The Student Room Group

AQA Level 2 Further Maths IGCSE - How to get an A^ (distinction)?

Hello. I am doing Further Maths this year. The exams are on June 15th and June 19th.
I have completed all of the past papers and have managed to get an A^ in them, but I am worried that I will get a lower mark on the real exam due to difficult questions.
Has anyone on here achieved an A^ in FM? I hope to get it in the real exam, so if anyone has any tips for it, they would be really appreciated.

If anyone is doing the exam this year, we can discuss revision or talk about the exam once it is over.

Thanks :smile:

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
i know loads that have. TBh the grade boundaries arent even that high. It's just that a lot of people are forced to do it, due to like grammar school or something and they tend to do bad on purpose due to lack of revision. Thats better for people like u who revise and get high grades.
Original post by Loci Pi
Hello. I am doing Further Maths this year. The exams are on June 15th and June 19th.
I have completed all of the past papers and have managed to get an A^ in them, but I am worried that I will get a lower mark on the real exam due to difficult questions.
Has anyone on here achieved an A^ in FM? I hope to get it in the real exam, so if anyone has any tips for it, they would be really appreciated.

If anyone is doing the exam this year, we can discuss revision or talk about the exam once it is over.

Thanks :smile:


I did it and got an A^. Just keep doing past papers and make sure to think creatively and don't give up straight away as some questions are a bit difficult. Make sure that you know the table that reminds you all the cos, sin and tan values as it could come up twice in the non-calculator paper.

Don't stress too much and hopefully you should be fine! As said above the grade boundaries are low. It was 145 last year for an A^ and I only got in by three marks.:colondollar:

To be honest it was the most enjoyable exam and I would be more worried about exams such as English Language right now.

Also just curious is it true that the new spec maths is harder than further maths now?
Reply 3
Original post by AspiringUnderdog
I did it and got an A^. Just keep doing past papers and make sure to think creatively and don't give up straight away as some questions are a bit difficult. Make sure that you know the table that reminds you all the cos, sin and tan values as it could come up twice in the non-calculator paper.

Don't stress too much and hopefully you should be fine! As said above the grade boundaries are low. It was 145 last year for an A^ and I only got in by three marks.:colondollar:

To be honest it was the most enjoyable exam and I would be more worried about exams such as English Language right now.

Also just curious is it true that the new spec maths is harder than further maths now?


it's head to head rn. In a way the 9-1 is more challenging even if u know the content, cuz u have to think for a while in it. Whereas the further maths is just knowing the methods.
Original post by Pretish
it's head to head rn. In a way the 9-1 is more challenging even if u know the content, cuz u have to think for a while in it. Whereas the further maths is just knowing the methods.


Ah yeah that's fair enough. They give you the easy part of calculus and matrices in further maths. Interesting though as you won't do matrices until university if you don't take further maths and domain doesn't come up at all in AS maths, pretty sure that it does in C3 though. It may be different for your year though.
Reply 5
Thanks for the FM tips. On your results does it tell you how close to the boundary you were?
Reply 6
Original post by Loci Pi
Thanks for the FM tips. On your results does it tell you how close to the boundary you were?


i think it gives u the percentage so u can use that to determine how close u were.
Original post by Loci Pi
Thanks for the FM tips. On your results does it tell you how close to the boundary you were?


For subjects that don't have ums I'm pretty sure that it doesn't feel you. They always send your marks to the school though so I was able to ask the exam's officer and she showed me on her computer.
Reply 8
Original post by AspiringUnderdog
For subjects that don't have ums I'm pretty sure that it doesn't feel you. They always send your marks to the school though so I was able to ask the exam's officer and she showed me on her computer.

Ok thanks :smile:
Reply 9
Original post by Pretish
i think it gives u the percentage so u can use that to determine how close u were.


Thanks.
Original post by Pretish
i think it gives u the percentage so u can use that to determine how close u were.


