How hard is further maths at a level?

How do you know if you should take further maths and get high grades? I'd really like to take it but I don't think it would be worth it if I got a low grade for it.

Reply 1

_Dirac_

Original post by Eriikkaa

How do you know if you should take further maths and get high grades? I'd really like to take it but I don't think it would be worth it if I got a low grade for it.

I’m taking FM and its not too hard, given you’re prepared to work, say 2/3 hours a day in first year purely dedicated to maths. I’d advise you get a 8/9 in gcse maths to do FM, please don’t listen to the dodgy requirement of 7 for FM, those people are setting you up to flop, unless you work 4 hours a day with a grade 7 during FM, you won’t get above a D/C

Reply 2

Notnek

Original post by Eriikkaa

How do you know if you should take further maths and get high grades? I'd really like to take it but I don't think it would be worth it if I got a low grade for it.

Are you just starting Year 12? What did you get in GCSE maths?

It's piss

Although this is just a rumour, I've heard it is harder than normal maths

Reply 5

DrSebWilkes

I don't know what the big deal is tbh. It's just more maths; it's not any harder.

Reply 6

Eriikkaa

Original post by Notnek

Are you just starting Year 12? What did you get in GCSE maths?

I'm in year 11 now, so I'm thinking about next year

Reply 7

Jarred

It's not the easiest A-Level, some would argue it is possibly the hardest because it's the only A-Level that's the next level up from an already existing A-Level subject. Of course, it is all dependent on what you're good at, because in practise I found it an order of magnitude easier than Chemistry for example (I got an A* in FM and a B in chem) To me, FM still felt like an exercise in applying the recipes over and over again, so as much as it felt like a lot of revision at the time, I realise now that I never really struggled with it. I just learnt a recipe, practised until it was second nature, and scored well in each exam. You never have to come up with the recipe as you would at uni.

At the same time I saw some very intelligent and competent peers struggle at this subject. If your school allows you to switch A-Levels in the first few weeks of taking them then just try it out and see how it goes.

GCSE may also be a good indicator - in my opinion it's not worth even considering FM without the A* in Maths at GCSE. Anyone who can't master the content at that easy level is not going to get good enough for FM. This doesn't mean it will be easy if you DO get the A* at GCSE though.

The spec has changed since I took it, but I've looked at some specimen papers this year and it doesn't look much harder to me.

Edit: as a final remark, taking A-Level FM was definitely the best decision I made at A-Level! I absolutely loved it, and I find it useful to this day.