How hard is AS Level Maths?
I'm going into year 12 and I'm thinking of taking Maths. Despite getting an A* at GCSE (1 mark into the grade boundary, so I literally scraped it) I don't feel naturally Maths minded.
I intend to drop it after the first year, so I'm more just concerned about AS Maths.
I'm prepared to put lots of work in, but I struggle with some aspects at GCSE so I'm not sure if I'd be able to cope taking it any further
I've looked at past papers for AS Maths and I doubt I could even answer one question, they look like jubberish to me.
How hard is it to get an A in AS Maths?
I intend to drop it after the first year, so I'm more just concerned about AS Maths.
I'm prepared to put lots of work in, but I struggle with some aspects at GCSE so I'm not sure if I'd be able to cope taking it any further
I've looked at past papers for AS Maths and I doubt I could even answer one question, they look like jubberish to me.
How hard is it to get an A in AS Maths?
Scroll to see replies
Original post by TomSuffolk
I'm going into year 12 and I'm thinking of taking Maths. Despite getting an A* at GCSE (1 mark into the grade boundary, so I literally scraped it) I don't feel naturally Maths minded.
I intend to drop it after the first year, so I'm more just concerned about AS Maths.
I'm prepared to put lots of work in, but I struggle with some aspects at GCSE so I'm not sure if I'd be able to cope taking it any further
I've looked at past papers for AS Maths and I doubt I could even answer one question, they look like jubberish to me.
How hard is it to get an A in AS Maths?
I intend to drop it after the first year, so I'm more just concerned about AS Maths.
I'm prepared to put lots of work in, but I struggle with some aspects at GCSE so I'm not sure if I'd be able to cope taking it any further
I've looked at past papers for AS Maths and I doubt I could even answer one question, they look like jubberish to me.
How hard is it to get an A in AS Maths?
Hey,
People will tell you that AS is a big jump from GCSE and they're kind of right, except that I got an A at GCSE and did it and was fine. C1 and C2 essentially need a lot of practice on the methods and once you can do that, you will be fine, honestly. S1 is quite easy but I had a bad teacher which made life much harder.
At the beginning of the year, it's hard, because you're not used to it, but the more you do it the easier it becomes. Just do as many past papers as you possibly can to get a whole ton of practice! Also, speak to your teacher and see what he/she says. Having a good teacher will help during the first few months.
I suspect the reason you couldn't do the questions you looked at was because they asked about completely new concepts which you haven't learnt yet. It's like asking someone in year 9 to do trigonometry without teaching them the basic rules first.
I know that's a pretty vague reply, so if there are any specific questions I'd be happy to help, but AS maths isn't too difficult once you get hang of the methods and types of questions you are asked. HOWEVER. May be different if you are doing the new syllabus. Idk how that is different.
You can get an A if you don't get complacent and revise and understand the topics. Since you're prepared to put work in, you should be okay. Also, remember that for an A you should be aiming for above 80 UMS. js.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by marsbar3007
Hey,
People will tell you that AS is a big jump from GCSE and they're kind of right, except that I got an A at GCSE and did it and was fine. C1 and C2 essentially need a lot of practice on the methods and once you can do that, you will be fine, honestly. S1 is quite easy but I had a bad teacher which made life much harder.
At the beginning of the year, it's hard, because you're not used to it, but the more you do it the easier it becomes. Just do as many past papers as you possibly can to get a whole ton of practice! Also, speak to your teacher and see what he/she says. Having a good teacher will help during the first few months.
I suspect the reason you couldn't do the questions you looked at was because they asked about completely new concepts which you haven't learnt yet. It's like asking someone in year 9 to do trigonometry without teaching them the basic rules first.
I know that's a pretty vague reply, so if there are any specific questions I'd be happy to help, but AS maths isn't too difficult once you get hang of the methods and types of questions you are asked. HOWEVER. May be different if you are doing the new syllabus. Idk how that is different.
You can get an A if you don't get complacent and revise and understand the topics. Since you're prepared to put work in, you should be okay. Also, remember that for an A you should be aiming for above 80 UMS. js.
People will tell you that AS is a big jump from GCSE and they're kind of right, except that I got an A at GCSE and did it and was fine. C1 and C2 essentially need a lot of practice on the methods and once you can do that, you will be fine, honestly. S1 is quite easy but I had a bad teacher which made life much harder.
