AS and A-Level Mathematics

Intent

Sixth-form pupils at Work Skills Learning study the Edexcel AS and A Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics specification.

KS5 is split into Mathematics and Further Mathematics, both of which are further split into Core and Applied topics. The complexity of study increases, and students engage with new mathematical concepts and methods, such as the binomial theorem.

KS5 invites pupils to enhance the breadth and depth of their mathematical knowledge covering pure math, mechanics and statistics with a deeper emphasis on developing and assessing reasoning, problem-solving skills and modelling.

A Level Mathematics challenges pupils to gain mastery in their subject in order to fully develop the skills required to study Mathematics, in any sense, at higher education.

A Level Further Mathematics course is broader and deeper than A-level Mathematics and introduces new mathematical concepts that have wide applications in engineering, physical sciences, economics and computing.

Implementation

At Work Skills Learning, we implement our curriculum through using a variety of teaching approaches and tasks:

• Thorough course planning and schemes of work
• Assessing students’ prior understanding
• Address misconceptions and holes in GCSE knowledge
• Providing strong foundations for the next stage of their mathematical journey
• Support for problem-solving, modelling and large data sets.
• Preparing for exams through past papers and mock tests to identify the topics and skills where further learning is required.

Impact

The A-Level examinations are made up of three papers:

• Paper 1: Pure Mathematics 1
• Paper 2: Pure Mathematics 2
• Paper 3: Statistics and Mechanics

Students must complete all assessments in May/June in any single year. This allows our students to find an apprenticeship or go on to further education.