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Maths A Level advice

I really want to make the most out of my gap year, so I am planning on self teaching myself Maths AS Level and doing the exam as a private candidate, as I kind of regret not taking it to begin with and its so valuable as a subject. I got an A at GCSE and I didn't really work for it so I know I have the ability, but I'm just wondering how possible it would be? I know there are a lot of maths past papers online, obviously it's a possible subject, and my sister is starting AS at the same time so I'm planning on doing the same exam board as her so she can help me out - how easy is it to actually self teach though? What would you recommend helps the most with self teaching? And how do I know if statistics or mechanics would be better suited to me? (I'm not very good at physics!) - thanks!!

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I've just finished AS maths and there's a few resources which you may find useful ( I did edexcel btw)
https://mathswebsite.com/a-level Has loads of great videos to help learn the content, but obviously get a textbook for your board.http://www.examsolutions.net Possibly the most useful website I've used for any subject ever! Its amazing for when you start past papers.
I did M1 this year and it definitely becomes much easier the more work you put in, however the people in my class who didn't take physics struggle far more than those of us who did. Good Luck:smile:
Reply 2
AS Maths isn't really all that difficult so you should find it easy to self teach as long as you efficiently put in the time and effort.
I advice that you use www.examsolutions.net , it has tutorials on every topic which will make self teaching easier.
Also S1 may be a better choice if you are not that good at Physic because M1 is all Physics (but more in depth).

Hope this helps.:h:
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by HopelessMedic
I've just finished AS maths and there's a few resources which you may find useful ( I did edexcel btw)
https://mathswebsite.com/a-level Has loads of great videos to help learn the content, but obviously get a textbook for your board.http://www.examsolutions.net Possibly the most useful website I've used for any subject ever! Its amazing for when you start past papers.
I did M1 this year and it definitely becomes much easier the more work you put in, however the people in my class who didn't take physics struggle far more than those of us who did. Good Luck:smile:


Thanks so much for the resources I will definitely check them out when I've finished my A2 exams! Just out of interest, what made you choose mechanics over statistics? And I'm aware I can do decision maths as well, is that looked at as less good? Thanks again :smile:
Original post by Hōseki
AS Maths isn't really all that difficult so you should find it easy to self teach as long as you efficiently put in the time and effort.
I advice that you use www.examsolutions.net , it has tutorials on every topic which will make self teaching easier.
Also S1 may be a better choice if you are not that good at Physic because M1 is all Physics (but more in depth).

Hope this helps.:h:


Thanks so much this is really helpful! Yeah I've always had a gut feeling that I'd prefer statistics over mechanics - is decision maths worth considering too?
Reply 5
Honestly i'd recommend M1 because personally physics was my worst subject in GCSEs, i got a C for it. But having taken S1 for AS last year, and my M1 exam being next Tuesday, i find mechanics is a lot easier than S1. I was horrified when my maths teachers told us we were taking a dreaded physic-y maths module at the end of last year... but really it's not so bad

Also if there are things you just don't get - youtube is a really helpful resource. Especially for past exam papers there's always a teacher with a video online demonstrating how to go about that particular question
Original post by elizahughes
Thanks so much for the resources I will definitely check them out when I've finished my A2 exams! Just out of interest, what made you choose mechanics over statistics? And I'm aware I can do decision maths as well, is that looked at as less good? Thanks again :smile:

I also took AS physics, so mechanics was the obvious choice. As far as I'm aware, taking D1 will have not adverse effect on how your AS will be looked at. All modules are worth the same. However I've heard that D1 is very boring and nobody I've spoken to about it has been positive, but take a look at the Spec for S1,M1 and D1 and see if you prefer one or the other.
Original post by Arima
Honestly i'd recommend M1 because personally physics was my worst subject in GCSEs, i got a C for it. But having taken S1 for AS last year, and my M1 exam being next Tuesday, i find mechanics is a lot easier than S1. I was horrified when my maths teachers told us we were taking a dreaded physic-y maths module at the end of last year... but really it's not so bad

