A level Mathematics - what is it like?
Hey, so I'm considering taking A Level Mathematics but so far have been told it's going to be very difficult and not enjoyable by some of my friends, so I was wondering what is it truly like? Is it as bad as everyone says? I got a grade 8 (equivalent to an A*) and have enjoyed maths at gcse level and sort of found doing questions and finding the answer quite calming and enjoyable (if that makes sense). So please could someone give me some unbiased insight? 
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Hi,
Well done on your brilliant maths grade!
I did Maths at A-level and for AS they really ease you in, the content in pure maths for the first two modules feels very like GCSE. Before we started A levels properly, our teacher made sure that we could get almost full marks on a GCSE paper to make sure we had all the content from the previous years before starting anything new.
Your AS level will probably be made up of pure maths (which is what you will have done at GCSE - all the good stuff like algebra, graphs etc), mechanics (basically a bit of physics - pulleys, forces etc) and stats (probability, distributions etc). It’s all quite nicely organised into these 3 groups!
AS level I thought was fine - the pure content is really interesting, mechanics and stats was a bit trickier as I’ve never been particularly keen on physics. A-level was a step up, the content was trickier but it’s still a brilliant course. If you love maths I’d say go for it - your GCSE shows you have the skills and ability to make it work! Whatever A-level you pick it’s going to be tricky so choose the ones you will enjoy putting the work into.
Hope this helps!
Well done on your brilliant maths grade!
I did Maths at A-level and for AS they really ease you in, the content in pure maths for the first two modules feels very like GCSE. Before we started A levels properly, our teacher made sure that we could get almost full marks on a GCSE paper to make sure we had all the content from the previous years before starting anything new.
Your AS level will probably be made up of pure maths (which is what you will have done at GCSE - all the good stuff like algebra, graphs etc), mechanics (basically a bit of physics - pulleys, forces etc) and stats (probability, distributions etc). It’s all quite nicely organised into these 3 groups!
AS level I thought was fine - the pure content is really interesting, mechanics and stats was a bit trickier as I’ve never been particularly keen on physics. A-level was a step up, the content was trickier but it’s still a brilliant course. If you love maths I’d say go for it - your GCSE shows you have the skills and ability to make it work! Whatever A-level you pick it’s going to be tricky so choose the ones you will enjoy putting the work into.
Hope this helps!
Original post by DM321
Hi,
Well done on your brilliant maths grade!
I did Maths at A-level and for AS they really ease you in, the content in pure maths for the first two modules feels very like GCSE. Before we started A levels properly, our teacher made sure that we could get almost full marks on a GCSE paper to make sure we had all the content from the previous years before starting anything new.
Your AS level will probably be made up of pure maths (which is what you will have done at GCSE - all the good stuff like algebra, graphs etc), mechanics (basically a bit of physics - pulleys, forces etc) and stats (probability, distributions etc). It’s all quite nicely organised into these 3 groups!
AS level I thought was fine - the pure content is really interesting, mechanics and stats was a bit trickier as I’ve never been particularly keen on physics. A-level was a step up, the content was trickier but it’s still a brilliant course. If you love maths I’d say go for it - your GCSE shows you have the skills and ability to make it work! Whatever A-level you pick it’s going to be tricky so choose the ones you will enjoy putting the work into.
Hope this helps!
Well done on your brilliant maths grade!
I did Maths at A-level and for AS they really ease you in, the content in pure maths for the first two modules feels very like GCSE. Before we started A levels properly, our teacher made sure that we could get almost full marks on a GCSE paper to make sure we had all the content from the previous years before starting anything new.
Your AS level will probably be made up of pure maths (which is what you will have done at GCSE - all the good stuff like algebra, graphs etc), mechanics (basically a bit of physics - pulleys, forces etc) and stats (probability, distributions etc). It’s all quite nicely organised into these 3 groups!
AS level I thought was fine - the pure content is really interesting, mechanics and stats was a bit trickier as I’ve never been particularly keen on physics. A-level was a step up, the content was trickier but it’s still a brilliant course. If you love maths I’d say go for it - your GCSE shows you have the skills and ability to make it work! Whatever A-level you pick it’s going to be tricky so choose the ones you will enjoy putting the work into.
Hope this helps!
That helps a lot, it's quite reassuring that they wouldn't just throw us in the deep end. And I'm also going to be taking physics so I'm guessing that will be helpful with a level mathematics as they seem to have similar topics.
Thank you so much, I feel so much more sure about this course now
Original post by 273544
That helps a lot, it's quite reassuring that they wouldn't just throw us in the deep end. And I'm also going to be taking physics so I'm guessing that will be helpful with a level mathematics as they seem to have similar topics.
