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Not sure how to revise for Level 3 Core Maths in college

(Sorry this is in the A-Levels forum this was the most relevant forum I could find and this is my first time posting on the student room)

Hi, I'm really not good at this sort of thing and the research I have done has just left me more confused so I would appreciate if anybody could help.

I'm 18 and after dropping out at 16 I'm going to start college in September 2024 while it's still free.

I'm doing a Level 3 Technical Baccalaureate in my chosen subject and part of that is Level 3 Core Maths, which my soon to be tutor told me is equivalent to AS level maths. This is because it's a regular 2 year Level 3 Course. The first year will be the Maths part which whilst talking to the tutor she kept saying it was AS level and the second year will be an EPQ in the course subject.

The thing is I passed maths through the skin of my teeth due to mental health problems and since I left school I haven't really done any high level maths so I'm worried about how rusty I am and would like to prepare myself.

I wanna do some pre-revision for it to make my life easier and the best way I revise is through textbooks, however nobody at the college has been able to tell me the exam board that they use for the Level 3 Core Maths. So I'm not sure the best way to go forward? Should I just pick an exam board at random and buy their textbook?

Maybe I should refresh myself on GCSE maths so I have the foundation there before moving onto the harder Level 3 Core Maths? Like how 16 year olds will come straight from GCSE knowledge.

Sorry if I sound like an idiot but I get so confused about all these different qualifications and just wanna prepare the best way I can before the year starts.

Thanks for reading if you did.
Reply 1
First thing to do is not panic. Maths is a daunting subject but anyone can do well at it. With regards to textbooks, many,are freely available online along with lots of other resources. I would recommend the AS edexcel book. It is blue and has year 1 on the front. It is fairly cheap but could definitely be found for free online. It is good that you want to start revising yourself. It will be challenging but also rewarding. Try not to worry about your past relationship with maths. When you start at AS level, it is pretty self contained so as long as you do plenty of practice and stick at it, you will do really well.

Good luck.
Reply 2
Original post by Berrybloom
(Sorry this is in the A-Levels forum this was the most relevant forum I could find and this is my first time posting on the student room)
Hi, I'm really not good at this sort of thing and the research I have done has just left me more confused so I would appreciate if anybody could help.
I'm 18 and after dropping out at 16 I'm going to start college in September 2024 while it's still free.
I'm doing a Level 3 Technical Baccalaureate in my chosen subject and part of that is Level 3 Core Maths, which my soon to be tutor told me is equivalent to AS level maths. This is because it's a regular 2 year Level 3 Course. The first year will be the Maths part which whilst talking to the tutor she kept saying it was AS level and the second year will be an EPQ in the course subject.
The thing is I passed maths through the skin of my teeth due to mental health problems and since I left school I haven't really done any high level maths so I'm worried about how rusty I am and would like to prepare myself.
I wanna do some pre-revision for it to make my life easier and the best way I revise is through textbooks, however nobody at the college has been able to tell me the exam board that they use for the Level 3 Core Maths. So I'm not sure the best way to go forward? Should I just pick an exam board at random and buy their textbook?
Maybe I should refresh myself on GCSE maths so I have the foundation there before moving onto the harder Level 3 Core Maths? Like how 16 year olds will come straight from GCSE knowledge.
Sorry if I sound like an idiot but I get so confused about all these different qualifications and just wanna prepare the best way I can before the year starts.
Thanks for reading if you did.

The different courses have quite different content so it would be good for you to know which you are doing. Most college web sites would make it clear. https://amsp.org.uk/app/uploads/2023/06/AMSP-maths-comparison-1.pdf

The study requirements and UCAS value of Core Maths is similar to an AS in Maths BUT the content you learn/use is not the same. Core maths is much more about applying maths than it is about the pure maths (more advanced algebra, trigonometry etc) that takes up most of the A level. Much of Core maths is applying GCSE level knowledge to resolve practical problems. Your college will teach you the Core maths content, most people with a pass in GCSE maths should be able to cope with it. I would recommend you brush up on your GCSE skills so you are ready to learn it.

The Mathsgenie web site is an excellent place for maths revision. If you know which weaker topics you want to work on, or you know your rough working grade then start there and work your way up. If you can handle most of the grade 5 and grade 6 topics you should be good to go. If you have time and want to follow a programme of gradual improvement then follow their work scheme and take the tests to prove to yourself you are ready to move on.
https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk/gcse.html
https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk/scheme.html
Corbett maths 5 a day is a nice way of doing a little bit of maths practice every day to build up skill and confidence, start with foundation and move up as you improve. They have lots of topic revision and practice resources to choose from. The GCSE Maths Tutor on YouTube is another excellent resource for explaining topics you need help with. Third Space Learning do some great free worksheets, easy to follow topic summaries and useful predicted papers around exams time.
https://www.youtube.com/@TheGCSEMathsTutor
https://corbettmaths.com/5-a-day/gcse/
https://thirdspacelearning.com/secondary-resources/

If you set up a free account on the Dr Frost Web site you can do past papers online that are marked for you and you can see where you need to do some revision. I also really like the way it lets you build your own topic tests interactively so you can work on any weak areas.
https://www.drfrostmaths.com/
(edited 5 months ago)
Reply 3
Original post by gdunne42
The different courses have quite different content so it would be good for you to know which you are doing. Most college web sites would make it clear. https://amsp.org.uk/app/uploads/2023/06/AMSP-maths-comparison-1.pdf
The study requirements and UCAS value of Core Maths is similar to an AS in Maths BUT the content you learn/use is not the same. Core maths is much more about applying maths than it is about the pure maths (more advanced algebra, trigonometry etc) that takes up most of the A level. Much of Core maths is applying GCSE level knowledge to resolve practical problems. Your college will teach you the Core maths content, most people with a pass in GCSE maths should be able to cope with it. I would recommend you brush up on your GCSE skills so you are ready to learn it.
The Mathsgenie web site is an excellent place for maths revision. If you know which weaker topics you want to work on, or you know your rough working grade then start there and work your way up. If you can handle most of the grade 5 and grade 6 topics you should be good to go. If you have time and want to follow a programme of gradual improvement then follow their work scheme and take the tests to prove to yourself you are ready to move on.
https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk/gcse.html
https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk/scheme.html
Corbett maths 5 a day is a nice way of doing a little bit of maths practice every day to build up skill and confidence, start with foundation and move up as you improve. They have lots of topic revision and practice resources to choose from. The GCSE Maths Tutor on YouTube is another excellent resource for explaining topics you need help with. Third Space Learning do some great free worksheets, easy to follow topic summaries and useful predicted papers around exams time.
https://www.youtube.com/@TheGCSEMathsTutor
https://corbettmaths.com/5-a-day/gcse/
https://thirdspacelearning.com/secondary-resources/
If you set up a free account on the Dr Frost Web site you can do past papers online that are marked for you and you can see where you need to do some revision. I also really like the way it lets you build your own topic tests interactively so you can work on any weak areas.
https://www.drfrostmaths.com/

Thank you so much for clearing this up, you have no idea how much it has helped. I went down a bit of a google rabbit hole trying to figure out what I should be doing. I also got it confused with AS level maths, when the tutor compared it to that.

I think I'm going to take your advice and just brush up on my general GCSE knowledge for now as the website doesn't say which exam board they're with and though I've emailed most staff members will be on leave for the summer holidays.

Thank you again for the help and all of the resources you provided.

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