Is A level Maths really difficult?
I’ve started year 12 this year with biology, chemistry and history and hope to do chemistry or biochemistry at uni afterwards. I’ve been to my history lessons and I’m not enjoying it at all. I feel like I’m always dreading history now however I do find it kind of easy.
I want to swap history for maths as I enjoy maths more however find it slightly difficult. I’ve been told by everyone it will be really hard and I’ll struggle (I got a 7/A in GCSE maths and enjoyed it a lot). Should I swap to maths or stick with history? I fear that maths might be too hard by what I’ve been told and last year I was really confident with taking it at A level. Other people’s opinions on it put me off and scared me tbh
I want to swap history for maths as I enjoy maths more however find it slightly difficult. I’ve been told by everyone it will be really hard and I’ll struggle (I got a 7/A in GCSE maths and enjoyed it a lot). Should I swap to maths or stick with history? I fear that maths might be too hard by what I’ve been told and last year I was really confident with taking it at A level. Other people’s opinions on it put me off and scared me tbh
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Original post by Isha8080
I have until tomorrow to swap... great
If you enjoy maths the all power to you, but I take it and i can say yeah, Its incredibly difficult. How well did you do in gcse? I got an 8 and i feel like im falling behind in maths HARD, so don't take the decision lightly.
I have a friend who left maths and took sociology and she said it was the best decision of her life.
Also if you didnt take it immediatelly you'll be behind already, gotta work twice as hard.
Original post by Isha8080
I’ve started year 12 this year with biology, chemistry and history and hope to do chemistry or biochemistry at uni afterwards. I’ve been to my history lessons and I’m not enjoying it at all. I feel like I’m always dreading history now however I do find it kind of easy.
I want to swap history for maths as I enjoy maths more however find it slightly difficult. I’ve been told by everyone it will be really hard and I’ll struggle (I got a 7/A in GCSE maths and enjoyed it a lot). Should I swap to maths or stick with history? I fear that maths might be too hard by what I’ve been told and last year I was really confident with taking it at A level. Other people’s opinions on it put me off and scared me tbh
I want to swap history for maths as I enjoy maths more however find it slightly difficult. I’ve been told by everyone it will be really hard and I’ll struggle (I got a 7/A in GCSE maths and enjoyed it a lot). Should I swap to maths or stick with history? I fear that maths might be too hard by what I’ve been told and last year I was really confident with taking it at A level. Other people’s opinions on it put me off and scared me tbh
People say all sort of things, ignore them all and do maths. I remember people telling me on here that if you don't get an A in A-Level Mathematics you'd struggle in Mathematics and Statistics BSc(Hons) yet I got 64% in my second year and got a B in A-Level Mathematics. You be fine.
(edited 3 years ago)
I am in year 13 doing a level maths, it is very difficult and requires a lot of practice, time and focus. I got a 7 at gcse and seem to struggle as most people in my classes got 9s. If your willing to put in the work it’s a good subject however it is something you have to put a lot of time into
Original post by Isha8080
I’ve started year 12 this year with biology, chemistry and history and hope to do chemistry or biochemistry at uni afterwards. I’ve been to my history lessons and I’m not enjoying it at all. I feel like I’m always dreading history now however I do find it kind of easy.
I want to swap history for maths as I enjoy maths more however find it slightly difficult. I’ve been told by everyone it will be really hard and I’ll struggle (I got a 7/A in GCSE maths and enjoyed it a lot). Should I swap to maths or stick with history? I fear that maths might be too hard by what I’ve been told and last year I was really confident with taking it at A level. Other people’s opinions on it put me off and scared me tbh
I want to swap history for maths as I enjoy maths more however find it slightly difficult. I’ve been told by everyone it will be really hard and I’ll struggle (I got a 7/A in GCSE maths and enjoyed it a lot). Should I swap to maths or stick with history? I fear that maths might be too hard by what I’ve been told and last year I was really confident with taking it at A level. Other people’s opinions on it put me off and scared me tbh
You'll have more opportunity of getting onto a degree course with Maths A level. If you do all the set work and ask when you are stuck then you should be fine.
There are some great free resources to help
Original post by Gary S
If you enjoy maths the all power to you, but I take it and i can say yeah, Its incredibly difficult. How well did you do in gcse? I got an 8 and i feel like im falling behind in maths HARD, so don't take the decision lightly.
I have a friend who left maths and took sociology and she said it was the best decision of her life.
Also if you didnt take it immediatelly you'll be behind already, gotta work twice as hard.
