maths help, so hard a-level

I got all 9s at GCSE in 10 subjects, including 90% in Maths. I am now doing Maths and Further Maths at a-level. I find it so hard, because I did not do further maths at GCSE. We have to do all of A level maths in the next 2 terms, and I just started year 12. What do I do? Everyone feels so ahead of me and I can't focus and it is making me panic a bit. The pace is too fast, but I need to take 2 maths subjects for my university choice. How do I revise and catch up, or do I even have the aptitude?

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous

I got all 9s at GCSE in 10 subjects, including 90% in Maths. I am now doing Maths and Further Maths at a-level. I find it so hard, because I did not do further maths at GCSE. We have to do all of A level maths in the next 2 terms, and I just started year 12. What do I do? Everyone feels so ahead of me and I can't focus and it is making me panic a bit. The pace is too fast, but I need to take 2 maths subjects for my university choice. How do I revise and catch up, or do I even have the aptitude?

I got 7 9s and 3 8s in my gsces, also went on to take maths and further maths alevels, and am doing 4 a levels in total. I am in year 13 now, and also learnt maths a level in about 2 terms last year aswell. I didn’t do further maths gcse and found everything to be ok. I think I remember it seemed a bit fast paced and hard at the start but you end up doing so much maths you naturally get better and things start to feel easier. Topics I found hard at the start of a level maths are easy for me now, purely because I’ve done so much maths! I didn’t do extra maths either, only ever in class, completing homework and revision for tests and ofc mocks. If by October half term, you find that you are still struggling, I’d recommend asking teachers for some extra help, watching YouTube videos as well to help (maybe before the lessons so you already have a brief understanding, or after the lesson if you want more consolidation). Also go through each topic with some past paper questions once you’ve finished each topic for good consolidation even if you don’t have an end of topic test. If you have gone to your lessons, completed your homework and understood the mistakes you made, and gone through past paper questions at the end of the topics and you feel confident you’ll probably feel alot stronger. However, if you find by Christmas or whenever you are starting to finish year 1 of a level maths that you are genuinely struggling then just drop further maths, it won’t become any easier and even if you keep doing it for the sake of it because you need it for uni, when you get to uni you won’t enjoy your course.

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

OP

If I am feeling behind now, is it possible to still catch up and recover stuff considering that it has literally been one full week and a couple days? Thank you so so much for your response. It is super hard now, but I do think that I should be capable of catching up and performing better as time progresses. Please give me some more advice.

Reply 3

Peach_rose34

10

Original post by Anonymous

I got all 9s at GCSE in 10 subjects, including 90% in Maths. I am now doing Maths and Further Maths at a-level. I find it so hard, because I did not do further maths at GCSE. We have to do all of A level maths in the next 2 terms, and I just started year 12. What do I do? Everyone feels so ahead of me and I can't focus and it is making me panic a bit. The pace is too fast, but I need to take 2 maths subjects for my university choice. How do I revise and catch up, or do I even have the aptitude?

Further maths is weird. The first month is was deceptively easy, the rest of autumn/winter it was awful and then after that point in y12 it didn’t get easier, I just got used to the awfulness and constant difficulty. I don’t regret taking it but y13 starts off way more difficult than anything in y12 so I would say it will get more difficult as time goes on and you just adapt and get great at maths , but you have to like it enough to put a fair amount of effort in.

There’ll be a point where you’ve done so much maths in such a short time that conceptually you understand algebra and calculus incredibly well, and just by constantly pushing yourself most a level maths is easy. There’s some absolute genius’s in further maths, I know a couple, but most of us just are really hard working and muddle through topics sometimes. It’s ok, and very common, so don’t worry.

Reply 4

Anonymous #3

Original post by Anonymous

I got all 9s at GCSE in 10 subjects, including 90% in Maths. I am now doing Maths and Further Maths at a-level. I find it so hard, because I did not do further maths at GCSE. We have to do all of A level maths in the next 2 terms, and I just started year 12. What do I do? Everyone feels so ahead of me and I can't focus and it is making me panic a bit. The pace is too fast, but I need to take 2 maths subjects for my university choice. How do I revise and catch up, or do I even have the aptitude?

I got a low 7 at GCSE maths, but got A*s in A-Level maths and further maths throughout the whole of year 12. Make sure not to skip any piece of content and make sure you understand it because it will haunt you later. If you don't understand it just practice, it's the best way.

maths help, so hard a-level

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