At the beginning of the year, it's hard, because you're not used to it, but the more you do it the easier it becomes. Just do as many past papers as you possibly can to get a whole ton of practice! Also, speak to your teacher and see what he/she says. Having a good teacher will help during the first few months.
I suspect the reason you couldn't do the questions you looked at was because they asked about completely new concepts which you haven't learnt yet. It's like asking someone in year 9 to do trigonometry without teaching them the basic rules first.
I know that's a pretty vague reply, so if there are any specific questions I'd be happy to help, but AS maths isn't too difficult once you get hang of the methods and types of questions you are asked. HOWEVER. May be different if you are doing the new syllabus. Idk how that is different.
You can get an A if you don't get complacent and revise and understand the topics. Since you're prepared to put work in, you should be okay. Also, remember that for an A you should be aiming for above 80 UMS. js.
What grade did you get at AS, coming from a grade a at GCSE?
Posted from TSR Mobile
Honestly, AS Maths isn't difficult at all. Compared to a lot of subjects out there, it's clear, straightforward and simply requires diligent practice (and a keen eye for careless mistakes; you don't want to be losing silly marks there) it's possibly one of the most straightforward A-level subjects out there that requires very little memorisation/ studying (even more so at AS level) as long as you understand the formulas and concepts, you will walk through AS Maths in a breeze, trust me 
Original post by TomSuffolk
A B, but please don't go by me, I'm not a very good example. Hence the "don't get complacent and make sure you revise beforehand". I was predicted an A and was getting A's in the past papers I did around Easter, so didn't do as much, then panicked in the real exam in C2 because I couldn't remember some methods. Stupid, and have no excuse really, so will have to resit in year 13.
But I know a girl who got either an A or a B at GCSE and got an A at AS level. Not to mention two others who got A*'s at GCSE and an A at AS level. It is doable.
Original post by TomSuffolk
I'm going into year 12 and I'm thinking of taking Maths. Despite getting an A* at GCSE (1 mark into the grade boundary, so I literally scraped it) I don't feel naturally Maths minded.
I intend to drop it after the first year, so I'm more just concerned about AS Maths.
I'm prepared to put lots of work in, but I struggle with some aspects at GCSE so I'm not sure if I'd be able to cope taking it any further
I've looked at past papers for AS Maths and I doubt I could even answer one question, they look like jubberish to me.
How hard is it to get an A in AS Maths?
I intend to drop it after the first year, so I'm more just concerned about AS Maths.
I'm prepared to put lots of work in, but I struggle with some aspects at GCSE so I'm not sure if I'd be able to cope taking it any further
I've looked at past papers for AS Maths and I doubt I could even answer one question, they look like jubberish to me.
How hard is it to get an A in AS Maths?
Not hard at all you can't answer the questions because haven't learned the content don't sweat it
I got an A in gcse maths and an A in AS maths so getting an A* even scraping it is more than enough to do A level maths with. I struggled with some gcse maths as well but make sure in a level if your struggling go to your teachers and ask for as much help. Do questions until you aren't struggling anymore.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by TomSuffolk
I'm going into year 12 and I'm thinking of taking Maths. Despite getting an A* at GCSE (1 mark into the grade boundary, so I literally scraped it) I don't feel naturally Maths minded.
I intend to drop it after the first year, so I'm more just concerned about AS Maths.
I'm prepared to put lots of work in, but I struggle with some aspects at GCSE so I'm not sure if I'd be able to cope taking it any further
I've looked at past papers for AS Maths and I doubt I could even answer one question, they look like jubberish to me.
How hard is it to get an A in AS Maths?
I intend to drop it after the first year, so I'm more just concerned about AS Maths.
I'm prepared to put lots of work in, but I struggle with some aspects at GCSE so I'm not sure if I'd be able to cope taking it any further
I've looked at past papers for AS Maths and I doubt I could even answer one question, they look like jubberish to me.
How hard is it to get an A in AS Maths?
C1 should be fine for you as you got an A* and most is just GCSE recap/extension, but get used to working without a calculator as that is the greatest difficulty there. C2 is more of a challenge but definitely accesible. I don't know which applied module you are doing so can't advise till I know which...