It doesn't.
Reply 11
Is anyone doing this exam on Thursday? Does anyone want to make predictions on what will come up on the non-calculator exam?
I think the the topics that come up will be:

Transforming the unit square using matrices.
Algebraic matrices with a simultaneous equation
Simplifying algebraic fractions
Simplifying surds
Rationalising the denominator
Quadratic graphs
Linear graphs
Equation of a normal (you often have to find equation of a tangent, but you haven't had to find the normal for a few years)
Trig identities (finding the values of sin/cos/tan)
Sine/Cosine rule proof using surds
Ratios
Original post by Loci Pi
Is anyone doing this exam on Thursday? Does anyone want to make predictions on what will come up on the non-calculator exam?
I think the the topics that come up will be:

Transforming the unit square using matrices.
Algebraic matrices with a simultaneous equation
Simplifying algebraic fractions
Simplifying surds
Rationalising the denominator
Quadratic graphs
Linear graphs
Equation of a normal (you often have to find equation of a tangent, but you haven't had to find the normal for a few years)
Trig identities (finding the values of sin/cos/tan)
Sine/Cosine rule proof using surds
Ratios


certain areas have always shown up:

angles inside a 3d shape
simulataneous equations using matrices
indices
and ratio questions where they ask put this in terms of this etc.
Reply 13
Thanks. Trig/Pythagoras in a 3d shape will probably come up in the calculator paper on Monday. I hope Thursday's paper is mainly algebraic - I'm better at algebra than angles and geometry.
Original post by Loci Pi
Thanks. Trig/Pythagoras in a 3d shape will probably come up in the calculator paper on Monday. I hope Thursday's paper is mainly algebraic - I'm better at algebra than angles and geometry.


dw, further maths is purely algebra and numbers and geometry. they rareley ever use analogies (stories) in the papers.
Original post by Loci Pi
Is anyone doing this exam on Thursday? Does anyone want to make predictions on what will come up on the non-calculator exam?
I think the the topics that come up will be:

Transforming the unit square using matrices.
Algebraic matrices with a simultaneous equation
Simplifying algebraic fractions
Simplifying surds
Rationalising the denominator
Quadratic graphs
Linear graphs
Equation of a normal (you often have to find equation of a tangent, but you haven't had to find the normal for a few years)
Trig identities (finding the values of sin/cos/tan)
Sine/Cosine rule proof using surds
Ratios


Im doing it on thursday, I'm a bit unsure of how its going to go
Reply 16
Original post by Pretish
dw, further maths is purely algebra and numbers and geometry. they rareley ever use analogies (stories) in the papers.

Yeah that's one of the things that I prefer about Further Maths. Usually if it has an analogy in FM you just need to form and solve an equation or draw a diagram anyway. Hopefully the exam won't be too hard this year - I know people at my school found last year's particularly difficult.

Btw are you planning on memorising all of the matrices for each transformation?
Original post by Loci Pi
Yeah that's one of the things that I prefer about Further Maths. Usually if it has an analogy in FM you just need to form and solve an equation or draw a diagram anyway. Hopefully the exam won't be too hard this year - I know people at my school found last year's particularly difficult.

Btw are you planning on memorising all of the matrices for each transformation?


nope. I know how to work out a matrix transformation in the exam.
Reply 18
Original post by Mermaidqueen
Im doing it on thursday, I'm a bit unsure of how its going to go

Same. I have been doing well on past papers but I'm worried that a really hard question will make me lose marks, or I might run out of time. Try to relax though, I'm sure with enough revision the exam will go well.

Btw, are you planning on remembering the matrices for each transformation?
Original post by AspiringUnderdog
I did it and got an A^. Just keep doing past papers and make sure to think creatively and don't give up straight away as some questions are a bit difficult. Make sure that you know the table that reminds you all the cos, sin and tan values as it could come up twice in the non-calculator paper.

Don't stress too much and hopefully you should be fine! As said above the grade boundaries are low. It was 145 last year for an A^ and I only got in by three marks.:colondollar:

To be honest it was the most enjoyable exam and I would be more worried about exams such as English Language right now.

Also just curious is it true that the new spec maths is harder than further maths now?


im a bit worried :frown: i dont revise FM-been to busy with other subjects and I have been able to get A* in practice stuff (not really a big deal bc gb r so low) but im worried bc i think i cant pull off the A^ in the real thing bc i reaally want it-and id be trying to by only one days worth of revision, im good at maths and i love calculus or...the little amounts of it that we actually do, but its scARyyy!! help is it still possible or am i doomed ; (

Quick Reply

Latest