Mathematical Studies

Level 3 Pathway - In order to enrol onto our Level 3 courses, students must have achieved a minimum of 5 grade 4s at GCSE Level across 4 different subject areas; this should ideally include a Grade 4 for English Language and Mathematics.

It is important that students also pay attention to any individual subject entry requirements.

It may be that a small number of students are recommended to sit AS qualifications at the end of Year 12 in order to inform decisions about progression into Year 13, however these AS examinations are standalone and do not contribute to the overall A Level qualification.

Why?

It is widely accepted that the majority of students would benefit from the study of a post-16 mathematics qualification in order to develop their mathematical thinking and increase their employability. The AQA Level 3 Certificate in Mathematical Studies (which is not for those who have chosen to study A Level Maths) concentrates on statistical techniques rather than algebra, so can help students who opt to take subjects such as the applied sciences, Biology, Business, Economics, Geography, Health and Social Care Nursing and Psychology. This qualification is endorsed by a large number of employers and universities. If you have enjoyed studying the grade 4, 5 and 6 topics at GCSE then you are likely to be well-suited to this course.

Course Structure

Throughout the two years, four content areas will be covered:

• Applications of statistics - Statistics is the study of the collection, organisation, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. It plays an increasingly important role in a wide variety of contexts and is used in areas of study such as science, business and economics, IT and psychology.
• Probability - Probability theory has made significant contributions to almost all branches of science and engineering over the last 100 years. Probability is used in areas of study such as finance, science, artificial intelligence, business, computing and philosophy.
• Critical Path Analysis - Critical Path Analysis can be applied to a variety of contexts in business and industry. It is used most extensively in business and economics but also utilised for some engineering problems. Critical Path models are used in industries such as transportation, energy, telecommunications, and manufacturing.
• Personal Finance - this part of the course covers all aspects of personal finance including tax calculations, inflation, budgeting, etc.

The course is examined by two 1 hour 30 minute papers.

Paper 1 (50%) will require candidates to analyse two real-life contexts described in a source booklet released before the examination.

The remaining 50% comes from a second paper. There are three options for this: Statistical Techniques, Critical Path Analysis, and Graphical Techniques. Which paper is chosen will depend on the strengths of the class.

Extended Learning

Students will be given a textbook at the start of the year and homework often centres on completing the exercises held within.

Grade 4 or 5 GCSE Mathematics