I have a friend who left maths and took sociology and she said it was the best decision of her life.
Also if you didnt take it immediatelly you'll be behind already, gotta work twice as hard.
I really enjoyed GCSE maths and found it quite easy (because of this years grading system my grade was moved down from a 8 to a 7). I’m scared of taking it idk what to doo
Original post by federam
People say all sort of things, ignore them all and do maths. I remember people telling me on here that if you don't get an A in A-Level Mathematics you'd struggle in Mathematics and Statistics BSc(Hons) yet I got 64% in my second year and got a B in A-Level Mathematics. You be fine.
I spoke to my head of year at my Sixthform and she said it will be really difficult as I only got a 7
Original post by Isha8080
I spoke to my head of year at my Sixthform and she said it will be really difficult as I only got a 7
I also got told by my secondary head of school that I wouldn't get into University let alone Mathematics. They just trying to boost their school performance statistics, go ahead with it and adapt. Now I am in my final year specializing in Data Analytics.
Original post by Aholland09
I am in year 13 doing a level maths, it is very difficult and requires a lot of practice, time and focus. I got a 7 at gcse and seem to struggle as most people in my classes got 9s. If your willing to put in the work it’s a good subject however it is something you have to put a lot of time into
The struggle is what’s putting me off otherwise I do enjoy maths
Original post by federam
I also got told by my secondary head of school that I wouldn't get into University let alone Mathematics. They just trying to boost their school performance statistics, go ahead with it and adapt. Now I am in my final year specializing in Data Analytics.
I think I might go ahead with it then but if I struggle then there’s not much I can do ):
Original post by Isha8080
I think I might go ahead with it then but if I struggle then there’s not much I can do ):
Try to adapt to Mathematics, you can message me if you'd want for techniques. However, for AS-Level it is mostly getting all the formulas, calculation methods etc... and just doing 50 questions until its automatic in your head. Practice practice practice.
Original post by Isha8080
I’ve started year 12 this year with biology, chemistry and history and hope to do chemistry or biochemistry at uni afterwards. I’ve been to my history lessons and I’m not enjoying it at all. I feel like I’m always dreading history now however I do find it kind of easy.
I want to swap history for maths as I enjoy maths more however find it slightly difficult. I’ve been told by everyone it will be really hard and I’ll struggle (I got a 7/A in GCSE maths and enjoyed it a lot). Should I swap to maths or stick with history? I fear that maths might be too hard by what I’ve been told and last year I was really confident with taking it at A level. Other people’s opinions on it put me off and scared me tbh
I want to swap history for maths as I enjoy maths more however find it slightly difficult. I’ve been told by everyone it will be really hard and I’ll struggle (I got a 7/A in GCSE maths and enjoyed it a lot). Should I swap to maths or stick with history? I fear that maths might be too hard by what I’ve been told and last year I was really confident with taking it at A level. Other people’s opinions on it put me off and scared me tbh
Depends if you have a maths brain or essay brain. If you are better at essays, stick with history. If you are good at doing algebra and mathsy stuff, swap. I find maths super easy, and struggle with essays so for me geography was way harder than maths, f. Maths and physics combined!!!. Good luck making your decision!
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by federam
People say all sort of things, ignore them all and do maths. I remember people telling me on here that if you don't get an A in A-Level Mathematics you'd struggle in Mathematics and Statistics BSc(Hons) yet I got 64% in my second year and got a B in A-Level Mathematics. You be fine.
I mean no disrespect but alevels are standardised, whereas unis arent. If you got 64% at cambridge or imperial maths i’d be impressed. You can’t compare a 64% there with a 64% at a lower ranked uni because the lower ranked uni’s maths degrees are more basic/less hard.
Original post by Isha8080
I think I might go ahead with it then but if I struggle then there’s not much I can do ):
I wouldn't worry, after a little time you will acclimate to it, but keep your spirits up as it can be a little overwhelming around the beginning of year 13, things kinda just get needlessly complicated.
Definatelly go for it if you think remembering HOW to do something is what you're good at. (RRather than remembering WHAT something is like in the humanities)
Original post by boulderingislife
I mean no disrespect but alevels are standardised, whereas unis arent. If you got 64% at cambridge or imperial maths i’d be impressed. You can’t compare a 64% there with a 64% at a lower ranked uni because the lower ranked uni’s maths degrees are more basic/less hard.
