INTRODUCTION TO MATHS A LEVEL 1
In core Mathematics there are four little sections, C1, C2, C3, C4. In Statistics for
A level Maths all you need to worry about is Statistics 1 and Statistics 2. Similarly
for Mechanics and Decision there are only two models that you need to concern yourself
with now. If you choose to do Further Mathematics there are several more within those three
applied areas that you’ll need to consider.
In order to gain an entire A level in Mathematics, you must complete all the core modules to
obtain a full A level. In your first year – so for those of you in Year 12 – you
have to complete C1 and C2 and generally when you get into Year 13 you start doing C3 and
C4.
All examination papers are 90 minutes long; for the Year 12 ones and the Year 13 ones,
they’re 90 minutes long.
Core and Statistics lead on quite smoothly from all the GCSE syllabi that we have in
the UK and those of you that are doing iGCSE will find that you’ll know even more of
the A level module. Where I’m talking about these syllabi, what I’m referring to is
the EDEXEL A level Mathematics modules. You can do AWA, there’s an MEI one as well which
contain even more information but generally in the UK, most students do the EDEXEL modules,
so we’re going to be concentrating on what those modules consist of.
For most of you, Mechanics and Decision Mathematics will be completely new topics. Very few people
will have covered these before they get into Year 12 and Year 13 and the A level modules
are quite good because they do introduce you to these two sections quite slowly.
OK, so let’s have a look at the very first section that I’ve mentioned which is Core
Mathematics. Core Mathematics is lovely. It’s pretty much most of what you’ve been doing
at GCSE but extended even further. It’s one of my favourite areas of Mathematics.
It includes things like numerical methods – all that means is the stuff with number,
nothing too fancy – Algebra; so things like quadratic equations, linear programming – for
those of you who’ve started doing that. Trigonometry, your SOHCAHTOA; you’re finding
the area of a triangle using the half A B sine C, things like that. And the final thing
is Transformations. Transformations is probably the strangest topic out of those four. The
Transformations section refers to graphs, drawing them, working out the equation of
them; as well as the four Transformations you’ve learnt at GCSE.
OK, so let’s start with Core Mathematics one. I’m going to go into quite a lot of
detail about this particular module because this one’s the one that you will meet first.
OK? It’s quite a nice module, it doesn’t allow you to use a calculator, so it’s very
important that the skills that you’ve learnt from your GCSEs about writing out all your
working out, checking your answers over and over again, is followed through when you are
doing you’re a levels.
The material in Core 1 overlaps a great deal of what you’ve done at GCSE. Then C2, C3
and C4 build upon what you’ve learnt in Core 1. So each time you continue to do one
of these modules, you have got to make sure that you understand everything from the ones
you’ve done before.
I’ll give you a piece of advice. A lot of students between Year 12 and Year 13, don’t
do a lot of revision over the summer holidays or don’t try and recap what they’ve learnt
already. I’d strongly advise you to spend a week in between the two years, so during
that summer just revising through your C1 and your C2. A lot of the students that I
teach in my school who’ve done that are clearly more able to grasp the concept in
C3 and C4, so please don’t get lazy over the summer between the two years with Maths,
it’s very important that you continue to keep up your ability.
What I’ll do at the end of the session is go through a couple of questions to give you
an idea of what you already know that can allow you to access the A level module. For
now I’m going to continue going through the other subjects involved in it so that
you can understand the whole concept in one go.
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