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Maths Alevel being made easier.

Reply 40

tammypotato

12

IntegralAnomaly

what will happen to p4 , p5 and p6?

i think they r gonna stay the same and become P4,5 and 6 orP1,2,3
(more sure about P1,2,3)

Reply 41

Revelation

1

Ive just looked at edexcels new sylabbus (sp) for 2004 and it appears that the C1 exam you arent allowed to use and calculating aids ie calculators!
ref: http://www.edexcel.org.uk/VirtualContent/48832/GCE_Mathematics_Specification.pdf - page 27. what you think to that? I think its pretty good, im glad i dont have to do C1, i hate not using a calc.

Reply 42

chats

2

Revelation

Ive just looked at edexcels new sylabbus (sp) for 2004 and it appears that the C1 exam you arent allowed to use and calculating aids ie calculators!
ref: http://www.edexcel.org.uk/VirtualContent/48832/GCE_Mathematics_Specification.pdf - page 27. what you think to that? I think its pretty good, im glad i dont have to do C1, i hate not using a calc.

thats mad, never known a maths paper to disallow calculators (xcept gcse)

Reply 43

KerChing

10

Mysticmin

So, the old syllabus consisted of P1 + P2 for single maths, and P3 + P4 for double, Now its P1-3 for single, and P4-6 for double. And they're going to change it back to the old one? :confused:

What a waste of...

i think it also depends on the school that you go to, our school chooses to do p1-p4, s1 and m1 for single maths... and the double maths lot do 14modules (12 of which they select for certification). so there is no set modules that need to be taken (for the current AS/A2) but i think they may force you to take certain modules (pure/applications) on the new syllabus

Reply 44

Zapsta

Sorry, how are they planning to make maths A-Level easier again?

Reply 45

Revelation

1

Zapsta

Sorry, how are they planning to make maths A-Level easier again?

The original modules of P1..P3 are now being spread into C1..C4. for an AS level you only need to do C1,C2 and either: M1,S1 or D1. e.g. C1, C2 and M1 will make up an AS level. A2 gets abit more complicated. But as you can see theres alot of work being reduced.

Reply 46

makesomenoise

1

Zapsta

Sorry, how are they planning to make maths A-Level easier again?

By watering down each module, basically, and spreading the workload of the modules over a wider range of modules.

Reply 47

tammypotato

12

Revelation

The original modules of P1..P3 are now being spread into C1..C4. for an AS level you only need to do C1,C2 and either: M1,S1 or D1. e.g. C1, C2 and M1 will make up an AS level. A2 gets abit more complicated. But as you can see theres alot of work being reduced.

A2 is nt geting harder at all

Reply 48

makesomenoise

1

tammypotato

A2 is nt geting harder at all

He means the choices of modules for A2 gets more complicated.

Reply 49

tammypotato

12

XTinaA

He means the choices of modules for A2 gets more complicated.

how is that coz u can either do
C3C4M2
or C3C4S1
or C3C4M1(if u did S1 at As)

Reply 50

Rich

2

fishpaste

I take it you're doing alevel maths next year then? =P

I think it's a shame you won't meet integration until A2, it's not difficult, and it's very powerful.

How many A-level, let alone AS-level students do you think actually have a clue what they're doing and why it works when they integrate, apart from following a few rules laid out by their teachers...? How many students don't know what a Riemann sum is, yet they claim to know how to integrate? Most, if not nearly all I would say. It's a shame, we're breeding a culture of trained monkeys.

Reply 51

makesomenoise

1

tammypotato

how is that coz u can either do
C3C4M2
or C3C4S1
or C3C4M1(if u did S1 at As)

The ifs and buts you just described (though minor) are the complications.

Reply 52

Bhaal85

9

fishpaste

My teacher was telling me today that P1 (or C1) as it will be called is now not going to include ANY integration.

What do you think about the change in the syllabuses to make it more accessible? I think it's pretty bizarre that somebody doing an AS in maths will never meet integration at all.

That is ridiculous, me personally, I find it silly that it won't have any integration, as integration and its basic principles are the basis of more advanced stuff like P2 and P3, and should really be taught as soon as possible. At P1 level, its only very basic, and to be quite frank, compared with the other modules is perhaps the most easiest. I don't see why it needs to be 'dumbed' down.

Reply 53

makesomenoise

1

rahaydenuk

How many A-level, let alone AS-level students do you think actually have a clue what they're doing and why it works when they integrate, apart from following a few rules laid out by their teachers...? How many students don't know what a Riemann sum is, yet they claim to know how to integrate? Most, if not nearly all I would say. It's a shame, we're breeding a culture of trained monkeys.

Slightly unfair, there are the enthusiasts among us.

Reply 54

Rich

2

XTinaA

Slightly unfair, there are the enthusiasts among us.

Yes, there are, but I expect they make up a minority as I said, rather than a majority.

Reply 55

makesomenoise

1

rahaydenuk

Yes, there are, but I expect they make up a minority as I said, rather than a majority.

Well us enthusiasts will have a maths degree. How much more mighty will we be then.

Reply 56

Bhaal85

9

There are different types of people out there. Those that enjoy maths purely for the love of the subject, those who do math, those who understand maths, and then there are those who take math but fail miserably at it.

Reply 57

fishpaste

OP

rahaydenuk

How many A-level, let alone AS-level students do you think actually have a clue what they're doing and why it works when they integrate, apart from following a few rules laid out by their teachers...? How many students don't know what a Riemann sum is, yet they claim to know how to integrate? Most, if not nearly all I would say. It's a shame, we're breeding a culture of trained monkeys.

I can't say I'm at all familiar with the term Riemann sum. Are you saying we should teach people more fundamental, rigorous calculus from the start?

Reply 58

meepmeep

fishpaste

I can't say I'm at all familiar with the term Riemann sum. Are you saying we should teach people more fundamental, rigorous calculus from the start?

Personally, I think that fundamental, rigorous calculus would not actually help many people who just take maths as an A-level without wanting to do it at uni. It would most likely just put people off, when the application of mathematics is useful in many other applications, particularly in science, when arguably people don't need to know the fundamental principles but just how to apply them.

Fair enough, if you want to study mathematics at university, then further maths should cater for this demand with the more rigorous background to mathematics.

However, maths is currently chronically short of subject teachers (can't quote the source, but approximately half off all maths graduates next year would have to do a PGSE in maths to satisfy current demand). If the current situation continues, the crisis will only continue (you only have to look at the increase in the average age of teachers to see that a few years down the line, there will be a whole lot of posts coming up). We need teachers for A-level, granted, but we also need teachers for GCSE. Without the necessary teacher, maths would be in danger of seriously damaging itself, with non-specialist teachers forced to teach mathematics, meaning the nest group or taught worse causing the quality to dimish again, a spiral which is difficult to stop.

I know it's annoying when you've done your A-level and they go and make the thing easier (although two years ago, AQA P1 had a modal score of 0), but sadly, maths to the more general audience at A-level can no longer enshirne itself as elitist (though I'd argue that further maths should cater for such candidates more).

Reply 59

me!

8

I'm taking maths for AS in September then hopefully for A2 too. I would've liked to have done futher maths but my school doesn't offer it (and wouldn't for only 2 students).

Maths Alevel being made easier.

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