The big mighty thread on FM

Unblocking a drain. What are you seeking my view about?

Do what you want to do, but be prepared for a big step up from GCSE in terms of intensity.

That was a typo, anyway i'm willing to work really hard and I'm conscientious of the intensity of A levels

Would an A at gcse level be suffcient for FM next year, considering I'm willing to work extremely hard next year

Come on guys more opinions on this

On the lse website, it says if FM Is taken then you would only need an a grade, i'm not sure as to if it will be required in the actual FM as level or the standard maths a level?

On the lse website, it says if FM Is taken then you would only need an a grade, i'm not sure as to if it will be required in the actual FM as level or the standard maths a level?

Is that for the L101 BSc Econ course? I read it as saying that if students only did FM to AS level then they would need an A grade (i.e. at the AS level), but you could always email them and ask for clarification.

Is that for the L101 BSc Econ course? I read it as saying that if students only did FM to AS level then they would need an A grade (i.e. at the AS level), but you could always email them and ask for clarification.

So this requirement has no effect in regards to the A* in the standard maths A level (e.g. moving down to an A) ?

Did you do Further to any level ?

Sorry for asking, but what are your academics like (gcses and as levels) ?

Obviously, otherwise my point would be invalid

I don't mind (information given freely in my sig).
GCSEs 9A*s 1A
ASs Economics, French, Further Maths, Maths 4As (96 over first three). Distinction in EPQesque qualification.
Predictions 4A*s and a distinction

I'm now considering FM, just waiting for the gcse result on the 18th hopefully an A, grade boundaries are like 120-125/ 200.

I think we did the same exam, I'm in year 11 and I'm getting my maths results at the same time.

In regards to the grade required for FM, a lot of the sixth forms I have looked in to have an absolute minimum of a B grade (but this is really stretching it in my opinion) at GCSE maths. There [technically] isn't a specific grade you need at GCSE in order to do well in FM, as long as you're determined and motivated in your AS/A levels you can do really well.

This is coming from someone who hasn't actually done their A levels, I'm in the same boat as you, however I've also had to make the decision of picking FM or not (with a lot of help for TSR!) and I decided to do it. I've already purchased revision guides for my A levels (I can recommend CGP guides but it depends on what exam board you're doing, find out from where you're applying) to get a head start and it's clear that to do well in AS/A level maths or FM you will need a very strong understanding on the A* topics like rearranging complex formulas and transformation of functions for example.

If you're worried about not getting the sufficient grade and having to retake, it is entirely possible to self teach yourself the topics that haven't been covered by your maths teachers yet. I sat the maths GCSE a few months early like you and therefore a lot of the key A/A* topics weren't covered, however I self-taught myself them with the help of a CD program called MathsWatch. I honestly could not put across how useful it is, it has lessons on every topic from grade D to A* for GCSE maths and the person shows you every step of pretty much every question that can be asked in a GCSE exam. I think you can't purchase MathsWatch yourself, your school needs to buy them in bulk for their students. But if you can, put some research into it and try to convince your school about how beneficial it would be for both you and the establishment's percentages of A*-C.

I'm sorry if I've gone way off-topic, I'm just trying to help as much as I can. Best of luck for your GCSEs.

thanks for the advice, but I'm defintely not going to retake again, yes I know about Mathswatch, we use it in class sessions, I just have way too many exams in 5 weeks time, therefore can't resit, but will make sure i learn the A* material in the gcse, furthermore I'll take the advice of my math teacher in taking Further maths.

By the way how many AS levels are you taking ?

There is no harm in retaking, you don't even necessarily need to revise for it seeing as you already have a GCSE in maths, so there wont be any extra pressure and no negative effect on your other exams. As long as there's a slight chance the exam is easier or you have a better understanding on the topics by that time then it's possible you get a better grade. If you don't, then you'll just use your earlier result on your applications. Simple. Sure you lose an hour and 45 minutes of your time but when there's a possibility that you'll have a better grade for the rest of your life I honestly think the positives massively outweigh the negatives. That's the sort of outlook you should have towards your education if you're hoping to get in to Cambridge, not the 'can't be bothered' attitude (I'm not saying you are like that at all, it's just it will take very little effort to re-take it and it could possibly give you the advantage over other applicants to the same uni). Anyway, I'm not going to tell you how to live your life, but imagine if you could jump a grade with only a tiny bit of effort but you choose not to take opportunity.

I realise I come across a bit mean in that paragraph, but that wasn't my intention. I'm trying to give you both sides of the situation so you can make a better informed decision, sorry.

I'm doing 4 AS levels then dropping to 3 A levels in the second year.

There is no harm in retaking, you don't even necessarily need to revise for it seeing as you already have a GCSE in maths, so there wont be any extra pressure and no negative effect on your other exams. As long as there's a slight chance the exam is easier or you have a better understanding on the topics by that time then it's possible you get a better grade. If you don't, then you'll just use your earlier result on your applications. Simple. Sure you lose an hour and 45 minutes of your time but when there's a possibility that you'll have a better grade for the rest of your life I honestly think the positives massively outweigh the negatives. That's the sort of outlook you should have towards your education if you're hoping to get in to Cambridge, not the 'can't be bothered' attitude (I'm not saying you are like that at all, it's just it will take very little effort to re-take it and it could possibly give you the advantage over other applicants to the same uni). Anyway, I'm not going to tell you how to live your life, but imagine if you could jump a grade with only a tiny bit of effort but you choose not to take opportunity.

I realise I come across a bit mean in that paragraph, but that wasn't my intention. I'm trying to give you both sides of the situation so you can make a better informed decision, sorry.

I'm doing 4 AS levels then dropping to 3 A levels in the second year.

Anyway, thanks for the advice it wasn't mean at all, what do you intend on studying at uni ?