Also if there are things you just don't get - youtube is a really helpful resource. Especially for past exam papers there's always a teacher with a video online demonstrating how to go about that particular question


Yeah this is what I thought, Maths seems like such a good option for self teaching just because there are so many resources! And you either get it right or wrong so I guess it's all about persistence and what you find interesting, but I'm just finding it hard because it's difficult to compare it to GCSE and there are particular parts of GCSE that I enjoyed more so I don't want to make a wrong choice - thanks for your help it's interesting that you found it better even though you got a similar Physics grade to me :smile: hope your M1 exam goes well!
Reply 8
Original post by elizahughes
Thanks so much this is really helpful! Yeah I've always had a gut feeling that I'd prefer statistics over mechanics - is decision maths worth considering too?


A friend of mine doing Further Maths took D1 this year and according to him (and many others) it is the easiest module to do but also the easiest to make mistakes on. People also say it's the most boring module and it isn't even Maths (as it's mainly on algorithms).

You should look at it yourself and see if it's something that you would like to do.

P.S
Remember to do every past paper known to man and If you're finding C1 hard the first time, it would be a good idea to review A* GCSE questions.
Original post by Hōseki
A friend of mine doing Further Maths took D1 this year and according to him (and many others) it is the easiest module to do but also the easiest to make mistakes on. People also say it's the most boring module and it isn't even Maths (as it's mainly on algorithms).

You should look at it yourself and see if it's something that you would like to do.

P.S
Remember to do every past paper known to man and If you're finding C1 hard the first time, it would be a good idea to review A* GCSE questions.


Thanks!! I did Additional Maths at GCSE (got a U lol I didn't revise for it) and apparently the content is basically C1 so I'm hopeful
Original post by elizahughes
I really want to make the most out of my gap year, so I am planning on self teaching myself Maths AS Level and doing the exam as a private candidate, as I kind of regret not taking it to begin with and its so valuable as a subject. I got an A at GCSE and I didn't really work for it so I know I have the ability, but I'm just wondering how possible it would be? I know there are a lot of maths past papers online, obviously it's a possible subject, and my sister is starting AS at the same time so I'm planning on doing the same exam board as her so she can help me out - how easy is it to actually self teach though? What would you recommend helps the most with self teaching? And how do I know if statistics or mechanics would be better suited to me? (I'm not very good at physics!) - thanks!!


Imo mechanics and statistics is all about personal preference. From doing both myself, you should do well in both if youre a half - decent mathematician.

Once you get to understand M1 you will find that all the questions are pretty much the same and you start to think that the questions are actually based on a very very simplified model of reality(which they are really simple)

After recently doing my stats exam there isnt many questions where you can trip up on. Only dodgy probably questions. For example I didnt know a lot about stats and did a couple past papers and though I was I pro.
I am very confident that I have 73/75 on the exam since the question asked how much expected profit even though the answer was negative and I crossed it out.
- sorry for the long story.
Long story and info short:

M1 has alot of diagram drawing to help to analyse the question. And requires knowledge of units(ex. Weight, Speed, Time)

S1 has NO diagrams( except if you like drawing tables out)
Most stats questions are generic and tbh I think its a GCSE knowledge.
Stats requires intergration alot(C2)

OVERALL both modules require you to interpret the question (since its applied)

Tbh tho if you dont like the physics world I HIGHLY RECOMMEND STATISTICS
Since it did not take me long to learn the full specification

Many stats papers are generic
And tbh I think there is more problem solving in M1 than stats.

Lol stats has hardly any algebra.
Therefore stats is a no-brainer😂

There is one thing to note:
S1 grade boundaries hardly ever shift compared with M1.

Hope my long explaination helps
Ask me anything.
Original post by elizahughes
Thanks so much for the resources I will definitely check them out when I've finished my A2 exams! Just out of interest, what made you choose mechanics over statistics? And I'm aware I can do decision maths as well, is that looked at as less good? Thanks again :smile:


Not all exam boards have decision maths so there may be a lack of resources.