Thank you so much, I feel so much more sure about this course now
Thank you so much, I feel so much more sure about this course now
No problem!Let me know if you want to know anything else about the course 😊
Original post by 273544
Hey, so I'm considering taking A Level Mathematics but so far have been told it's going to be very difficult and not enjoyable by some of my friends, so I was wondering what is it truly like? Is it as bad as everyone says? I got a grade 8 (equivalent to an A*) and have enjoyed maths at gcse level and sort of found doing questions and finding the answer quite calming and enjoyable (if that makes sense). So please could someone give me some unbiased insight?
I didn’t find it anywhere near as difficult as everyone makes it out to be; I guess that probably had a lot to do with the fact that I actually really enjoyed it and was willing to put a lot of effort into it. But honestly, It’s very doable if you realise how much work goes into learning it (alongside your other subjects). Prepare to do a lot of work outside of lessons (that goes for all A levels), as you’ll only cover the basics during lessons. Aslong as you do a lot of independent learning, you won’t struggle : )
Original post by DM321
No problem!Let me know if you want to know anything else about the course 😊
Okay thank you so much
Original post by pieham
I didn’t find it anywhere near as difficult as everyone makes it out to be; I guess that probably had a lot to do with the fact that I actually really enjoyed it and was willing to put a lot of effort into it. But honestly, It’s very doable if you realise how much work goes into learning it (alongside your other subjects). Prepare to do a lot of work outside of lessons (that goes for all A levels), as you’ll only cover the basics during lessons. Aslong as you do a lot of independent learning, you won’t struggle : )
Okay thank you! Do you know any good resources for a level maths?
Original post by 273544
That helps a lot, it's quite reassuring that they wouldn't just throw us in the deep end. And I'm also going to be taking physics so I'm guessing that will be helpful with a level mathematics as they seem to have similar topics.
Thank you so much, I feel so much more sure about this course now
Thank you so much, I feel so much more sure about this course now
Original post by DM321
No problem!Let me know if you want to know anything else about the course 😊
do you know any good resources?
Original post by 273544
do you know any good resources?
The holy grail of maths resources for me would be A-level Maths Revision ( https://alevelmathsrevision.com/maths-categorised-exam-questions/ ), they do exam questions by topic which are so useful if there's a certain sub-topic within a chapter that you really want to focus on. Maths genie does a similar thing (https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk/newalevel.html) where they sort it by topic. You will also get a textbook filled with loads of questions - for Edexcel, you can get 13 questions per module within a chapter as well as a mixed exercise and review exercise so they will probably be the main thing you use when getting to grips with the content and applying it to a question then you can expand to the other websites.
Original post by 273544
Hey, so I'm considering taking A Level Mathematics but so far have been told it's going to be very difficult and not enjoyable by some of my friends, so I was wondering what is it truly like? Is it as bad as everyone says? I got a grade 8 (equivalent to an A*) and have enjoyed maths at gcse level and sort of found doing questions and finding the answer quite calming and enjoyable (if that makes sense). So please could someone give me some unbiased insight?
Not that hard, coming from someone who got a 6 at gcse maths. Should cope well if you got an 8, just do the work lol.
https://www.mathsnet.com/index.php?ref=HOME&mode=syllabus&s=INTRO
mathsnet you pay about £20 a year, but that covers all the different syllabuses. very good value.
mathsnet you pay about £20 a year, but that covers all the different syllabuses. very good value.
Original post by 273544
Okay thank you! Do you know any good resources for a level maths?
You can find past papers (or just practice questions) online; challenge yourself as much as you can ! Also, when I didn’t understand something I’ve learnt, I watched TLMaths on youtube - really recommend !
Original post by DM321
The holy grail of maths resources for me would be A-level Maths Revision ( https://alevelmathsrevision.com/maths-categorised-exam-questions/ ), they do exam questions by topic which are so useful if there's a certain sub-topic within a chapter that you really want to focus on. Maths genie does a similar thing (https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk/newalevel.html) where they sort it by topic. You will also get a textbook filled with loads of questions - for Edexcel, you can get 13 questions per module within a chapter as well as a mixed exercise and review exercise so they will probably be the main thing you use when getting to grips with the content and applying it to a question then you can expand to the other websites.
okay thank you so much! the course is exactly edexcel so that's really helpful!
Original post by noyou1234
Not that hard, coming from someone who got a 6 at gcse maths. Should cope well if you got an 8, just do the work lol.
aha yeah i plan on making the most out of the lessons so i dont have to stress later
Original post by the bear
https://www.mathsnet.com/index.php?ref=HOME&mode=syllabus&s=INTRO
mathsnet you pay about £20 a year, but that covers all the different syllabuses. very good value.
mathsnet you pay about £20 a year, but that covers all the different syllabuses. very good value.
ohhhhh that's interesting... i will definitely give it a go and 20 pounds a year seems like a hell of a deal considering some people can charge that much just for one exam pack aha thank you!!
