Students who choose to study Mathematics at Key Stage 5 follow the Edexcel A level Mathematics 

Mathematics students are taught by 3 specialist teachers who offer support throughout the duration of the course. Results over the past few years have been excellent.

The courses cover pure, statistics and mechanics. They are designed to build upon the higher level material covered at GCSE, with students looking at more complex sequences, index laws, trigonometric graphs, simultaneous equations and algebraic functions. The course also looks at differentiation and integration within pure mathematics.

The statistics component looks at hypothesis testing, probability and the normal distribution and is a follow on from the statistics covered at GCSE. The mechanics component links to the material covered in Physics A level and looks at vectors, kinematics, Newton’s laws and friction.

Assessment is by three 2 hour written papers (all equal weighting) completed at the end of the course:

The most able mathematicians also have the opportunity to study the Edexcel Further Mathematics A level course at Keys Stage 5.  

This is a qualification that provides students with a coherent course of study to develop mathematical understanding, encouraging them to think, act and communicate mathematically. Designed for students who wish to study beyond Mathematics A level, it provides a solid foundation for further study in mathematics and other disciplines that make extensive use of mathematical skills.

It is assessed by four 1 hour 30 minute examinations each worth 25% of the final grade, made up of a combination of core, mechanics and statistics. Students must take both mandatory pure core papers and any two optional papers to be awarded the A Level. Should they wish to students can take more than two optional papers to increase the breadth of their course, from which the combination of papers that result in the best grade will be used by the examination board to award the qualification. 

Mathematics is relevant to many other fields of study such as the Sciences, Geography, Economics and Business Studies. If you are considering university courses, A level Mathematics is essential for some degree options such as Physics, Computing and Engineering as well as being of benefit in Chemistry, Biology, Business and Social Sciences. Its value beyond A level is also recognised.

For other career paths A level Mathematics opens opportunities in the world of commerce and business including accounting and banking. Recent research suggests that people with A level Mathematics earn approximately £3,000 per year more than those without Mathematics.

Click here to return to the Mathematics page.