I have no idea what decision maths is since I do WJEC

Therefore Im not able to take Additional Further Maths(which I never knew existed)

Like I said in my long post.
Stats is highly recommend because the spec seems so small.
Original post by Maths is Life
Imo mechanics and statistics is all about personal preference. From doing both myself, you should do well in both if youre a half - decent mathematician.

Once you get to understand M1 you will find that all the questions are pretty much the same and you start to think that the questions are actually based on a very very simplified model of reality(which they are really simple)

After recently doing my stats exam there isnt many questions where you can trip up on. Only dodgy probably questions. For example I didnt know a lot about stats and did a couple past papers and though I was I pro.
I am very confident that I have 73/75 on the exam since the question asked how much expected profit even though the answer was negative and I crossed it out.
- sorry for the long story.
Long story and info short:

M1 has alot of diagram drawing to help to analyse the question. And requires knowledge of units(ex. Weight, Speed, Time)

S1 has NO diagrams( except if you like drawing tables out)
Most stats questions are generic and tbh I think its a GCSE knowledge.
Stats requires intergration alot(C2)

OVERALL both modules require you to interpret the question (since its applied)

Tbh tho if you dont like the physics world I HIGHLY RECOMMEND STATISTICS
Since it did not take me long to learn the full specification

Many stats papers are generic
And tbh I think there is more problem solving in M1 than stats.

Lol stats has hardly any algebra.
Therefore stats is a no-brainer😂

There is one thing to note:
S1 grade boundaries hardly ever shift compared with M1.

Hope my long explaination helps
Ask me anything.


That's so so helpful thank you! In terms of self teaching, do you think one would be harder to teach than the other? I am leaning towards statistics and I looked at past papers, am I wrong in thinking it bears more similarity to GCSE than M1? I thought it looked pretty similar but obviously more complex! I really enjoyed GCSE maths so a similarity is comforting after having done no maths for 2 years - thanks again :smile:
Reply 13
Original post by Arima
Honestly i'd recommend M1 because personally physics was my worst subject in GCSEs, i got a C for it. But having taken S1 for AS last year, and my M1 exam being next Tuesday, i find mechanics is a lot easier than S1. I was horrified when my maths teachers told us we were taking a dreaded physic-y maths module at the end of last year... but really it's not so bad

Also if there are things you just don't get - youtube is a really helpful resource. Especially for past exam papers there's always a teacher with a video online demonstrating how to go about that particular question


????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Why would she pick M1 when you have C1 C2 S1 and D1
Reply 14
Original post by elizahughes
That's so so helpful thank you! In terms of self teaching, do you think one would be harder to teach than the other? I am leaning towards statistics and I looked at past papers, am I wrong in thinking it bears more similarity to GCSE than M1? I thought it looked pretty similar but obviously more complex! I really enjoyed GCSE maths so a similarity is comforting after having done no maths for 2 years - thanks again :smile:


C1 is just like gcse basically but a bit more. C2 is a bit different but not hard tbh. S1 is easy... the grade boundaries are high for this and same with D1. So for self teaching go for the easy subjects. M1 requires a bit more thinking and self teaching it might be harder to get.
Hi,

I've been self teaching a levels, including maths with mechanics, for the past 2 years and am just finishing A2s now. In terms of mechanics, it is quite heavily physics based, but is only covering a narrow range of physics (forces/momentum/moments), though it covers it to significantly more depth than a physics a level does (which I'm also studying). Though I found the mechanics exams to be much more about using algebra & core maths skills to solve unknowns, rather than having to have a great deal of understanding on the physics side (fairly easy to remember the rules & formula).