Mathematics is a hard skill so unless its Oxbridge, Imperial and whatever at the moment is on top 5, it doesn't matter where you go. Majority of large companies aren't biased towards Oxbridge due to degree but its due to the people being miles ahead in preparing for internships etc... I noticed how disproportional of top university first years vs average uni second/third years were in Bright Network Internship Experience UK.
A-Level entry requirements is to filter out applicants mostly. I'm guessing you haven't graduated or been to University yet.
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by federam
Mathematics is a hard skill so unless its Oxbridge, Imperial and whatever at the moment is on top 5, it doesn't matter where you go. Majority of large companies aren't biased towards Oxbridge due to degree but its due to the people being miles ahead in preparing for internships etc... I noticed how disproportional of top university first years vs average uni second/third years were in Bright Network Internship Experience UK.
A-Level entry requirements is to filter out applicants mostly. I'm guessing you haven't graduated or been to University yet.
A-Level entry requirements is to filter out applicants mostly. I'm guessing you haven't graduated or been to University yet.
You guessed wrong. I graduated many years ago.
Hard for some people, less so for others. There is no objective way to measure the difficulty of a subject, and it really does come down to how well your educational background has prepared you for it and how motivated you are to put in the work to keep on top of it. If you got an A in GCSE Maths and are otherwise generally scientifically inclined I think you'll probably find A-level Maths something you can cope with at the very least however.
I would note that for a chemistry degree, there is a moderate amount of maths involved, at least a low (A-level equivalent) level plus some maths at higher levels (although that might be more implicit depending how the relevant areas are taught). So I would recommend taking A-level Maths now if that is something you seriously want to pursue, as you will have much more time and support from your school to learn that content compared to learning it from scratch in a degree through a couple of lectures a week in a lecture theatre of 100+ students.
I would note that for a chemistry degree, there is a moderate amount of maths involved, at least a low (A-level equivalent) level plus some maths at higher levels (although that might be more implicit depending how the relevant areas are taught). So I would recommend taking A-level Maths now if that is something you seriously want to pursue, as you will have much more time and support from your school to learn that content compared to learning it from scratch in a degree through a couple of lectures a week in a lecture theatre of 100+ students.
I'm taking maths and am in y13 rn if you got a 7 in maths, personally I think you'll be alright if it's a subject you enjoy and you're willing to put the effort in. My school recommended anyone wanting to take it had at least a 6, and a 7 or above was ideal. Your 6th form head isn't wrong though- the subject is difficult (and it looks pretty scary if you look at some of the questions from an outside perspective!) but, as I'm sure you'll soon find in your other subjects, most A-Levels aren't easy!
Why is it that you feel you've got to switch history? Of course, changing A-Levels is fine and lots of kids do it in their first term, is it because you're finding it a jump from GCSEs? I didn't take history, but do you think it would be worth sticking at it for a bit to see if it gets better? I found in all my subjects, especially maths, that the first couple of months was hard, it was a lot of work and I didn't get all of it. A year on, I'm fine now and even though the new content is hard, just know that at some point (as long as you put in the effort, time, and ask for help when you need it) it will get better. What I mean to say is you'll probably find your first month or two in maths hard too.
Whatever subject you're in, especially at the start, everyone thinks that they're falling behind and they're dumb for not getting it but you're really not, the chances are is if the kids with 7/8/9 don't get it either it's because its a difficult topic!
if you got a 7 in maths, personally I think you'll be alright if it's a subject you enjoy and you're willing to put the effort in. My school recommended anyone wanting to take it had at least a 6, and a 7 or above was ideal. Your 6th form head isn't wrong though- the subject is difficult (and it looks pretty scary if you look at some of the questions from an outside perspective!) but, as I'm sure you'll soon find in your other subjects, most A-Levels aren't easy!Why is it that you feel you've got to switch history? Of course, changing A-Levels is fine and lots of kids do it in their first term, is it because you're finding it a jump from GCSEs? I didn't take history, but do you think it would be worth sticking at it for a bit to see if it gets better? I found in all my subjects, especially maths, that the first couple of months was hard, it was a lot of work and I didn't get all of it. A year on, I'm fine now and even though the new content is hard, just know that at some point (as long as you put in the effort, time, and ask for help when you need it) it will get better. What I mean to say is you'll probably find your first month or two in maths hard too.
Whatever subject you're in, especially at the start, everyone thinks that they're falling behind and they're dumb for not getting it but you're really not, the chances are is if the kids with 7/8/9 don't get it either it's because its a difficult topic!
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