New maths and further maths A Levels

Additional Further Maths requires a deeper understanding of Mathematics as you do all of the hardest modules like M4-M5 which are seriously probably like Mechanics modulesv at university from what I have heard and they require you to be superb at pure and mechanics all at once.

An "average" 1st year university course in mechanics will cover far more, and far more quickly, than M1-M5 at A level. Typically you're going to see some combination of:...

I wouldn't say M4/M5 are anything like university mechanics (as DJ Mayes says, possible exception of variable mass). They certainly don't require you to be "superb at pure and mechanics all at once" (I might agree if you replaced "superb" with competent). It's a shame that they seem to have reduced the "differentiate the energy equation to get equations of motion" to "stable/unstable equilibrium", as I always thought this was one of the more interesting areas (kind of heading towards the concept of the Lagrangian at university)....

You both seem to be using your (Oxbridge) experience of Mechanics at Uni as the average experience for undergraduates. I went to Nottingham and the first year Mechanics was pretty simple if you'd done M1+2 and all the FPs - there was a lot of repetition. Other Unis of similar reputations have even easier courses.

You both seem to be using your (Oxbridge) experience of Mechanics at Uni as the average experience for undergraduates. I went to Nottingham and the first year Mechanics was pretty simple if you'd done M1-M3 and FP1-FP3 - there was a lot of repetition. Other Unis of similar reputations have even easier courses.

This is not necessarily the case "There is potentially a place in further mathematics for a serious strand of mathematics based on discrete mathematics and this could be considered as an additional strand alongside mechanics and statistics. However, this will require scrutiny to ensure that it will be perceived as a valuable part of further mathematics." so it looks like decision mathematics may well form part of further mathematics.Can anyone else find out where it says AFM is dead? if it is it is a real shame and shows how bad the Department of Education has become because all universities for Maths and mathematically related courses want their students to study as much mathematics as possible and I feel that Additional Further Maths gives the very best maths students a chance to stand out and enrich their mathematical study making them more prepared for their university course.

Additional Further Maths requires a deeper understanding of Mathematics as you do all of the hardest modules like M4-M5 which are seriously probably like Mechanics modulesv at university from what I have heard and they require you to be superb at pure and mechanics all at once.

Don't get into the mindset of assuming that "more modules + more qualifications = better student". As others have said, it's the depth of knowledge that matters, not the breadth.

You can take out the 2 Decision modules without hurting anyone; at least half of the current S1 content is pure drivel and not A level standard; and you can probably lose about half a module's worth of statistical tests from later modules without damaging a student's statistical foundations at all. So that's about 4 modules of content that can really be removed without compromising anything!

Also remember that when the modular system first came in, the core content was contained in three modules (P1, P2, P3) and students did P1-P3 plus three applied modules for A level! So the current dumbed-down modular system needs more modules to get to the same point and as DFranklin says, it's the basic A level that's weaker.

There really is no need for "AFM" or anything like it - the important content should be teachable within two qualifications M + FM. What we need is less "hand-holding" like "this part of the question is worth two marks, and this part is worth three" or "here's the substitution you need to do this integral".

I am doing D1 in A2 Maths so I can't take that out and I wouldn't advise stripping out sections when I may as well sit the exam and show my self-study commitment to the Cambridge University and give myself the best chance for STEP and removing D1,D2,half of S1 and half of statistical tests only adds up to three modules one of which I already must do so I may as well complete the full A-Level.

I've already answered this. Additional FM is dead.

This is a bad idea.

The rest sounds like a step in the right direction.

Why is it a bad idea?

I don't like the cutting out of content in general. Yes, depth is more important than breadth, but some useful material e.g. generating functions in S4 will presumably not be on the syllabus anymore (I don't know, haven't read the reports myself).

Even with the decision modules, they could have changed the style of questions and syllabus from 'memorise this algorithm and repeat it in the exam' to stuff that tested actual understanding of the algorithms - rather than cut them out completely.

I don't like the cutting out of content in general. Yes, depth is more important than breadth, but some useful material e.g. generating functions in S4 will presumably not be on the syllabus anymore (I don't know, haven't read the reports myself).

Even with the decision modules, they could have changed the style of questions and syllabus from 'memorise this algorithm and repeat it in the exam' to stuff that tested actual understanding of the algorithms - rather than cut them out completely.

I think that keeping the content (or indeed increasing it in the base A Levels) would be good - however the content being lost is mainly low level

If they had kept/increased the content level and improved the question style then I think there would have been rebellion - so I agree with the direction they have chosen

Less material, taught more effectively, and examined more rigorously is far better than keeping the content and keeping the overly structured questions

There is a need for students to know and understand the material if they are to use it beyond the A Level - that has to be the priority regarding the re-structure

If students wish to study more material then there is nothing to stop them

Well generating functions had already gone from Edexcel - they used to be in S5 which was an excellent module!

As I was explaining in my previous posts, don't equate loss of modules with loss of content. The modular system is hugely inefficient because it causes students and teachers to waste time on the administrative and tactical issues involved in learning, revising, sitting exams, and doing post mortems on lots of lots of modules - time that could actually be spent learning more content. There really isn't any need for a "third A level" in maths - all the useful content should be covered in two A levels.

And it really was best to put Decision Maths out of its misery. It does nothing to develop students' problem solving skills; it's a complete mish-mash of topics from different areas of maths, operational research and computing; and as the Uni admissions tutors noted, it really is seen as a soft option that doesn't teach any useful skills. You can't really deal with "understanding" of the algorithms in question because that raises questions that are actually dealt with at university - it's better to leave the relevant topics to a point where they're taught properly

You both seem to be using your (Oxbridge) experience of Mechanics at Uni as the average experience for undergraduates. I went to Nottingham and the first year Mechanics was pretty simple if you'd done M1-M3 and FP1-FP3 - there was a lot of repetition. Other Unis of similar reputations have even easier courses.