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Is using CIE books for Edexcel International A-Level Maths okay?

A relative of mine who took CIE A Level Maths last year kindly gave me all his books for free. I'm registered to take Edexcel International AS Level Maths next year, and I'm studying with a tutor, so I need to get the resources on my own. (I'm not in a sixth form college.) Money is a bit tight, so I'd just like to stick to the resources I have if possible. Would I be missing anything or at a disadvantage if I studied with CIE books?
Original post by iz12
A relative of mine who took CIE A Level Maths last year kindly gave me all his books for free. I'm registered to take Edexcel International AS Level Maths next year, and I'm studying with a tutor, so I need to get the resources on my own. (I'm not in a sixth form college.) Money is a bit tight, so I'd just like to stick to the resources I have if possible. Would I be missing anything or at a disadvantage if I studied with CIE books?

Often A Level content within subjects is very similar across different exam boards, however it would be worth using the specification for your Edexcel A Level (can be found online on the Edexcel website) and checking the contents against your CIE books and seeing whether the books miss anything or add anything extra.

To start with, there wouldn’t be much of a problem using CIE books, but to obtain the best grade I would highly recommend getting an Edexcel-specific text book.

I’d also recommend Physics and Maths tutor for any free content for most maths and science A Levels across different exam boards, but I think getting an Edexcel-specific textbook would be your best bet.
Reply 2
Original post by lawrie123
Often A Level content within subjects is very similar across different exam boards, however it would be worth using the specification for your Edexcel A Level (can be found online on the Edexcel website) and checking the contents against your CIE books and seeing whether the books miss anything or add anything extra.

To start with, there wouldn’t be much of a problem using CIE books, but to obtain the best grade I would highly recommend getting an Edexcel-specific text book.

I’d also recommend Physics and Maths tutor for any free content for most maths and science A Levels across different exam boards, but I think getting an Edexcel-specific textbook would be your best bet.

Thanks for the reply! I guess I'll have to get the Edexcel books soon. I half expected this answer, but I wanted a second opinion just in case. And thank you for recommending Physics and Maths tutor! I'm browsing the website right now, and it seems incredibly helpful.
Original post by iz12
Thanks for the reply! I guess I'll have to get the Edexcel books soon. I half expected this answer, but I wanted a second opinion just in case. And thank you for recommending Physics and Maths tutor! I'm browsing the website right now, and it seems incredibly helpful.

No worries!
Reply 4
Original post by iz12
A relative of mine who took CIE A Level Maths last year kindly gave me all his books for free. I'm registered to take Edexcel International AS Level Maths next year, and I'm studying with a tutor, so I need to get the resources on my own. (I'm not in a sixth form college.) Money is a bit tight, so I'd just like to stick to the resources I have if possible. Would I be missing anything or at a disadvantage if I studied with CIE books?


I'm pretty sure some edexcel spec textbooks are freely available online.
(edited 4 years ago)

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