In terms of self studying, it's always gonna be harder than it would be in school, the main difficulty is motivating yourself to put the hours in, then there's the obvious that you don't have any teacher to turn to if you get stuck. I'd recommend doing your a levels through a distance learning site (I did it with NEC), as they give you what is essentially a text book, with all the resources/questions you're required to study, as well as tutor support, so have someone to contact by email if you get stuck, and there's also a few marked assignments for the year (though nowhere near the same amount of marked work you get in school).
Original post by elizahughes
That's so so helpful thank you! In terms of self teaching, do you think one would be harder to teach than the other? I am leaning towards statistics and I looked at past papers, am I wrong in thinking it bears more similarity to GCSE than M1? I thought it looked pretty similar but obviously more complex! I really enjoyed GCSE maths so a similarity is comforting after having done no maths for 2 years - thanks again :smile:


Your already said you dislike physics therefore statistics seems the obvious choice.

Ill tell you another story:
When my further maths teacher was teaching stats I did not pay attention nor understand it.
This was due to the fact that I was over interpretating questions.
When I started doing past papers I had barely any knowledge of the spec.
I did two past papers and felt confident with the spec.
Turns out I found it just as easy as C1 that I started completing past papers in 30mins.

The questions on stats papers are mostly generic ones year on year.
With the odd dodgy probability question

For example I did the WJEC S1 exam on wednesday and the only question I tripped up on was expected profit.

Turns out my method was right but I didnt write it down. And also my answer of £-1.61 was right but I crossed it out because I dont understand how someone can have a negative profit.

However this is only WJEC and their papers are becoming increasing awkward.
(It should have said expected loss🔥😡)

So if you do past papers and learn the method from mark schemes you should be fine.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 17
Original post by Shapez
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Why would she pick M1 when you have C1 C2 S1 and D1


well you have to pick another module besides C1 and C2?????????? and it's personal preference for which module you choose you dont have to be so rude about it
Original post by Shapez
C1 is just like gcse basically but a bit more. C2 is a bit different but not hard tbh. S1 is easy... the grade boundaries are high for this and same with D1. So for self teaching go for the easy subjects. M1 requires a bit more thinking and self teaching it might be harder to get.


Yeah that's what I was thinking, and I did additional maths at GCSE which was basically C1 so that side of it shouldn't be too bad, and I agree with you about M1 I don't think I could do it, I literally hate physics as well - thanks!
Original post by JohnnyDavidson
Hi,

I've been self teaching a levels, including maths with mechanics, for the past 2 years and am just finishing A2s now. In terms of mechanics, it is quite heavily physics based, but is only covering a narrow range of physics (forces/momentum/moments), though it covers it to significantly more depth than a physics a level does (which I'm also studying). Though I found the mechanics exams to be much more about using algebra & core maths skills to solve unknowns, rather than having to have a great deal of understanding on the physics side (fairly easy to remember the rules & formula).

In terms of self studying, it's always gonna be harder than it would be in school, the main difficulty is motivating yourself to put the hours in, then there's the obvious that you don't have any teacher to turn to if you get stuck. I'd recommend doing your a levels through a distance learning site (I did it with NEC), as they give you what is essentially a text book, with all the resources/questions you're required to study, as well as tutor support, so have someone to contact by email if you get stuck, and there's also a few marked assignments for the year (though nowhere near the same amount of marked work you get in school).


Hey, thanks for the advice! I know it will be more difficult but because it will be my only new subject (may retake a couple of A2 units but it's always easier the second time around) I'm hoping if I start early and get into a routine of dedicating maybe two days a week to maths it should be fine! And as I said, my sister is starting her AS in September - she's predicted A*s for most of her subjects so I'm hoping this well help! She's also going to be attending my sixth form where I'll possibly be retaking some units so I should have access to teachers - I don't really want to spend money on tutoring etc. as the purpose of the gap year is to save up :frown: also my boyfriend does maths and further maths and is doing a degree in maths so I'm hoping it should be fine - it's interesting that you have done it as well though, and I think you're right about the physics side and it probably isn't for me! Thanks!

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