A-Level Further Maths: How Much Harder Is It Than GCSE?
How hard is A-Level Further Maths when compared to GCSE? A-levels and GCSEs are the two main courses that are necessary for you to take. It will help you to get into good universities and colleges. In addition to it, you also have a high chance of getting the job you have applied for. Further math is a subject that is tough and is mostly in demand. You should know the difference between the A-level and GCSE further mathematics. This article will help you to find out which one is hard and what is the passing rate of both of them.
Quick Takeaways
- A-level further math helps to evaluate your understanding of tough mathematical concepts including both theoretical and practical parts.
- The passing rate of your GCSE level is about 55.4% whereas, for A-level, it is 96.3%. But it does not mean that A-levels are easier than the GCSE.
- The curriculum of GCSE further mathematics helps you to study A-level further mathematics. This means that A-level further mathematics is much harder than the GCSE.
- The question paper that you will find at A-level will be more time-consuming and worthwhile than the GCSE.
You must read till the end so that you do not miss any crucial facts related to A-level further maths.
What is A-level Further Math?
A-level Further Math is a subject that will involve the curriculum of simple A-level math and is a reputable subject that also helps you to prepare for becoming an Accountant. In addition to it, it will also involve some advanced mathematical concepts that are hard to understand. A-level further math helps to evaluate your understanding of tough mathematical concepts including both theoretical and practical parts.
If you are thinking about taking mathematics as your future degree then taking up A-level further math is a great help. You will see topics based on statistics, Probability, data presentations, discrete maths, etc. However, if you think this is not a subject for you, you must know what is the time for changing the A-levels.
What is GCSE Further Mathematics?
GCSE Further Mathematics is a hard subject that is taken by students who want to study mathematics in the future. It will include subjects like numbers, statistics, algebra, probability, ratios, etc and will give you only one GCSE. The curriculum of this subject is created in such a manner so that your concepts are cleared to an advanced level. You will be studying various advanced skills that will help you to prepare for your A-level further mathematics. If you want, you can use Photomath for a better understanding. After completing your GCSEs in year 11, you will have to sit for A-levels.
How hard is A-Level Further Maths when compared to GCSE?
As mentioned above, the curriculum of GCSE further mathematics helps you to study A-level further mathematics. This means that A-level further mathematics is much harder than the GCSE. It will become harder if you are sitting for them privately. The GCSE curriculum is a base that will help you to get prepared for the A-level further mathematics. You need to study less for your GCSE exam when compared to your A-levels.
When you are studying for your GCSEs your teachers will be there for you till your last movement whereas this is not the scenario for A-levels or sixth form which were a part of further education. This is the reason you may find more difficulty in your A-level further math when compared to your GCSE further math. Further maths is of course a tough choice and thus you can always think of choosing A-level business studies if you want to enter a business or corporate world. However, earlier there was a subject known as general science which was much easier than the other A-levels including A-level maths and further maths.
What is the difference between the type of questions in both A-level and GCSE further math?
The question paper that you will find at A-level will be more time-consuming and worthwhile than the GCSE. A-levels further math exam involves answers in which you do not need to give more information or reasons like GCSE. In GCSE you will end up giving reasons explaining why the method you are using is appropriate for the question. Whereas to score in A-levels you will need to give the exact mathematical solution for the question.
Is A-level further math worth it?
A-level math is a subject that helps you to study advanced mathematical concepts. This means that you must go for A-level further math if you are looking for a degree in mathematics. A-level further math is also one thing that many employers will look for in your CV.
Though you must only choose it if you can handle the curriculum of this course. This is a tough course. If you are not going to do your further studies in mathematics and choose further math just to make it look impressive on your CV, you can take up simple A-level math instead. It will look great to them. However, as it is a hard subject, you will have to study hard to get an average grade in it.
Is GCSE further math worth it?
Again the answer will revolve around if you want to study it in the future or not. It will also depend upon if you will be able to cope with the difficulty level and get a good score. Further maths is a great subject to get into good universities, and colleges, and to get a good job. However, if you are not looking for further math as your higher education, it may not be worth it for you.
Though as already mentioned if you can handle the pressure then go for it. When you will be taking GCSE, you will have to choose between the two tiers – Foundation and Hard tier.
What is the passing rate of both GCSE and A-level further math?
The passing rate of your GCSE level is about 55.4% whereas, for A-level, it is 96.3%. This may surprise you that despite being harder than the GCSE, A-level is having a high pass rate. But this is because the A-level is the subject that the students take by their choice, unlike the GCSE. Students know what they want and work harder to get a high score in it.
Also to pass the A-level you will need to score at least A*-E whereas to clear the GCSE you will need to score A*-C. However, if you want to get the result for your GCSE maths much faster, you must take it online.
What type of calculator is used in A-level further math compared to GCSE mathematics?
Your A-levels are not that simple exams. It involves a deep understanding of the concepts and thus to clear them you will need special calculators i.e. scientific calculators. Scientific calculators are the one that performs functions that help to perform scientific functions, trigonometry problems, and logarithm problems in addition to all the functions that are found in ordinary problems.
If we talk about the GCSE, you can use any ordinary calculator for scoring higher grades in it. You can pass your GCSE with the help of any calculator but you must have a scientific calculator for passing the A-level further maths. Even if you are in the first year of A-levels compared to the two different years, you will still need this calculator. However even after taking the right calculator and working hard, you are worrying about failing the exam, you must try to look for a private tutor.
Conclusion
Your A-levels are the ones that require a lot of deep understanding of the subject. Further math is a subject that helps you to understand mathematics at an advanced level. And if you take A-level further math, you need to learn the advanced level concepts in mathematics. This means that A-level math is much harder in nature than the GCSE. However, the passing rate of A-level is higher because the passing GRADE of A-level is lower than the GCSE.