A tip is if you're struggling, let your teachers know, ask them to go through concepts you don't understand, look ahead so you ahve a brief idea what you are going to do in class and Practice, Practice, Practice in your free time
Original post by Xphoenix
C1 should be fine for you as you got an A* and most is just GCSE recap/extension, but get used to working without a calculator as that is the greatest difficulty there. C2 is more of a challenge but definitely accesible. I don't know which applied module you are doing so can't advise till I know which...
A tip is if you're struggling, let your teachers know, ask them to go through concepts you don't understand, look ahead so you ahve a brief idea what you are going to do in class and Practice, Practice, Practice in your free time
A tip is if you're struggling, let your teachers know, ask them to go through concepts you don't understand, look ahead so you ahve a brief idea what you are going to do in class and Practice, Practice, Practice in your free time
It says I'll be doing C1, C2 and S1
And Thankyou
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Original post by TomSuffolk
S1 can be easy if you're doing questions (obviously once you've understood the content) and commit to learning the method, as Stats is quite methodical (almost repetitive), so knowing certain formulas and knowing when to use what is useful, but if you can get an A*, you have enough of a brain to easily cope so don't worry!
Enjoy the rest of your Holiday (if you are still on it) and good luck with the upcoming year!
One of the things I liked about maths at AS is it is relatively straight forward for revision: do past papers see what you got wrong, understand why you got it wrong and fix it. That's a whole lot easier than revising for biology and chemistry. As far as learning everything goes it shouldn't be too hard because it's easy to get support from maths and for most of the AS its just a case of recognising the type of question and applying a specific technique (e.g. proving how many intersections two lines have and where they are), which really comes with practice.
Original post by GabbytheGreek_48
Not hard at all you can't answer the questions because haven't learned the content don't sweat it
I got an A in gcse maths and an A in AS maths so getting an A* even scraping it is more than enough to do A level maths with. I struggled with some gcse maths as well but make sure in a level if your struggling go to your teachers and ask for as much help. Do questions until you aren't struggling anymore.
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I got an A in gcse maths and an A in AS maths so getting an A* even scraping it is more than enough to do A level maths with. I struggled with some gcse maths as well but make sure in a level if your struggling go to your teachers and ask for as much help. Do questions until you aren't struggling anymore.
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Did you struggle much? Or were you confident you could get an A?
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Original post by neon_reaper
One of the things I liked about maths at AS is it is relatively straight forward for revision: do past papers see what you got wrong, understand why you got it wrong and fix it. That's a whole lot easier than revising for biology and chemistry. As far as learning everything goes it shouldn't be too hard because it's easy to get support from maths and for most of the AS its just a case of recognising the type of question and applying a specific technique (e.g. proving how many intersections two lines have and where they are), which really comes with practice.
What grade did you get at GCSE and then AS?
I'm just trying to see how people transferred over
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Original post by Xphoenix
S1 can be easy if you're doing questions (obviously once you've understood the content) and commit to learning the method, as Stats is quite methodical (almost repetitive), so knowing certain formulas and knowing when to use what is useful, but if you can get an A*, you have enough of a brain to easily cope so don't worry!
Enjoy the rest of your Holiday (if you are still on it) and good luck with the upcoming year!
Enjoy the rest of your Holiday (if you are still on it) and good luck with the upcoming year!
Thankyou
By the way, Maths was the only subject I did literally zero revision for at GCSE because I thought I had no chance of getting an A* anyway
Yet ironically I managed to scrape an A*
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Yet ironically I managed to scrape an A*
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(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by TomSuffolk
What grade did you get at GCSE and then AS?
