New maths and further maths A Levels

Additional FM is dead. Question choice is a possibility - Awarding Bodies would need to submit specimen papers to Ofqual for approval and cross their fingers.

Coursework is gone so wave goodbye to the MEI numerical methods task.

They should just set STEP styled papers on each module. It would massively increase the credibility of Maths A Levels and would also improve the problem solving ability of the average student entering University.

small angle approximations have been resurrected !!!

it is a sine of the times

"Understand and use numerical integration of functions, including finding the
approximate area under a curve and limits that it must lie between".... does this just mean the Trapezium Rule or does it go further ?

From a teaching perspective, do you consider the changes good or bad?.

I'm also a small angle fan.

Could be Simpson's Rule.

"Link graphical transformations to transformations of the equation of the
Normal probability curve for N(µ, σ²) for fixed σ and changing µ,
and for µ = 0 and changing σ"

ain't never done this before

nor this:

"Interpret a correlation coefficient as a test statistic and use it in a hypothesis
tes"

That's S3 hypothesis testing, testing both spearman's rank and PMCC

"Link graphical transformations to transformations of the equation of the
Normal probability curve for N(µ, σ²) for fixed σ and changing µ,
and for µ = 0 and changing σ"

ain't never done this before

The statistics is harder* than the mechanics.

* By harder I mean that the content comes from higher numbered modules.

Good. The risk is uptake (particularly of FM) will fall. Core Maths is being introduced for weaker students (those with B and C grades at GCSE) but it is rubbish and no replacement.

Whilst this doesn't affect me I do think the removal of Additional FM is a shame. M5 was much more mathematically interesting than other modules and actually required some understanding of the technicalities of integration and differentiation and whilst it was an extremely niche module I will be sad to see it go. However, my perspective is a very particular one and the vast majority of students won't miss it as they never knew it existed.

From a teaching perspective, do you consider the changes good or bad?



Could you elaborate more on what you mean by "STEP styled"? Look at the statistics:

Total Entries in STEP papers (2013) - 3334

(By Wikipedia, it has a citation to the official STEP website but the document on the website has been removed)

Total A Level Maths entries (2013) - 88060

( https://www.gov.uk/government/news/a-level-results-show-more-doing-maths-and-sciences-than-ever-before%20 )

As people often enter more than one unless they are a Warwick student, the number of individuals sitting STEP papers is actually somewhat lower. If you accept the assumption that those taking STEP represent the top of the cohort and that a good portion of these do not manage to attain the grades for uni entry, then I think anything close to the level of difficulty of STEP would go down catastrophically.

it is not intended as a replacement and I disagree that it is rubbish - it is designed for a purpose - that students do not start university having forgotten the little maths they did to scrape their C (or even B) and then find themselves incapable of doing the basic maths that their courses require

The purpose is admirable but the specifications I have seen are in no way fit for purpose.

I sense that I am perhaps missing a fundamental flaw in this idea, but I can't see it right now.

For now perhaps, but then I would predict that schools would heavily focus on problem solving, in order to even stand a chance of getting a decent success rate.
This would increase the overall mathematical ability of the students. Though this may time quite some time (10-20 years) to truly come into effect , the advantages would heavily outweigh the disadvantages.
I sense that I am perhaps missing a fundamental flaw in this idea, but I can't see it right now.
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