“Mathematics is the music of reason”- PAUL LOCKHART from “A Mathematician’s Lament”
“The essence of Mathematics is its freedom.” GEORGE CANTOR circa 1900
Mathematics is a stimulating and rewarding subject in itself, but also provides you with the tools to be able to understand many other disciplines. After all, without Mathematics you would not actually be able to complete courses in Engineering, Physics or Chemistry.
There are three levels of entry from Year 10 for Mathematics – HIGHER IGCSE, Accelerated HIGHER IGCSE and FOUNDATION IGCSE (all based upon the Edexcel International GCSE (9-1) Maths A course – code 4MA1).
Higher (possible grades 9-3 ). This is the course that most students will choose at KES. It is a challenging course that encourages the students to develop their analytical skills and reasoning ability. It builds on the work done during Years 7 to 9. Pupils wanting to continue Mathematics at AS (Advanced Supplementary) in Year 12 or A2 (Advanced) levels in Year 13 need to choose this course. This course starts in Year 10 and ends at the completion of Year 11.
Foundation (possible grades 5-1 ). This is a much easier course than Higher as it does not include many of the more complex topics. It reinforces much of the work covered in Years 7 to 9. This course is for students who struggle with Mathematics and who do not wish to take it at AS or A2 level. The course runs for two years, as with the higher option.
Higher and Foundation courses are externally assessed by two written papers at the end of Year 11, as detailed below.
HIGHER (Edexcel IGCSE 9-3) | FOUNDATION (Edexcel IGCSE 5-1) |
Paper 1H 50% weighting 2 hours duration- Calculator paper Paper 2H 50% weighting 2 hours duration – Calculator paper
Both papers are same format and cover whole of Higher and Foundation tiers
Higher papers assume knowledge of all Foundation topics | Paper 1F 50% weighting 2 hours duration – Calculator paper Paper 2F 50% weighting 2 hours duration – Calculator paper
Both papers are of the same format and cover whole of Foundation tier |
The department also offers an Accelerated Higher course of study, where the higher syllabus is covered in Year 10 ONLY instead of over two years. This means that the IGCSE examination is taken at the end of Year 10. Students who choose Accelerated Higher in Year 10 will , by signing up for it, accept that they must complete the International advanced Level (IAL) AS course in Year 11. Were they then stay for Year 12, the pupil would continue with the IAL A-Level course.
The department rationale behind offering the accelerated higher program is to facilitate the study of Further Mathematics in Year 13, which follows on from IAL A-Level.
Pupils need to be aware that the best UK universities consider Further Mathematics very favourably when offering places on numerate courses. Apart from Mathematics, of course, other such courses include all Engineering disciplines, Finance, Operational Research and, in particular, Computer Science.
Obviously, though taking AS in Year 11 has numerous benefits it is only recommended for the most able pupils in the school.
The integration of Chromebooks into the syllabus means that the mathematics department is able to embrace fully this new technology. All staff are aware that they are to use a mixture of teaching techniques as this is the only way to ensure that ALL students have a chance of progressing to the best of their ability.
Pupils who are good at this subject are in an extremely fortunate position. On leaving school with excellent AS or A2 (or Further Mathematics) qualifications, many opportunities await. University courses well suited to this subject include Architecture, Banking, Finance, Computer Science, all branches of Engineering (especially Mechanical and Civil), Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Physics, Economics, Accountancy, Stock broking, Actuarial Science and many more. In fact, students leaving university with a strong Mathematics degree will be widely sought after.
Employers will always be keen to recruit young trainees who have an affinity for decision making and who possess strong reasoning skills. The world is your oyster.
