The Student Room Group

Maths or computer science a level?

im currently 4 weeks into year 12 and reconsidering one of my choices. I'd like to get into cybersecurity in the future which is why I chose computer science a level however I didn't do it at gcse. There are only 4 people in my computing class which has it pros, mainly being able to get more attention from my teachers but also has its cons; one of my teachers however doesn't go through the content properly as he expects everyone to know it from gcse but im the only one in my class who didn't do it. This makes me feel like I may fall behind in my class and I don't want to be put at a disadvantage. ive been thinking about switching to maths for a while now but have been hesitant as I only got a 6 at gcse and feel I will struggle. but ive seen people say its easier to get an A* in maths than an A in computer science. Now im not rally sure what to do. which is easier? and which would I be more likely to get an A in? and is it even too late for me to switch now?
I'd say do maths as an a level instead of computer science. I do both, but honestly, lowkey regret taking cs. CS will be very time consuming with nea but so can maths with revision. However, Maths can be quite easy to get top marks since you just need practice a lot, and plus its more widely accepted for cs uni.

its ok if u got a 6 in maths, as long as you do work. If you do the questions of each topic/unit u did in class at home, you'll be fine
Original post by tomsk dub h
im currently 4 weeks into year 12 and reconsidering one of my choices. I'd like to get into cybersecurity in the future which is why I chose computer science a level however I didn't do it at gcse. There are only 4 people in my computing class which has it pros, mainly being able to get more attention from my teachers but also has its cons; one of my teachers however doesn't go through the content properly as he expects everyone to know it from gcse but im the only one in my class who didn't do it. This makes me feel like I may fall behind in my class and I don't want to be put at a disadvantage. ive been thinking about switching to maths for a while now but have been hesitant as I only got a 6 at gcse and feel I will struggle. but ive seen people say its easier to get an A* in maths than an A in computer science. Now im not rally sure what to do. which is easier? and which would I be more likely to get an A in? and is it even too late for me to switch now?

To be honest, with a 6 in GCSE maths, you probably won't get an A*/A in A level.
Consider taking both?
Original post by sound-famous-
To be honest, with a 6 in GCSE maths, you probably won't get an A*/A in A level.


That’s not true,you can get A-A* if u put the effort in
Original post by tomsk dub h
im currently 4 weeks into year 12 and reconsidering one of my choices. I'd like to get into cybersecurity in the future which is why I chose computer science a level however I didn't do it at gcse. There are only 4 people in my computing class which has it pros, mainly being able to get more attention from my teachers but also has its cons; one of my teachers however doesn't go through the content properly as he expects everyone to know it from gcse but im the only one in my class who didn't do it. This makes me feel like I may fall behind in my class and I don't want to be put at a disadvantage. ive been thinking about switching to maths for a while now but have been hesitant as I only got a 6 at gcse and feel I will struggle. but ive seen people say its easier to get an A* in maths than an A in computer science. Now im not rally sure what to do. which is easier? and which would I be more likely to get an A in? and is it even too late for me to switch now?


Take maths ! If you want to do a computer science related degree, most unis will require maths a level and CS a level is deffo not a most. Because at uni they teach everything from scratch anyway. Cs ale so is a plus but not important, but maths is very important if u want to pursue tech at uni
Reply 6
Original post by mounia.snf
That’s not true,you can get A-A* if u put the effort in


Yh but the honest truth is that A level maths is a big step up from GCSE. You need to plough a lot of time into A level maths doing monotonous questions over and over again. At least with a CS nea your doing your own project with your own scope and objectives
Original post by tomsk dub h
im currently 4 weeks into year 12 and reconsidering one of my choices. I'd like to get into cybersecurity in the future which is why I chose computer science a level however I didn't do it at gcse. There are only 4 people in my computing class which has it pros, mainly being able to get more attention from my teachers but also has its cons; one of my teachers however doesn't go through the content properly as he expects everyone to know it from gcse but im the only one in my class who didn't do it. This makes me feel like I may fall behind in my class and I don't want to be put at a disadvantage. ive been thinking about switching to maths for a while now but have been hesitant as I only got a 6 at gcse and feel I will struggle. but ive seen people say its easier to get an A* in maths than an A in computer science. Now im not rally sure what to do. which is easier? and which would I be more likely to get an A in? and is it even too late for me to switch now?

The truth is, maths A-Level is very different to what it was at GCSE. If you want to do a course related to computing, chances are that the uni will ask for maths, usually at least a grade A or B. Your decision pretty much needs to be: "Am I willing to lock in and get a good grade in maths? It'll be very hard work, (from my experience a lot harder than memorising theory for CS), and it will take a lot of effort for you to develop those skills and get those high grades. I just want to say, don't pick A-Level maths and then regret it when you don't put in the work to succeed at it.

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