Mathematics Course Leaflet 17-18

GCSE Maths and Level 2 Certificate in Use of Mathematics ABOUT the subject

ABOUT the subject

If you have a grade 3 at GCSE Maths, you will be required to re-sit this during your time at Huddersfield New College.

There is also the opportunity to work towards a grade 5 for those who need to improve beyond grade 4.

Students achieving less than grade 3 first complete the Level 2 Certificate. As well as helping you to gain the skills and confidence to be successful later at GCSE, this one year course is a useful qualification equivalent to GCSE, which some employers and university courses accept in place of GCSE Maths. The Level 2 certificate focuses on maths used in every-day life, and gives the students useful skills that help their studies at college, as well as their future study and employment.

GCSE course content GCSE Maths This one-year programme will follow the AQA Linear specification at foundation level.

The pace of the course is fast and full attendance at the 3 lessons each week is essential for success. A calculator is a necessary item and must be brought to all lessons. There is the possibility of a November entry for students who are likely to get grade 4 at this time.

Assessment For both the November and May sessions, assessment is by three papers: • Paper 1 (non-calculator) - 1 hour 30 minutes • Paper 2 (calculator) - 1 hour 30 minutes • Paper 3 (calculator) - 1 hour 30 minutes

Level 2 certificate course content The Level 2 Certificate is made up of three units. A scientific calculator is essential for all modules.

FSMQ Using Data This involves collecting, presenting and interpreting data, finding averages, probability and using estimation to check accuracy.

FSMQ Financial Calculations This contains useful topics such as salaries, tax, mortgages, percentages, profit and loss.

Core Unit The core unit contains questions on topics studied in the 2 FSMQ’s plus topics on algebra, geometry, shape and measure.

A successful grade 3 pass will provide students with a Level 2 Mathematics qualification which is accepted by some

Statistics linear a level

Higher Education institutions. Please speak to our Careers team for further information.

Assessment Each FSMQ is assessed by one 60 75 minute written paper in late May (calculator) with pre-release material.

Results are published in late August.

Students completing the Level 2 Certificate will progress to GCSE in their second year.

Specific entry criteria

Information processing is increasingly important in the 21st Century. Being able to collect, process, analyse and interpret data are highly sought after skills. Many employers and university courses are looking for applicants who are both numerate and able to handle data.

The study of AS or A Level Statistics will equip you with these vital skills and broaden your wider mathematical and numerical knowledge. It is one of the most useful courses offered in terms of its fit with other subjects. Statistics combines well with subjects such as Biology, Economics, Business Studies and Medicine. We strongly recommend students taking Psychology also take AS Statistics.

Many students choose to take Statistics alongside an A Level in Maths. This is an ideal option for highly numerate students considering studying a Maths or Statistics degree at university.

course content Year 1 In the first year you will study towards an AS in Statistics, learning a variety of topics to ensure a very good grounding in the subject. These include: • Numerical measures, graphs and diagrams • Probability • Population and samples (How would you select a sample of 60 college students?)

• Probability distributions (What is the probability of there being 5 people at the checkout at the local supermarket?)

• The binomial distribution • The Normal distribution • Correlation and regression (Are longer books more expensive than short books?)

• Hypothesis testing as needed in industry, commerce and scientific research • Contingency tables • One and two sample non-parametric tests

A graphical calculator is essential for this course.

Year 2 In the second year you will study more advanced topics to gain a full A Level in Statistics. The topics build on the knowledge, skills and understanding seen in year one.

These include: • Bayes theorem • Poisson and Exponential distributions • Experimental design • Confidence intervals • Goodness of fit • Analysis of variance

Assessment AS Statistics is assessed at the end of the first year by one three hour paper taken towards the end of the summer term.

Students who choose to continue to the second year will be assessed by two three hour papers. These will assess skills and knowledge seen in both years of study.

Specific entry criteria

GCSE Maths - Grade 3 in GCSE Maths Use of Mathematics - Grade 2 in GCSE Maths

Grade 6 in GCSE Maths and grade 4 in GCSE English Language.

HNC has given me so many opportunities that have helped me secure my first choice university place.

“HNC has been a great help with preparing me for university and ensuring I chose the right programme of undergraduate study.”

– Hannah Smyth A Level Maths, Further Maths and Economics

Rachel Nelmes School: Manorcroft Academy Studied: A Level Maths, Further Maths, L3 Certificate/ Extended Certificate in Applied Science Destination: Mathematics at the University of Leeds

www.instagram.com/huddnewcoll www.huddnewcoll.ac.uk

School: Huddersfield Grammar School

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Studied: A Level Statistics, Biology and Chemistry

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Destination: Biology at Liverpool John Moores University

@ info@huddnewcoll.ac.uk

01484 652341

THOMAS PEARSON

New Hey Road, Huddersfield HD3 4GL

If you need the information in this leaflet presented in a different way please contact Erika Montgomery on 01484 652341 or info@huddnewcoll.ac.uk

You may be joining us to take an A Level in Maths. This means that you enjoy algebra and want to study a qualification all about solving equations and manipulating algebra. You might even enjoy these Mathematics is one of the largest departments at Huddersfield New College. Our students recognise that having a Maths qualification is not only impressive to prospective universities and employers, but often essential. For many of our students, continuing with mathematics helps support the numeracy in their other subjects, giving them an advantage over other students. Here at Huddersfield New College, we have a wide choice of Maths qualification so that we can offer something to everybody.