Original post by pieham
You can find past papers (or just practice questions) online; challenge yourself as much as you can ! Also, when I didn’t understand something I’ve learnt, I watched TLMaths on youtube - really recommend !
i remember watching one of his videos for gcse maths didnt know he made some for a levels!! thank you!!!
Original post by 273544
Hey, so I'm considering taking A Level Mathematics but so far have been told it's going to be very difficult and not enjoyable by some of my friends, so I was wondering what is it truly like? Is it as bad as everyone says? I got a grade 8 (equivalent to an A*) and have enjoyed maths at gcse level and sort of found doing questions and finding the answer quite calming and enjoyable (if that makes sense). So please could someone give me some unbiased insight?
Okay so I'm slightly biased because I love maths but honestly, if you put the work in, it isn't super hard. You will have to put a lot of work in (some exercises and topics will take a while to do) but it is one of the most rewarding A-Levels there is and looks great on any application. If you enjoy maths then take it
Original post by PhantomMercy
Okay so I'm slightly biased because I love maths but honestly, if you put the work in, it isn't super hard. You will have to put a lot of work in (some exercises and topics will take a while to do) but it is one of the most rewarding A-Levels there is and looks great on any application. If you enjoy maths then take it
i love maths too!! and i will try to put in 100% or more effort on most days without burning out tho!! thank you
Hey! I got an 8 in GCSE too, and have just got an A* in A-Level maths this year. The only difference between you & I is that I lowkey hated maths in year 11, so you're already ahead of me there 
But I'm so so glad I did A-Level maths because now I really enjoy it as a subject, and I feel like I understand it so much more. It's a very useful A-Level to have, and if you're doing any science A-Levels then I think you'll find it helpful in those too (just in terms of knowing how to rearrange equations and parts of statistics that you'll learn). It is hard in parts, but speak up when you don't understand & keep practising and you'll be absolutely fine. I used to hate asking for help, but its been so useful and I had some great teachers! The first month was difficult but it gets better, you WILL improve so don't beat yourself up if you do a bit bad in your first few tests Also I can't recommend the DrFrost website enough, its a really good revision resource for both GCSE and A-Level maths
But I'm so so glad I did A-Level maths because now I really enjoy it as a subject, and I feel like I understand it so much more. It's a very useful A-Level to have, and if you're doing any science A-Levels then I think you'll find it helpful in those too (just in terms of knowing how to rearrange equations and parts of statistics that you'll learn). It is hard in parts, but speak up when you don't understand & keep practising and you'll be absolutely fine. I used to hate asking for help, but its been so useful and I had some great teachers! The first month was difficult but it gets better, you WILL improve so don't beat yourself up if you do a bit bad in your first few tests
Also I can't recommend the DrFrost website enough, its a really good revision resource for both GCSE and A-Level maths Original post by tipexmaster25
Hey! I got an 8 in GCSE too, and have just got an A* in A-Level maths this year. The only difference between you & I is that I lowkey hated maths in year 11, so you're already ahead of me there
But I'm so so glad I did A-Level maths because now I really enjoy it as a subject, and I feel like I understand it so much more. It's a very useful A-Level to have, and if you're doing any science A-Levels then I think you'll find it helpful in those too (just in terms of knowing how to rearrange equations and parts of statistics that you'll learn). It is hard in parts, but speak up when you don't understand & keep practising and you'll be absolutely fine. I used to hate asking for help, but its been so useful and I had some great teachers! The first month was difficult but it gets better, you WILL improve so don't beat yourself up if you do a bit bad in your first few tests Also I can't recommend the DrFrost website enough, its a really good revision resource for both GCSE and A-Level maths
But I'm so so glad I did A-Level maths because now I really enjoy it as a subject, and I feel like I understand it so much more. It's a very useful A-Level to have, and if you're doing any science A-Levels then I think you'll find it helpful in those too (just in terms of knowing how to rearrange equations and parts of statistics that you'll learn). It is hard in parts, but speak up when you don't understand & keep practising and you'll be absolutely fine. I used to hate asking for help, but its been so useful and I had some great teachers! The first month was difficult but it gets better, you WILL improve so don't beat yourself up if you do a bit bad in your first few tests
Also I can't recommend the DrFrost website enough, its a really good revision resource for both GCSE and A-Level maths grade twins
) and well done on getting an a* in maths that's just amazing, congratulations!!! i'm going to do physics a level too so i'm getting doing maths with it will be helpful!! and i get you on the asking for help.. sometimes i feel so stupid or like i shouldnt be in a class just because i dont get something, hopefully i will stop being like that for the most part! thank you for the advice!
and i havent actually ever heard of dr frost but will sure check it out! thank you so much for the reassurance and advice
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