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Opinions on A-Level Maths?

Looking at taking Maths at A-Level and I would like to hear how people find it and if they did well etc.

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Reply 1
I got an A in my AS level maths, it is quite enjoyable and if you do lots of practice questions throughout the year then revision isnt to much either.
Reply 2
Original post by chem@uni
I got an A in my AS level maths, it is quite enjoyable and if you do lots of practice questions throughout the year then revision isnt to much either.


Thank you! I think I'm definitely going to take it :smile:

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Reply 3
I love A-Level maths! I achieved a respectable A at AS this year, despite hating GCSE maths and only getting an A at GCSE. The work load is comfortable and the subject relaxing as you generally know when you've got the right answer. I'd thoroughly recommend it.
I really enjoy A-Level Maths! Got a B in AS.. only few UMS off an A. I think if you understand methods and are willing to put practice and effort into it.. go for it! :biggrin:
I did OCR AS Maths and I got a C and I was predicted an A.

I thought I was going to get an A, I got an A* at GCSE and an A in further maths. One of my two teachers was absolute **** and as a result I got a low D in my stats module which brought down my grade.

Sounds cliché but:

1. Make sure you are good at maths to begin with
2. Make sure your teachers will be good.

And preferably don't do the statistics module unless you're a robot imao

Just being honest and that's how I feel!
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 6
Original post by Marcum
I love A-Level maths! I achieved a respectable A at AS this year, despite hating GCSE maths and only getting an A at GCSE. The work load is comfortable and the subject relaxing as you generally know when you've got the right answer. I'd thoroughly recommend it.


Well done! Thank you, I think I'm definitely going to take it as most people comment positively about it.

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Reply 7
Original post by MsFahima
I really enjoy A-Level Maths! Got a B in AS.. only few UMS off an A. I think if you understand methods and are willing to put practice and effort into it.. go for it! :biggrin:


Okay I will do! Thank you :smile:

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Reply 8
Original post by WishIHadRevised
I did OCR AS Maths and I got a C and I was predicted an A.

I thought I was going to get an A, I got an A* at GCSE and an A in further maths. One of my two teachers was absolute **** and as a result I got a low D in my stats module which brought down my grade.

Sounds cliché but:

1. Make sure you are good at maths to begin with
2. Make sure your teachers will be good.

And preferably don't do the statistics module unless you're a robot imao

Just being honest and that's how I feel!


Thank you! I'm sorry that your teacher was bad, I will make sure I check the teachers for all subjects I am considering taking on open day.

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It was a real challenge, particularly A2, but I worked really hard on it and ended up with an A in A-level overall, and actually just missed out on A*. I'm not a natural mathematician at all, and it was no walk in the park , but it was rewarding in the end. If you can get a decent grade in it (probably not unless you got A*/A at GCSEs) , it's very highly regarded! :smile:
if you found GCSE maths even a little bit hard - don't do it.

if however you did nothing and got an A/A* then you'll be fine with a little practise.
should not be difficult
Reply 12
I got a B at AS and am continuing on to A2. It's fairly hard but all I will say is ask your teacher the moment you start to struggle, because once you fall behind it's a lot of work to catch up. Make sure to keep note of formulas taught to you by your teachers because they sometimes vary from those in the formula booklet and are far easier to use. And finally, past papers really are the best way to revise. All in all, it's not too much work as long as you try and keep up with the work and get in plenty of practice. My biggest problem this year was not putting enough work in outside of school and I was actually failing earlier this year.
Reply 13
I did OCR MEI maths and I really enjoyed it :smile: it was by far my hardest subject and as a result I ended up with a C in it at AS (I got AAAC at AS just for comparison). This was purely my fault as I didnt work hard enough for maths (I did D1 as my applied module and absolutely hated it haha so couldnt get motivated to revise for it) and so I didnt do as well as I would have liked. I ended up taking it at A2 because I enjoyed it more than psychology, which was actually the best decision I've ever made :tongue: After the kick in the ass I got on AS results day I worked harder for maths than any of my other subjects (bio and chem) and ended up finishing the subject with an A (6UMS off an A* unbelievably!) :biggrin:

So my point is A-level maths is a fantastic subject, but you really need to work hard for it! I got 2A*s at GCSE for maths (normal and additional maths) and so I thought it would be a cakewalk- damn was I wrong! Keep up with the classwork, go over past papers until you can do them with your eyes closed and most importantly ask for help when you need it and you will do amazingly! :biggrin:
Reply 14
I achieved an A in A-Level maths and compared to my other a levels of English lit and history it is a lot easier. Can judge how well you've done as the marking is consistent and fair, plus as long as you know the methods you can do well. I got AAA in my A-levels but my maths was close to an A*
Reply 15
If you find AS level quite hard dont take it to A2. I got 90% at AS and found A2 pretty difficult. Did manage to get an A overall though :smile:.

I did OCR MEI btw and hear it is the most difficult so see which exam board you'll be doing.
(edited 9 years ago)
I found A level maths quite different from GCSE. It wasn't too much harder but there is a lot more focus on trigonometry and calculus and pure maths like that than at GCSE. But I thoroughly enjoyed studying maths at A level, it was nice that there was always a right answer. Plus at AS all of the question styles are rather repetitive so if you do the past papers and make sure you understand them you should be fine. :smile:
Original post by Meg321
Looking at taking Maths at A-Level and I would like to hear how people find it and if they did well etc.

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Its certainly a well respected subject.
And you can use it to go into quite a few career areas.
I did OCR MEI maths AS level, it's generally recognised as one of the hardest but I found it fine! I think if you did well at GCSE (either an A or an A* preferably) than you should do fine. Also, my teachers suggested that we did as many questions in the textbook as possible throughout the year, as these tended to be harder than the ones in the exam!

I really enjoyed it as a subject, it becomes quite fun to revise for as opposed to English and my other subjects which were all essay based, because the answer is either right or wrong, which makes it relaxing and easier to revise for in my opinion.

I would definitely recommend AS maths even if you are looking at an arts based degree like I am. It's relaxing and very logical, which helps you in many areas of life!

Good luck with your A levels! :wink:
Reply 19
Original post by thesnorkmaiden
It was a real challenge, particularly A2, but I worked really hard on it and ended up with an A in A-level overall, and actually just missed out on A*. I'm not a natural mathematician at all, and it was no walk in the park , but it was rewarding in the end. If you can get a decent grade in it (probably not unless you got A*/A at GCSEs) , it's very highly regarded! :smile:


Well done! I will see what I end up getting for GCSE's and hope I get an A/*

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