Is AQA A level Maths harder than Edexcel?

Basically.. I've taken Edexcel maths for the past 2 years at A level, and found the theory fairly managable. However for reasons I'm not going into, I won't have done very well this year and am looking to retake next year.

So the new school I've applied to does AQA maths, but my old teacher said that I'll probably find it 'a lot harder' (her words). I know this is a long shot, but is there anyone who has experienced A level maths on both boards, or has any evidence to suggest that this might be true?

Cheers.

Reply 1

gdunne42

21

No difficulty difference with C1 and C2, the topics are split slightly differently and the examiner writes the questions somewhat differently (easy to get used to with practice). I did edexcel and helped someone do AQA.

Reply 2

milan5baros

15

I think basically the question styles are just slighlty different. I wouldn't imagine there to be much difference in the levels of difficulty. But, you could have a look at some AQA papers, I will have some if you want and you could go from there.

Reply 3

eulerwaswrong

13

ive done a couple of boards to practise on. Mostly AQA and WJEC.

And the content is pretty much the same - with some bits moved about a bit - some topics on c1 instead of on c2 etc etc. But the difference is the style of the questions - its like the first time you try step the style is so much different but as soon as youve done a couple it seems ok

Reply 4

username93

1

also i am doing ocr mei and think it is alot harder than aqa and have been told that is this true

Reply 5

Mr M

20

username93

also i am doing ocr mei and think it is alot harder than aqa and have been told that is this true

The QCDA is charged with ensuring the difficulty of all specifications is identical. Any perceived differences are entirely anecdotal.

Reply 6

gcsemusicsucks

22

Hi - I thought I'd post on this topic since it seems most relevant to my situation and I think it deserve a little more recognition :biggrin:

So I'm currently in Yr 11 and I've been studying AQA GCSE Linear B Maths, along with AQA Level 2 Further Maths. Do you think I'd be at an advantage or disadvantage (that is, do you think AQA is harder or easier than Edexcel) if I were to move on to do Edexcel A Level Maths rather than AQA A Level Maths? I'm planning on doing both AS and A2. Do you think I'd be more prepared compared to other pupils who have studied GCSE Edexcel Maths rather than AQA like I have? Thanks!

Edit: I'm aware the styles are quite different in terms of answering questions but I'm hoping I can adapt to this with a bit of practise - so hopefully I can forget about this adding onto the advantages/disadvantages thing (basically I'm moving schools for sixth form and they do edexcel instead of aqa)

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 7

HapaxOromenon3

3

Original post by Mr M

The QCDA is charged with ensuring the difficulty of all specifications is identical. Any perceived differences are entirely anecdotal.

Wrong. Whilst the content might be the same, OCR MEI questions are much less formulaic and require genuine understanding - see, for example, Questions 8 and 9 of http://www.mei.org.uk/files/papers/2012_Jan_c3.pdf. The difference is even more pronounced in Further Maths, where the MEI syllabus includes university-level topics such as group theory and multivariable calculus, which no othe board covers. According to teachers here at Westminster, this is the precise reason why the school uses MEI.

Reply 8

Mr M

20

Original post by HapaxOromenon3

Wrong. Whilst the content might be the same, OCR MEI questions are much less formulaic and require genuine understanding - see, for example, Questions 8 and 9 of http://www.mei.org.uk/files/papers/2012_Jan_c3.pdf. The difference is even more pronounced in Further Maths, where the MEI syllabus includes university-level topics such as group theory and multivariable calculus, which no othe board covers. According to teachers here at Westminster, this is the precise reason why the school uses MEI.

I bow to your greater knowledge and understanding of mathematics education. Was it really worth engaging with a thread from 2009 though?

Reply 9

HapaxOromenon3

3

Original post by Mr M

I bow to your greater knowledge and understanding of mathematics education. Was it really worth engaging with a thread from 2009 though?

It's never too late for pedantry...

Is AQA A level Maths harder than Edexcel?

Related discussions

Articles for you