Oxford Maths Students and Applicants

So in January I did C1, C2, S1, and FP1, and in June I'm doing C3 and C4. For C1, C2, S1 I'm fairly sure I'll get around 95% average, but for FP1 I'm guessing mid/high 80's :frown:

so in terms of Oxford, how would they see my grades? Would they class it all as Maths (in which case I'm fairly sure I'll get an A* overall) or would they keep the FP1 seperate and use that to base my Further maths, in which case it's not so good :frown:

thanks in advance

Reply 181

marcusmerehay

17

I got 91 in FP1 and averaged 97 in the three modules you've mentioned.

I did not apply to either Oxford or Cambridge, though I was rejected by Bristol, Bath and Imperial.

Having said that, I did get a rather paltry 63 in M2 (though I'm an Applied Maths specialist now :p:

)

Reply 182

Xyonzz

Hmm, so if i do well in C3 and C4, would oxford base all 6 modules as one A-level maths?

Reply 183

angelmxxx

14

Original post by Xyonzz

Hmm, so if i do well in C3 and C4, would oxford base all 6 modules as one A-level maths?

Oxford don't see your UMS.

So all they will see is your overall A-level grade, and your AS/A-level further maths grade (depending on if you take all the A-level further maths exams in June).

Reply 184

Xyonzz

Ah, so if I include FP1 into my A-level maths (i.e.: everything I'm doing this year), they'll see it all as one A-level maths grade, if that's what you mean?

Reply 185

Bezzler

1

I think you've entirely misunderstood how A level maths is calculated. Oxford plays no role in it. You'll get predictions for maths and further maths from your teachers, and Oxford won't see any UMS marks unless you tell them about them. Even then a mid-to-high 80s mark in FP1 is unlikely to make a difference in them making an offer. And you don't even know what your marks were yet!

Reply 186

gdunne42

21

Original post by Xyonzz

Ah, so if I include FP1 into my A-level maths (i.e.: everything I'm doing this year), they'll see it all as one A-level maths grade, if that's what you mean?

You cannot count FP1 with S1 to make an overall A level grade.

Reply 187

Xyonzz

Haha no, I was referring to Oxford as how they'd decide whether or not to accept me. And I'm doing my Further Maths outside of school (long story) so all 4 modules this month were outside, so I was under the impression they'd look at the modules you've done already and make predictions from there?

Reply 188

Bezzler

1

Original post by Xyonzz

Haha no, I was referring to Oxford as how they'd decide whether or not to accept me. And I'm doing my Further Maths outside of school (long story) so all 4 modules this month were outside, so I was under the impression they'd look at the modules you've done already and make predictions from there?

You were under the wrong impression then.

Reply 189

kerily

15

Getting in the mid to high 80s for FP1 isn't bad. Just bear in mind that the UMS conversion is often quite harsh (I got 72/75 on raw marks, which is 96%, but it went down to 91% after it was converted into UMS) and so while you're safely on an A, you could do with getting it a tiny bit higher if you could.

But yeah, Oxford don't see your UMS. And it's the exam board who lumps your modules together, not the university.

Reply 190

Xyonzz

True, but then again UMS would vary every year, but if this doesn't matter, as said above (if i've interpreted correctly), Unis will mainly look at overall grades/predicted grades, right?

Reply 191

angelmxxx

14

Original post by Xyonzz

True, but then again UMS would vary every year, but if this doesn't matter, as said above (if i've interpreted correctly), Unis will mainly look at overall grades/predicted grades, right?

UMS means uniform mark scheme, so the idea is that someone who gets 80/100UMS in 2010 is the same standard as someone who gets 80/100 UMS in 2011, though they may well get different "raw scores" in the paper.

Universities cannot see your UMS scores unless you tell them separately.
You cannot use FP1, or any other FP modules, as part of your Maths a-level as they are specific further maths modules. Anyway, the exam board works out which modules should go into your maths A-level and which into fm, to maximise your grades (but priority goes to giving you the highest grade in Maths which you can get from your modules).

So if in June you get an overall A grade in maths A-level and don't do any more further maths modules (so you just have your 80 UMS from FP1), then on your ucas, it would show that you have achieved an A grade in A-level maths, and then you would put your Further Maths A-level as "pending". You can write in the GRADE (not UMS score) of your FP1 module if you want, but it's optional.

