 90% in the first two compulsory ones the one/those you've chosen from your small scope of choice would be worth only 10% regardless of whether you managed to get everything right, right?
Say I decide to sit the AS with AQA and that I decide I want to do modular exams. Does that mean the exams will be spaced out, sit 20% here and 30% there, or does that mean each exam will follow the other in July but that the only difference is that they're topic based?
Thank you!
Well if you're wanting to go to Cambridge I think that you do 'natural sciences' and specialise in a subject after the first year, although I never wanted to go there so don't take my word for that; here's the info:
I'm not sure how AQA weight their courses but it'd be unusual if any module was only worth 10%. If it's like OCR MEI which I took they'll take you raw score (the marks you got in each exam) add them up and get the percentage based on the maximum number of marks you could have got...then they put it out of 300 and give you your grade.
For example:
Say you got:
69/72 C1, 60/72 C2, 69/72 S1
You'd get 198/216 = 92% = 276/300 = A (Usually 240/300 is an A but this can be altered every year depending on how difficult a paper is).
Each module is in effect a mini subject in itself and they're combined (3 for an AS and 6 for an A level) to give full qualifications. The exams are therefore all on different days during the January and June exam sessions. The exam board try not to have too many clashes, but occasionally if you're taking a lot of exams you may find yourself sitting two in a row (like GCSE really), try looking at the AQA website for their exam timetable this year, to give you an idea.
Here's something I found, not sure if it's helpful: http://www.modernisationonline.org.u...le/search.aspx
As far as taking 7 different subjects...ye it was pretty insane Your subject combination seems good though so hope you do well
Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
Originally Posted by skipp
Well if you're wanting to go to Cambridge I think that you do 'natural sciences' and specialise in a subject after the first year, although I never wanted to go there so don't take my word for that; here's the info:
I'm not sure how AQA weight their courses but it'd be unusual if any module was only worth 10%. If it's like OCR MEI which I took they'll take you raw score (the marks you got in each exam) add them up and get the percentage based on the maximum number of marks you could have got...then they put it out of 300 and give you your grade.
For example:
Say you got:
69/72 C1, 60/72 C2, 69/72 S1
You'd get 198/216 = 92% = 276/300 = A (Usually 240/300 is an A but this can be altered every year depending on how difficult a paper is).
Each module is in effect a mini subject in itself and they're combined (3 for an AS and 6 for an A level) to give full qualifications. The exams are therefore all on different days during the January and June exam sessions. The exam board try not to have too many clashes, but occasionally if you're taking a lot of exams you may find yourself sitting two in a row (like GCSE really), try looking at the AQA website for their exam timetable this year, to give you an idea.
Here's something I found, not sure if it's helpful: http://www.modernisationonline.org.u...le/search.aspx
As far as taking 7 different subjects...ye it was pretty insane Your subject combination seems good though so hope you do well
Our survey said… LOL. You said, "The applied modules are distributed to give you the optimum grades when you eventually cash your A levels in to give you an A in math (or as close to as possible if no combination will give you an A) and the highest grade in further math as is possible with your remaining modules." What I meant by the AQA example was that if you're compulsory module grades combined is a C the applied modules will be worth a maximum of what it'll take you to reach your maximum potential, A.
I hope you do well in your Physics exam, =), and your FM exam prep goes according to plan.
Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
Originally Posted by h_a_f_s_a
Our survey said… LOL. You said, "The applied modules are distributed to give you the optimum grades when you eventually cash your A levels in to give you an A in math (or as close to as possible if no combination will give you an A) and the highest grade in further math as is possible with your remaining modules." What I meant by the AQA example was that if you're compulsory module grades combined is a C the applied modules will be worth a maximum of what it'll take you to reach your maximum potential, A.
I hope you do well in your Physics exam, =), and your FM exam prep goes according to plan.
Ah ok I didn't understand your example....what I was trying to say is that you would never come across that because (taking every module as equally weighted) 100% in one plus 100% in two out of three = 66.6666% overall if that makes sense
Hope all the best to you too
Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
I think it's a good idea. I did mine a year early and got A* and I'm not particularly mathematical. Leaves time for other subjects and eases the workload the following year.
Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
I found it fine taking it in year 10 but i had a superb teacher.
I got an A* and I'm taking GCSE statistics this year, my maths teacher is also going over basic algebra and skills we'll need for AS maths if we do it. Some college teachers asked me closely what I was doing for maths this year, I don't think they like you doing it early, but if you're starting the AS it won't be a problem for you.
My friend even did it in year 9 btw and he got an A*, but he's too clever for his own good. :P But it shows that taking it as early as you can is good, if you're smart enough to get the best grade you think you're capable of.
Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
We did it in a class of about 20 or so and we did it a year early. The whole class got either an A or an A*.
Me being the slightly slow one managed to get an A, which I was actually quite pleased with.
I think you might find it a lil heard considering you are the only one. And when you do A level maths a year early, it's nowhere near as easy at Maths GCSE. You have to stay focused otherwise it'll be a waste of a year.
Discussion about GCSE exams and courses. Study for IGCSEs or O Levels? Then this is also the place for you.
Useful Resources:
Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
Re: Is taking one's Mathematics GCSE a year early a good idea
and I’ll ask what ever I need to.
)
Whereas I've decided what I'd like to do over that 3 year period. It'll, somehow, equate to five A-levels in Math, Further Math (or Geography 
), Biology, Chemistry and Physics. I've decided I definitely will take up the early GCSE option for Math and will probably ask my Stat and Science teachers to let me do the same in those lessons too. That way, in Science, I could begin AS Biology (me and Biology are good friends) and in Stats I could work on AS Math. Clever, no? 
