Key Stage 5

At KS5 we follow the AQA specification. Students have the option to Study Mathematics A level and Further Mathematics A level. A level Mathematics comprises Pure mathematics, Statistics and Mechanics. A level Further Mathematics Comprises Pure mathematics, Statistics and Decision. 

A Level Mathematics

At the end of the A level course students will sit 3 calculator papers, each 2 hours long to determine their A level grade

Paper 1: Consists of any pure element studied in the previous two years.

  • Topics include
  • Coordinate geometry
  • Circle Geometry
  • Calculus
  • Logs and Exponentials
  • Parametric equations
  • Binomial expansion
  • Proof
  • Numerical Methods
  • Trigonometry
  • Differential equations

Paper 2: Consists of more pure elements (can still be any of the above) and also the mechanics part of the course. This covers

  • Forces and Motion
  • Kinematics
  • Statics and Dynamics
  • Moments

Paper 3: Consists of more pure elements (can still be any of the above) and also the statistics part of the course. This covers

  • Sampling
  • Data representation and interpreting
  • Probability
  • Binomial Distribution
  • Normal Distribution
  • Hypothesis testing

A level Further Mathematics

At the end of the A level course students will sit 3 calculator papers, each 2 hours long to determine their A level grade

All pure content of the course can be assessed in both paper 1 and paper 2.  These topics include

  • Proof
  • Complex numbers
  • Matrices
  • Further Algebra and Functions
  • Further Calculus
  • Further Vectors
  • Polar coordinates
  • Hyperbolic functions
  • Differential equations
  • Trigonometry
  • Numerical Methods

Paper 3: This is split into two sections.  We study Discrete and statistics

  • Discrete
  • Graphs
  • Networks
  • Network flows
  • Linear Programming
  • Critical Path analysis
  • Game theory for zero-sum games
  • Binary operations

Statistics

  • Discrete random variables and expectation
  • Poisson distribution
  • Type I and Type II errors
  • Continuous random variables
  • Chi squared tests for association
  • Inference (t distributions)
  • Confidence Intervals

If you require any further information regarding Mathematics at KS5 please contact Miss Beardsworth, Curriculum Leader of Mathematics