GCSE Edexcel Maths and Further Maths support

Hey guys, I did my maths and further maths GCSE Edexcel exams this year, and recently I've seen a lot of questions from soon-to-be year 11's that are going to start doing further maths in september. I'm making this thread so you guys can ask any questions you have about the two topics, and I'll try my best to answer them!

Reply 1

Meriam Mkadmi

Hii

I’m currently in Year 11, and I’m going to sit my FP Maths exam this June hopefully. I’m kinda stuck on this question, and would appreciate some help with it x))

Reply 2

DisneylandChina

Hi, first of all, thanks for the question and sorry for the late reply. It's been such a long time and I guess it's that time of year again!

When it asks for the position vector, essentially it is just asking for a vector that starts from the origin, so you have to find

\vec{OM}

From part a, you should have gotten p = 6 and q = -4.
(I'm going to use column vector notation because I find it easier than writing out i's and j's all the time.)
This gives us that

\vec{OB} = \begin{pmatrix} 12 \\ -4 \end{pmatrix}

and

\vec{OC} = \begin{pmatrix} 6 \\ 4 \end{pmatrix}

Now, because the point D lies on

\vec{OB}

, we know that

\vec{OD} = k\vec{OB}

, where k is some scalar constant. However, because

\vec{DC}

is parallel to

\vec{OA}

, we can deduce using similar triangles that k = 1/3. Which makes sense if you try and draw a diagram.

So this gives us that

\vec{OD} = 1/3\begin{pmatrix} 12 \\ -4 \end{pmatrix}

At this point, it is relatively easy. I'm sure finding k was the problem you had, so I'll leave it here for you to finish! Just remember to try drawing a diagram, they can really help, especially with vectors.

Good luck, and let me know if you need any additional hints!

Reply 3

Luckystars500

Original post by DisneylandChina

should I still take further maths even if we only really started doing it now? I do one lesson after school once every week

Reply 4

DisneylandChina

Original post by Luckystars500

should I still take further maths even if we only really started doing it now? I do one lesson after school once every week

Thank you for the question. I started learning further maths around February time, which gave me 4 months to prepare for my exams.

At first, it was just like your structure of lessons with one per week. But as the exams got closer, it became 4 times a week.

The biggest thing I learned about Further Maths (at least, for Edexcel's IGCSE) was that the questions are practically the same every year. If you are intent on taking FM, you have to be committed to practising the subject even outside of school. One or two hours a week won't cut it. You just have to continually do practice papers, and it won't be that difficult to pick up.

FM is all about practice. Don't think too much about it being a qualification though, think of it as an experience. It will definitely prove beneficial to you if you want to take Maths or Further Maths at A-Level.

While I would recommend that you do take FM, you have to be realistic. Will it affect your other studies? Are you performing well enough in normal maths that you think you can do further maths? Are you willing to spend your time outside of school practising?

In the end, it's your decision to make.
Good luck with your GCSEs nonetheless!

Reply 5

goku21699

Original post by Meriam Mkadmi

Hii

I’m currently in Year 11, and I’m going to sit my FP Maths exam this June hopefully. I’m kinda stuck on this question, and would appreciate some help with it x))

dont mind me asking, but r u a girl or boy?