So if you are taking, say, physics and chemistry as well, it would just say:

Maths A-level: grade A
Physics AS: grade A
Chemistry AS: grade A
Physics A-level: result pending
Chemistry A-level: result pending
Further Maths A-level: result pending

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 192

angelmxxx

14

Original post by Xyonzz

Haha no, I was referring to Oxford as how they'd decide whether or not to accept me. And I'm doing my Further Maths outside of school (long story) so all 4 modules this month were outside, so I was under the impression they'd look at the modules you've done already and make predictions from there?

Oxford don't make any predictions - they just look at your results so far (from your ucas form) and your personal statement & reference and decide if they want to interview you.

Your school teachers will predict your A-level grades, and you can ask your further maths tutor to predict you a grade for A-level further maths.

Reply 193

Xyonzz

Oh, so I'd just have to write 'pending', and it'd be your grade eventually. Thanks a lot :biggrin:

Reply 194

pappymajek

2

Original post by marcusmerehay

I got 91 in FP1 and averaged 97 in the three modules you've mentioned.

I did not apply to either Oxford or Cambridge, though I was rejected by Bristol, Bath and Imperial.

Having said that, I did get a rather paltry 63 in M2 (though I'm an Applied Maths specialist now :p:

)

Probably because mechanics is poorly taught at A level-are you doing anything related to mechanics now? Just curious.

Reply 195

StephenP91

3

Around 4 A*s and a 1/S in a STEP paper.

Really don't understand why I got negative rep. The answer is from personal experience. Well technically it's from Cambridge, but I am assuming they are about the same.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 196

marcusmerehay

17

Original post by pappymajek

Probably because mechanics is poorly taught at A level-are you doing anything related to mechanics now? Just curious.

Fluid Mechanics, Population Dynamics and Relativity. :yy:

Reply 197

R3L4Y

1

I always thought A Level Maths and Further maths needed 3 modules each.
And as far as I'm concerned you cant mix:

Core Maths C1, C2, C3, C4 with Further FP1, FP2, FP3. They must always be separate.

S1, S2, M1, M2, D1, D2 are the ones you can usually move around a bit.

Based on the overall grades then created, your TEACHERS! will predict you Your A2 grades.

Oxford then looks at your MAT score, predicted grades, As grades, And GCSE results. In that order.
If you do really badly in ur Mat...but everything else compensates for it...you might get an interview, and they'll decide then.
If you do really well in the MAT, and really crap everywhere else (which I doubt in your case)...then you might get an interview.

Reply 198

Bezzler

1

Original post by R3L4Y

I always thought A Level Maths and Further maths needed 3 modules each.
And as far as I'm concerned you cant mix:

Core Maths C1, C2, C3, C4 with Further FP1, FP2, FP3. They must always be separate.

Sort of. For A-level maths this is correct. However, there does exist an A level in pure maths, which is C1-4 AND FP1 and FP2 or FP3 or FP4. You can't do this in combination with Further Maths though.

Reply 199

Ray_Han

11

As long as you get predicted A*A*A in maths, further maths and a third subject respectively (Oxford's grade requirements), I am under the impression that Oxford are not bothered about UMS. They don't ask for it anyway so you can present whatever you get in a good light, e.g. saying 95% across the a level in the reference would hide a bad mark.
The most important things with Oxford are the Maths Aptitude Test (MAT) and the interview. If you do really well on the MAT, you can put yourself in a really strong position to get an offer, whereas if you do badly, you can get rejected without interview. Make sure you put LOTS of practice into the MAT if you do apply to Oxford, and prepare well for the interview. It is very competitive, moreso than the numbers perhaps suggest, as the quality of applicants is very high.
Make sure you aim for high UMS across the board though- even though Oxford don't look at UMS, other unis such as Cambridge, Durham and UCL all ask for UMS marks, and others will take note of scores in the reference. Plus you will need good UMS to get predictions and want to set yourself up to get the very high grades required at A2 for maths at many top unis.
From the modules are doing this year, C1-4 will go towards maths, and FP1 towards further maths. S1 and other applied modules can go towards either.

(edited 13 years ago)

Oxford Maths Students and Applicants

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