C3&4 hard?

I just about managed to survive c1&2... just began c3 n struggling.. any advice for the summer and how to struggle less!? 😭😭😭 im using a textbook aqa and exam solutions.... any other help would be nice

I just about managed to survive c1&2... just began c3 n struggling.. any advice for the summer and how to struggle less!? 😭😭😭 im using a textbook aqa and exam solutions.... any other help would be nice

I found C3 quite a struggle compared to C1 & C2. I would say focus on differentiation as that's probably the most significant topic in C3. If you plan on starting over summer then I'd start making notes by chapter and having a go at a few questions. Youtubers like ExamSolutions and HegartyMaths do playlists for each maths module. I find them really helpful when I'm struggling to understand the explanations in the textbook.

There's a lot to remember for c3 and 4. For calculus know the rules like the back of your hand. If you need to differentiate first think "would chain rule work on this?" (if it's an e^(ax^b) function for example then yes) then product then quotient. While you haven't done integration yet and they mostly sign post it in the question, similar things should go through your mind. Remembering trig identities is also crucial as is being able to solve trig equations from core 2. In fact a lot of things from c1 and 2 are essential to c3 and 4 and what would have been multiple mark questions in c1 and 2 are simply 1 step in a multiple step differentiation or integration. Just remember the rules, be careful (algebraic errors will seriously screw you over) and keep a cool head. When you get around to questions, on the harder questions they always nudge you along with the first part then in some way you have to sub that into second part or something. Apart from the occasional hard question it's just about remembering methods and being able to perfectly execute them. Also yeah I thought core 4 was really easy compared to core 3 but I definitely did better in the core 3 exam partly because the core 4 was really hard this year which did make me panic a bit not gonna lie. You do have a lot of resources at your fingertips though in terms of past papers though.

They are very easy compared to FP3

I know you've probably heard this hundreds of times, but it really depends on the person.

Those who excel at maths won't find c3 and c4 too difficult tbh as long as they put the time in. There is nothing too abstract which is hard to get your head around IMO. However A level maths isn't considered easy and a lot of work does need to be put in.

The hardest stuff people generally find in c3 and c4 are the trig in c3 and the integration in c4. Some of it can get quite tricky so I recommend doing a lot of work on this.

Overall I think if you are willing to put a lot of time and dedication into c3 and c4, and if you really go for it, by the time you get to the exam you probably won't find it too difficult and you'll do well. But don't take it for granted if you're not a genius don't expect to do well half assing it.

If you aren't already aware, I highly recommend using Examsolutions.net video tutorials to help consolidate your knowledge, and I recommend looking at their worked video solutions to exam questions.

When it gets near to exams be sure to do a lot of past papers, do all the papers for your exam board and do all of the Solomon papers.

Sorry if I am not directly answering whether it is hard or not, but how hard you find it ultimately depends on the work you put in.

Yeah it'll be alright as long as i get a decent grade.. yeah ill be doing 3 subjects (than 4) so ill have more time to work on each subject. Yeah ill defo have to put more time in than i did last year.

Yeah, remember you get the extra month(ish). For my first year of sixth form I remember not working much and regretting it as I did 5 exams this year for maths lol. Good luck with it all this year

Revisit AS content that links into A2 and make sure you understand that before moving forward

Wouldn't it be better just to get a head start on the topics?