I'm just trying to see how people transferred over
Posted from TSR Mobile
I'm just trying to see how people transferred over
Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by TomSuffolk
By the way, Maths was the only subject I did literally zero revision for at GCSE because I thought I had no chance of getting an A* anyway
Yet ironically I managed to scrape an A*
Posted from TSR Mobile
Yet ironically I managed to scrape an A*
Posted from TSR Mobile
I quite enjoy maths as you might be able to tell, at GCSE we did methods and applications under aqa, and I also did the free standing maths qualification (FSMQ) (pretty much GCSE further maths). I got A*, A* in methods and applications and the A^ (one above A*, idk why it exists) in FSMQ. This year I got an average 94 UMS across the 3 units, so a very high A meaning it was a pretty equal transfer grades-wise. And an A* is pretty impressive with very minimal revision, so you might be fine for AS (I had to revise a fair bit for maths at GCSE)
Scraped an A in GCSE, barely worked and ****. A level maths failed every test until easter until i banged out past papers. Basically if you revise for any subject you can get 100ums, but i didn't and got a b, infact i got 210ums
edit - people who got b's failed but maybe cause they didn't try. I dunno to be honest if you got a* whilst not feeling maths you probably will bang c1 which is gcse, s1 which is gcse hardness and c2 which is only a step up
edit - people who got b's failed but maybe cause they didn't try. I dunno to be honest if you got a* whilst not feeling maths you probably will bang c1 which is gcse, s1 which is gcse hardness and c2 which is only a step up
Original post by TomSuffolk
I'm going into year 12 and I'm thinking of taking Maths. Despite getting an A* at GCSE (1 mark into the grade boundary, so I literally scraped it) I don't feel naturally Maths minded.
I intend to drop it after the first year, so I'm more just concerned about AS Maths.
I'm prepared to put lots of work in, but I struggle with some aspects at GCSE so I'm not sure if I'd be able to cope taking it any further
I've looked at past papers for AS Maths and I doubt I could even answer one question, they look like jubberish to me.
How hard is it to get an A in AS Maths?
I intend to drop it after the first year, so I'm more just concerned about AS Maths.
I'm prepared to put lots of work in, but I struggle with some aspects at GCSE so I'm not sure if I'd be able to cope taking it any further
I've looked at past papers for AS Maths and I doubt I could even answer one question, they look like jubberish to me.
How hard is it to get an A in AS Maths?
At least, its a lot easier than chemistry. its so simple all you need is confidence that u can get an easy peasy A and lots of practice.
If you revise effectively, then it is honestly a really easy A level. You got an A* at GCSE, do you obviously have a good basis in it.
If you listen in class, you should be able to understand the concepts easily, and with practice using past papers, it is very easy.
The questions are simpler, or at least on OCR, because it is just the question, they don't talk about random people doing implausible things, is just the question, and it's actually much easier to get higher marks than at GCSE.
If you work hard, it will be okay. If you have any questions, use the maths forums, the people on there are amazing!
If you listen in class, you should be able to understand the concepts easily, and with practice using past papers, it is very easy.
The questions are simpler, or at least on OCR, because it is just the question, they don't talk about random people doing implausible things, is just the question, and it's actually much easier to get higher marks than at GCSE.
If you work hard, it will be okay. If you have any questions, use the maths forums, the people on there are amazing!
Original post by TomSuffolk
I'm going into year 12 and I'm thinking of taking Maths. Despite getting an A* at GCSE (1 mark into the grade boundary, so I literally scraped it) I don't feel naturally Maths minded.
I intend to drop it after the first year, so I'm more just concerned about AS Maths.
I'm prepared to put lots of work in, but I struggle with some aspects at GCSE so I'm not sure if I'd be able to cope taking it any further
I've looked at past papers for AS Maths and I doubt I could even answer one question, they look like jubberish to me.
How hard is it to get an A in AS Maths?
I intend to drop it after the first year, so I'm more just concerned about AS Maths.
I'm prepared to put lots of work in, but I struggle with some aspects at GCSE so I'm not sure if I'd be able to cope taking it any further
I've looked at past papers for AS Maths and I doubt I could even answer one question, they look like jubberish to me.
How hard is it to get an A in AS Maths?
Hi Tom,
If you are prepared to put the work in then you should be fine. Seeing that you got an A* in GCSE maths you are more than capable and have a firm understanding of basic mathematical and algebraic concepts. This should work in your favour. Just put your head down, work hard and ask questions if you are stuck. Also, don't judge how difficult Maths will be just by looking at the past papers - you haven't even learnt the stuff so obviously it will look like mumbo jumbo to you.
You should be ok with C1 and C2, but it is usually the applied modules (M1, S1 or D1) which people usually struggle with.
After you attempt AS Maths I am sure you will like it (if you try hard) and then you may even do it for A2.
All the best.
1TrueMeaning.
Original post by TomSuffolk
Well I was most confident in it I think it was the best of my subjects I did struggle at some topics (those were most mechanics though so ) but once you work hard and do alot of past papers it will become easier.
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