Further maths additional

Looking for help · Post by **Looking for help** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 4:25 pm

Yes I know about the further maths, but I cannot believe you need 3 A Levels in Maths to study Maths at Oxford, then again, I'd rather go to Glasgow, you only need a higher Maths

Much easier

Looking for help · Post by **Looking for help** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 4:28 pm

The Oxford University website says, and I quote

Candidates are expected to have Mathematics to A-level (A grade), Advanced Higher (A grade), or Higher Level in the IB (score 7) or another equivalent. Further Mathematics would also be highly recommended.

So you should be okay with just two A Levels

T.i.p.s.y · Post by **T.i.p.s.y** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 4:57 pm

That's what it says but in reality Maths is one of the hardest subjects to get into at Oxbridge and I wouldn't be surprised if many applicants have all .

solimum · Post by **solimum** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:34 pm

Tipsy - Oxford Maths admissions are currently based largely on their own entrance exam (taken in October of year 13 at the candidates own school) and an interview. The majority of candidates will inevitably be doing Maths and Further Maths A levels, probably along with two (or more...) others. In order to cope with Oxbridge level Maths they need to be finding the various A level Maths modules they've so far done fairly straightforward.

However someone at a school that can't offer Further Maths could still be offered a place if they shine at interview and in the entrance exam as "The mathematical knowledge and techniques required to do the questions are taken from a syllabus roughly corresponding to the C1 and C2 modules from A-level maths, though the questions are set more variously than A-level questions" - in other words those with a natural flair for Maths who can see connections between different aspects of the core curriculum rather than having to have things spelled out line by line. Similar flair may also of course be indicated by success in the BMO.

I agree that someone aiming for high level university Maths would be well-advised to take Further Maths if at all possible, but on top of that any additional extra modules will not be the basis of an offer ( in my son's case, he didn't even know whether he was going to take them by the interview stage). Those taking single Maths may very well get an offer specifying very high individual module marks - in fact I seem to recall a similar condition being imposed on offers to read Maths at Manchester. Those who love Maths for its own sake may very well choose to do extra modules out of interest, along with other activities such as music, chess, sport etc. It may be that an "all-rounder" who has chosen single maths with a range of other A levels may come late to an interest in maths if they find A level more inspiring than GCSE (not difficult!) and want to add more modules later, perhaps ending up with 1.5 A levels worth...

With pupils arriving with a range of possible module selections University-level maths starts from a common baseline anyway, so courses building on some of the more uncommon A level modules wouldn't assume prior knowledge. The speed of learning expected is pretty fast so any previous experience would be useful. However particularly in some of the pure fields university level maths is so remote from anything at A level that everyone is starting from the same place.....!

http://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/prospective-s ... imen-tests

Guest55 · Post by **Guest55** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:52 pm

Tipsy - a number of my students are/have been at Oxbridge - none of them have had more than Maths and Further Maths - some are now doing postgraduate studies. If they have done 5 or 6 A levels then these have been Physics, Chemistry NOT more Maths!!

You should be aware that there is a consultation on new A level specifications for Maths to be introduced for first teaching in 2012 - these propose something very different from the scenario we have now.

solimum · Post by **solimum** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:43 pm

Guest55 wrote:
You should be aware that there is a consultation on new A level specifications for Maths to be introduced for first teaching in 2012 - these propose something very different from the scenario we have now.

At least it should stay the same long enough for my daughter to get through the system while I still vaguely understand it!

Perhaps Tipsy is planning to bypass the dreaded deposit debate by home tutoring her DS in all 18 A level Maths modules and going straight to university entrance next year!

Guest55 · Post by **Guest55** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:11 pm

http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_22191.aspx

For anyone interested ...

T.i.p.s.y · Post by **T.i.p.s.y** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 9:32 pm

No Solimum, we decided a long time ago that DS wouldn't go to uni early. If we'd let him steam on then he'd be sitting his A'level this year, if not before. I'm hoping he won't study maths at uni, but it''s not up to me.

I only heard about additional FM today when I was browsing the RGS website. Thank you for enlightening me!