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Rate these maths modules in order of difficulty

C1, c2, c3, c4, m1, m2... Include other modules if you do them!
3 questions:
1) how much harder are c3+c4 compared to c1+c2?
2)is the jump between c3 and c4 big?
3) is m2 a lot more difficult in terms of content and in the exam questions?
Original post by Lucofthewoods
C1, c2, c3, c4, m1, m2... Include other modules if you do them!
3 questions:
1) how much harder are c3+c4 compared to c1+c2?
2)is the jump between c3 and c4 big?
3) is m2 a lot more difficult in terms of content and in the exam questions?


1. Depends on the exam board but on the the, quite a bit once you really get into C3 - I found i had to do a stupid amount of practice to get the hang of it (And I take further maths!)
2. No not really
3. For MEI the difference between M1 and M2 is disgusting - M2 genuinely requires a lot of practice again like with c3
Original post by Lucofthewoods
C1, c2, c3, c4, m1, m2... Include other modules if you do them!
3 questions:
1) how much harder are c3+c4 compared to c1+c2?
2)is the jump between c3 and c4 big?
3) is m2 a lot more difficult in terms of content and in the exam questions?


For me it was M1, S1, C2, C1, C3, C4 (from easiest to most difficult, didn't do M2)
I would order them as follows, from easiest to hardest:

All equally easy - C1 C2 M1 S1 D1 FP1
Medium difficulty - FP2 S2 (however easy with enough practice) M2 C3 C4
Challenging - M3

1) there's quite a big jump as C1 and C2 are very basic

2) C3 and C4 are equally difficult and I find that once you study C4 it helps with C3

3) M2 is more difficult in the sense that it requires tactical thinking (relative to M1 is it a lot harder as M1 is the easiest exam you will ever sit). If you are choosing between M2 and S2 I would do S2 as S2 papers are rather repetitive so once you sit them enough they become very easy My advice for M2 is that if there is ever a change in vertical height (even if it's moving along a slope) the easiest solution will always be to look at conservation of energy E.G Loss of KE = Gain of GPE + Energy used against friction
Easiest to hardest:
c2,c1,s1,c3,c4,m1
Reply 5
Bit weird cus I did better on the exams i found harder. But my perceived difficulty:
Easiest: C1, D1, S1, M1, C2, FP1
Medium: D2, FP3, M2, C3, C4, S2

Didn't do AFM so didn't touch the harder modules. Tbh tho I find Fp3 to be a really nice exam but the 2017 seemed to be far more difficult relative to previous years' papers.
Easiest

S1
C1
C3
M1
C2
C4

Hardest

Depends massively on the exam, though.
In terms of my scores:
Hardest to easiest
C1
C4
C3
C2
S1,M1 ( both 100 ums)

C1 is really easy to **** up. I did, twice.
Reply 8
Original post by Lucofthewoods
C1, c2, c3, c4, m1, m2... Include other modules if you do them!
3 questions:
1) how much harder are c3+c4 compared to c1+c2?
2)is the jump between c3 and c4 big?
3) is m2 a lot more difficult in terms of content and in the exam questions?


If you want a slightly more objective answer, you need to look at the grade boundaries of each exam.

For example, a lot of people say Pearson's C4 is much harder than C3 but C3 usually has lower grade boundaries.
Reply 9
I guess C3 and M2 have the most potential to yield difficult exams out of those. C4 ought to be one of the hardest but in practice the exams are very repetitive and simple. The other three are pretty similar. Though personally I have 100 in all those except for 87 in C2, so C2 was apparently the hardest for me lel.
Edit: Oh you said include other modules. Well, that's enough to inspire me to give a rough ranking from hardest to easiest out of the ones I did.
1. FP3 Probably coloured by the exam I had, which was brutal, but yeah the material does allow for some nasty questions.
2. FP2 Typically exams aren't that hard, but grade boundaries are insane and it's very easy to drop down to an A or even a B from mistakes that ought to be inconsequential -at least that was the case in the old Edexcel spec.
3. C3 Probably responsible for the most crying of all maths modules, not a module to be underestimated if you aren't doing Further Maths. Exams are mostly easy but they like to throw out some nasty ones.
4. M2 Not really all that hard, but the same issues as M1 but with more attention required.
5. C4 Difficulty usually comes in awkward integrals or geometrical vectors questions. In general most papers are standard - obvs this is a borderline tautological statement but I hope you understand what I mean.
6. S3 Very very tedious, but usually not bad at all for a 3 module.
7. M1 Can involve 15 markers which require attention, and some people are really confused by mechanics in general. Otherwise fine.
7. FP1 Only very marginally harder than the ones that follow.
9. S1 Boring but easy if you pay attention.
10. C2 I screwed it up but generally not much different from C1.
11. S2 Finished this exam in about forty minutes. Fun and easy module, not much else to say.
12. C1 Just absolute piss really. The papers are like a 25 minute job.
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 10
Original post by lucofthewoods
c1, c2, c3, c4, m1, m2... Include other modules if you do them!
3 questions:
1) how much harder are c3+c4 compared to c1+c2?
2)is the jump between c3 and c4 big?
3) is m2 a lot more difficult in terms of content and in the exam questions?


