Further Maths Module Selection Confusion

Original post by Student 1011

Hi all, am currently self-studying further maths on a gap year and am quite confused by the module selection as shown in the spec. Is 'Further Pure 1' at AS the same as 'Further Pure 1' as described in the A-Level spec? Same with the others is stats 1 the same content in both years? If so can I choose say Further Pure 1 and stats 1 at both a-level and AS? Or if I choose FP1 at AS can I not take it at A-Level?

AS and A Level are now two entirely separate qualifications so they don't share any exams. Most students don't do AS and I question whether you need to if you're self-studying? My guess would be no and if that's the case then I recommend ignoring everything that mentions "AS" and just focus on A Level maths.

Reply 2

OP

Oh really, you think just completely ignore AS and focus on A2? Do you think there would be any disadvantage to doing so in terms of Uni apps? Is the AS content not a precursor to the A2? Am already half-way through C1

Reply 3

Original post by Student 1011

Oh really, you think just completely ignore AS and focus on A2? Do you think there would be any disadvantage to doing so in terms of Uni apps? Is the AS content not a precursor to the A2? Am already half-way through C1

Before I reply to this can you please clarify whether you're a UK student or an international student?

Reply 4

OP

Technically don't live in the UK but would be doing GCE Further and not the international variant. At this point, I am thinking maybe cover the AS content to ensure my base maths improves, cover the A2 content and then only sit A2. But then is it even really worth not sitting AS...

Reply 5

Original post by Student 1011

Technically don't live in the UK but would be doing GCE Further and not the international variant. At this point, I am thinking maybe cover the AS content to ensure my base maths improves, cover the A2 content and then only sit A2. But then is it even really worth not sitting AS...

Ok so you will be sitting A Level Further Maths and not International A Level Further Maths.

The AS content is identical to year 1 of the A Level content. There is no such thing as "A2" anymore. A Level textbooks will have titles like "Year 1 / AS" and "Year 2". You will need to know all of the Year 1 and Year 2 content before you take the A Level exams.

When do you plan to sit the A Level exams? If it's next June then there's no point at all taking AS exams.

Reply 6

Pangol

15

Original post by Student 1011

Technically don't live in the UK but would be doing GCE Further and not the international variant. At this point, I am thinking maybe cover the AS content to ensure my base maths improves, cover the A2 content and then only sit A2. But then is it even really worth not sitting AS...

Speaking for the Edexcel English A Level:

•

Core Pure 1 is entirely first year (AS).

•

Core Pure 2 is entirely second year (A2).

•

All of the other units span both years. So, for example, if you do FM1, there is some first year content and some second year content.

•

If you were to take AS exams at the end of the first year, they would only include the first year content, whereas the exams at the end of the course would include content from both years.

It is worth studying the first year content first, as the second year content is more advanced. The Pearson text books clearly indicate which content is first year and which is second year.

Reply 7

OP

Ok I see where you are coming from. Yeah **** it may aswell skip doing the AS exam. Wait a second... I self-studied all of Year 13 and booked all my exams etc right. I sat all my AS levels and then sat all my A-Levels on top of them. Was that entirely pointless? Do schools in the UK only sit the A-Level at the end of the second year and not the AS?

Reply 8

Original post by Pangol

Speaking for the Edexcel English A Level:

•

Core Pure 1 is entirely first year (AS).

•

Core Pure 2 is entirely second year (A2).

•

All of the other units span both years. So, for example, if you do FM1, there is some first year content and some second year content.

•

If you were to take AS exams at the end of the first year, they would only include the first year content, whereas the exams at the end of the course would include content from both years.

It is worth studying the first year content first, as the second year content is more advanced. The Pearson text books clearly indicate which content is first year and which is second year.

This is not correct. For A Level, Core Pure 1 and Core Pure 2 assess pure content across the whole of A Level further maths.

Reply 9

Original post by Student 1011

Ok I see where you are coming from. Yeah **** it may aswell skip doing the AS exam. Wait a second... I self-studied all of Year 13 and booked all my exams etc right. I sat all my AS levels and then sat all my A-Levels on top of them. Was that entirely pointless? Do schools in the UK only sit the A-Level at the end of the second year and not the AS?

If students are planning to do the full A Level then they will only sit the A Level exams in Year 13 and may or may not sit the AS Level exams in Year 12 (most don't now). They won't sit both in Year 13 because that's pointless, as you say.

Reply 10

OP

Wow I am one dumb mother****er then, sat an extra 7 exams at a cost of ~£400 for no reason. Kinda wish I didn't know.

Original post by Sir Cumference

If students are planning to do the full A Level then they will only sit the A Level exams in Year 13 and may or may not sit the AS Level exams in Year 12 (most don't now). They won't sit both in Year 13 because that's pointless, as you say.

Reply 11

Original post by Student 1011

Wow I am one dumb mother****er then, sat an extra 7 exams at a cost of ~£400 for no reason. Kinda wish I didn't know.

Were these definitely UK A Level exams and not IAL exams?

If they were UK exams then that does seem pointless and it's a shame that you wasted the money. Self-studying can cause these problems because students don't have the support of a school to do the admin work :frown:

Reply 12

OP

Definitely UK A-Levels as I was in Y12 in the UK before moving abroad. Yeah for whatever reason I just assumed that all students took both A2 and AS, as used to be the case. Oh well everything worked out fine and alot of the content was the same anyway.

So in conclusion to this thread, I need to study both AS and A-Level content as I will be examined on each but only need to sit the A-Level papers which have content from both AS and A-Level modules eg AS FP1 and A-Level FP1 topics are in the A-Level FP1 paper.

Thanks for your help!

Reply 13