Many of our students choose to take our Level 3 Core Maths (Certificate in Mathematical Studies). Taken over two years, this has UCAS points equivalent to an AS level. This is ideal if you want to study just a little maths each week in addition to your other subjects, and get a qualification at the end of it. aspects of maths so much that you also want to study A Level Further Maths. Or maybe you enjoy applying maths to the real world and want to use a calculator rather than algebra to solve problems, in which case you may be interested in taking A Level Statistics. Focusing on probability and handling data, this is really useful for students taking Business, Sciences or Psychology.

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Mark Webber Martin Farran Michael Smith Cath Ward Ruth Foster Hassan Rezaei Thomas Beddard David Kay Gbenga Joseph

MEET THE TEAM Choosing between A Level Maths, Statistics, Further Maths and our Level 3 Core Maths (Certificate in Mathematical Studies) can be daunting, so our induction period will help you to settle onto the right course. There are open events throughout the year to come and look at these courses in depth to find out more.

2017 . 2018 improve my grades and ability.” really helped progress my learning and “The support I received from my teachers

Mathematics AT HUDDERSFIELD NEW COLLEGE MATHS and further maths linear a levelS ABOUT the subject The skills A Level Maths will equip you with are highly prized in the work place, and mathematicians find well-paid careers in business and finance, IT, engineering and the sciences.

A Level Maths focuses on algebra and should be taken by students who are successful in GCSE algebra topics such as solving quadratic equations, completing the square and solving simultaneous equations. Students who choose this A Level enjoy solving equations, and want to learn how to solve increasingly challenging equations.

Further Maths is available at AS and A Level and may be taken alongside AS or A Level Maths. It is perfect for those who may be studying other traditional A Levels such as Physics or Chemistry, or who are considering studying Mathematics at university. In Further Maths you study areas such as: matrices (which are crucial in Physics and computer programming); real, imaginary and complex numbers; mathematical proof and solving differential equations, which are essential to areas of Physics, Biology and Chemistry.

You will also study topics in statistics and mechanics. You will build on the probability you saw at GCSE in topics such as tree diagrams, and discover new topics such as the binomial distribution. In mechanics, you will learn how to model the physical world using the concepts of position, velocity, acceleration, mass and force.

Course content Year 1 You will begin by revising higher tier GCSE algebra before learning about graphs of functions, in particular: their shapes, transformations of graphs, using differentiation to calculate the gradient of a curve at a point and using integration to calculate areas beneath a curve.

Year 2 Having passed first year, you will extend your work on algebra, calculus, and trigonometry. You will develop your calculus skills to be able to solve differential equations, which are used in areas such as science and economics. You will also begin to see where algebra has its limitations, and where computer-based methods are needed to find approximate solutions to equations.

Differentiation and integration are known together as ‘calculus’ and are at the heart of modern maths and science.

They are the main focus of study in Maths at A Level and degree level.

Alongside calculus, you will also develop your knowledge of GCSE trigonometry such as the sine rule and cosine rule, to learn how to solve trigonometric equations and prove trigonometric identities. You will also see new topics in algebra, such as logarithms.

world data. In mechanics, your work on forces is developed to deal with objects moving subject to friction, and the motion of projectiles.

Assessment AS Mathematics is assessed by examination at the end of one year, and A Level Mathematics is by examination at the end of two years. All content studied in your first year will also be assessed at A Level in your second year.

Specific entry criteria Maths - Grade 6 in GCSE Maths and grade 4 in GCSE English Language.

Further Maths - Grade 7 in GCSE Maths and grade 4 in GCSE English Language.

Level 3 CORE MATHS (certificate in mathematical studies)

Students will take the qualification over two years.

Core Maths is a new qualification which is designed for post-16 students with a GCSE grade 4 or above who want to continue studying mathematics but not at AS or A Level. At Huddersfield New College we follow the specification produced by AQA entitled Mathematical Studies.

Course content

ABOUT the subject

The new Core Maths qualification will help students retain, deepen and extend their mathematical skills and be better prepared for higher education and employment. Core Maths will help them to understand and apply clear, mathematical reasoning to real-life problems, analyse and interpret data in various contexts, and confidently deal with everyday financial maths.

Core Maths is a Level 3 qualification which will qualify for the same UCAS points as an AS Level.

Assessment The course is assessed by two 90 minute exams held at the end of the second year.

Year 1 Some important topics from GCSE will be revisited. A variety of calculations from different subject areas relying on confident use of percentages will be performed. Students will learn about the collection, analysis and graphical representation of data whilst also looking at financial calculations relating to income tax, mortgages and loans.

Critical Path Analysis will be used to plan complex tasks and the basic theory of probability will be studied.

Year 2 Students will learn Fermi estimation.

This is a technique used to find fast, rough estimates of quantities which are either difficult or impossible to measure directly. Spreadsheets will be used to perform further financial calculations, such as those involving interest rates.

Cost benefit analysis will be applied to problems where there is an element of uncertainty, and students will learn how to critically evaluate data.

Specific entry criteria Grade 4 in GCSE Maths.

In Statistics you will learn about the normal distribution, and find out how to test statistical models against real-