1. C4
2. C1
3. C3
4. C2
5. D1
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by 1 8 13 20 42
I guess C3 and M2 have the most potential to yield difficult exams out of those. C4 ought to be one of the hardest but in practice the exams are very repetitive and simple. The other three are pretty similar. Though personally I have 100 in all those except for 87 in C2, so C2 was apparently the hardest for me lel.
Edit: Oh you said include other modules. Well, that's enough to inspire me to give a rough ranking from hardest to easiest out of the ones I did.
1. FP3 Probably coloured by the exam I had, which was brutal, but yeah the material does allow for some nasty questions.
2. FP2 Typically exams aren't that hard, but grade boundaries are insane and it's very easy to drop down to an A or even a B from mistakes that ought to be inconsequential -at least that was the case in the old Edexcel spec.
3. C3 Probably responsible for the most crying of all maths modules, not a module to be underestimated if you aren't doing Further Maths. Exams are mostly easy but they like to throw out some nasty ones.
4. M2 Not really all that hard, but the same issues as M1 but with more attention required.
5. C4 Difficulty usually comes in awkward integrals or geometrical vectors questions. In general most papers are standard - obvs this is a borderline tautological statement but I hope you understand what I mean.
6. S3 Very very tedious, but usually not bad at all for a 3 module.
7. M1 Can involve 15 markers which require attention, and some people are really confused by mechanics in general. Otherwise fine.
7. FP1 Only very marginally harder than the ones that follow.
9. S1 Boring but easy if you pay attention.
10. C2 I screwed it up but generally not much different from C1.
11. S2 Finished this exam in about forty minutes. Fun and easy module, not much else to say.
12. C1 Just absolute piss really. The papers are like a 25 minute job.


This year for ocr, c4 was way harder than c3. I do agree that most of the c4 past papers are piss easy and standard but the c4 this year was hell but c3 was fine. I got 100 ums in c3 and I got the last 5 marker wrong (but everything else totally spot on). c4 on the other hand, got 92 ums which was 78% raw marks! Also I think one reason fp2 boundaries are so high because it's so late in timetable. I have a 10 day gap between fp3 and 2 with only a practical chemistry exam half way inbetween XD. Also yeah I got 88 (like 80% raw) on m1 which is my 2nd lowest score so far but it's so easy to lose marks because the hardest part is the start of the question and actually writing down the right equations based on the scenario. If you right down the wrong equations then rip all the marks for that question basically.
Reply 12
Original post by black1blade
This year for ocr, c4 was way harder than c3. I do agree that most of the c4 past papers are piss easy and standard but the c4 this year was hell but c3 was fine. I got 100 ums in c3 and I got the last 5 marker wrong (but everything else totally spot on). c4 on the other hand, got 92 ums which was 78% raw marks! Also I think one reason fp2 boundaries are so high because it's so late in timetable. I have a 10 day gap between fp3 and 2 with only a practical chemistry exam half way inbetween XD. Also yeah I got 88 (like 80% raw) on m1 which is my 2nd lowest score so far but it's so easy to lose marks because the hardest part is the start of the question and actually writing down the right equations based on the scenario. If you right down the wrong equations then rip all the marks for that question basically.


Fair enough, I'm a bit biased with my Edexcel experience of C3; 2013 was the infamous year where everyone just totally freaked out and the boundaries ended up practically on the floor. 2014 had some pretty nasty trig in it. I sat 2015 and a lot of people were pissed off at that one too; though being an FM student I had no issue, I recognized it was objectively pretty bad relative to most papers. In contrast there weren't really any standout C4s. The one I sat had an awkward question at the end but the boundaries ended up pretty high.

FP2 wasn't that late for me, in fact I sat it in the same time slot as M1 lol. I think the content differs between Edexcel and OCR as well; they might well have FP2 and FP3 pretty much swapped around. In M1 I actually got a whole 15 marker totally wrong, but the examiner made a mistake I think (didn't bother to get my script back lol). I put down a correct solution then crossed it out and replaced it with an incorrect one. I received 100 UMS, even though examiners are meant to ignore any crossed out work which is followed by another attempt. :beard:
Original post by 1 8 13 20 42
Fair enough, I'm a bit biased with my Edexcel experience of C3; 2013 was the infamous year where everyone just totally freaked out and the boundaries ended up practically on the floor. 2014 had some pretty nasty trig in it. I sat 2015 and a lot of people were pissed off at that one too; though being an FM student I had no issue, I recognized it was objectively pretty bad relative to most papers. In contrast there weren't really any standout C4s. The one I sat had an awkward question at the end but the boundaries ended up pretty high.

FP2 wasn't that late for me, in fact I sat it in the same time slot as M1 lol. I think the content differs between Edexcel and OCR as well; they might well have FP2 and FP3 pretty much swapped around. In M1 I actually got a whole 15 marker totally wrong, but the examiner made a mistake I think (didn't bother to get my script back lol). I put down a correct solution then crossed it out and replaced it with an incorrect one. I received 100 UMS, even though examiners are meant to ignore any crossed out work which is followed by another attempt. :beard:

Grr yeah I got this 8 mark momentum question wrong but I think I should have got some method marks but I also got the last 5 marker wrong which imo was basically impossible (I mean it obviously wasn't but I saw no way to do it...). I would get my script back to look at it but it's m1, I could have gotten 15 ums on it and still gotten an A*.

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