HEAD OF DEPARTMENT: Mrs H Fraser BSc PGCE (East Anglia)
Email: hfraser@stedmundscollege.org
Please find below a breakdown of the course. Further information can be found in the full specification, which is available on the Edexcel AS/A level Mathematics webpage. Assessment for each component is completed at the end of Rhetoric II. However, we will continue to assess pupils at AS level by entering them for the two public examinations in May/June 2018.
PAPER 1 AND 2 – PURE MATHEMATICS
Each paper is:
· A 2 hour written examination
· 33.33% of the qualification
· 100 marks
Assessment Overview:
· Paper 1 and Paper 2 may contain questions on any topic from the Pure Mathematics content
· Calculators can be used in the assessment.
CONTENT OVERVIEW
Topic 1 – Proof
Topic 2 – Algebra and functions
Topic 3 – Coordinate geometry in the (x, y) plane
Topic 4 – Sequences and series
Topic 5 – Trigonometry
Topic 6 – Exponentials and logarithms
Topic 7 – Differentiation
Topic 8 – Integration
Topic 9 – Numerical methods
Topic 10 – Vectors
ACROSS EACH OF THESE COMPONENTS,STUDENTS WILL BE ASSESSED ON THE FOLLOWING OVERARCHING THEMES:
- OT1– Mathematical argument, language and proof
- OT2– Mathematical problem solving
- OT3– Mathematical modelling
PAPER 3 – STATISTICS AND MECHANICS
The paper is:
- A 2 hour written examination
- 33.33% of the qualification
- 100 marks
Assessment Overview:
- Paper 3 will contain questions on topics from the Statistics content in Section A and Mechanics content in Section B
- Calculators can be used in the assessment
COURSE CONTENT
Section A: Statistics
Topic 1 – Statistical sampling
Topic 2 – Data presentation and interpretation
Topic 3 – Probability
Topic 4 – Statistical distributions
Topic 5 – Statistical hypothesis testing
Section B: Mechanics
Topic 6 – Quantities and units in mechanics
Topic 7 – Kinematics
Topic 8 – Forces and Newton’s laws
Topic 9 – Moments
STATISTICS DATA SET
Pearson has provided a large data set, which will support the assessment of Statistics in Paper 3: Statistics and Mechanics. Students are required to become familiar with the data set in advance of the final assessment.
Assessments will be designed in such a way that questions assume knowledge and understanding of the data set. The expectation is that these questions should be likely to give a material advantage to students who have studied and are familiar with the data set.
QUALIFICATIONS AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aims and objectives of this qualification are to enable students to:
- Understand mathematics and mathematical processes in a way that promotes confidence, fosters enjoyment and provides a strong foundation for progress to further study
- Extend their range of mathematical skills and techniques
- Understand coherence and progression in mathematics and how different areas of mathematics are connected
- Apply mathematics in other fields of study and be aware of the relevance of mathematics to the world of work and to situations in society in general
- Use their mathematical knowledge to make logical and reasoned decisions in solving problems both within pure mathematics and in a variety of contexts, and communicate the mathematical rationale for these decisions clearly
- Reason logically and recognise incorrect reasoning
- Generalise mathematically
- Construct mathematical proofs
- Use their mathematical skills and techniques to solve challenging problems that require them to decide on the solution strategy
- Recognise when mathematics can be used to analyse and solve a problem in context
- Represent situations mathematically and understand the relationship between problems in context and mathematical models that may be applied to solve them
- Draw diagrams and sketch graphs to help explore mathematical situations and interpret solutions
- Make deductions and inferences and draw conclusions by using mathematical reasoning
- Interpret solutions and communicate their interpretation effectively in the context of the problem
- Read and comprehend mathematical arguments, including justifications of methods and formulae, and communicate their understanding
- Read and comprehend articles concerning applications of mathematics and communicate their understanding
- Use technology such as calculators and computers effectively and recognise when their use may be inappropriate
- Take increasing responsibility for their own learning and the evaluation of their own mathematical development.
READING LIST
There is no expectation that students purchase any of the below books; they are all stocked in the department. However, students may wish to use some of the texts to enhance and enrich their understanding.
Rowland, M (2011). Bridging GCSE and A Level Maths Student Book.
Attwood, G et al (2017). Edexcel AS and A level Mathematics Pure Mathematics Year 1/AS Textbook.
Attwood, G et al (2017). Edexcel A level Mathematics Pure Mathematics Year 2 Textbook
Attwood, G et al (2017). Edexcel AS and A level Mathematics Statistics & Mechanics Year 1/AS Textbook.
Attwood, G et al (2017). Edexcel A level Mathematics Statistics & Mechanics Year 2 Textbook
WIDER READING LIST
This selection has been made based on recommendations from many sources including the teaching staff in our own Mathematics Department and from a range of university reading lists. Do not be intimidated by these books, remember that any reading you do on the subject will be useful.
Courant, R. Robbins, H. and Stewart, S. (1996) What is mathematics?
Devlin, K. (2004) The millennium problems: the seven greatest, unsolved mathematical problems of our time. Dunham, W. (1991) Journey through genius: the greatest theorems of mathematics.
Du Sautoy, M. (2003) The music of the primes : why an unsolved problem in mathematics matters.
Enzensberger, H. (2008) The number devil.
Frankel, L. (1997) Numbers: the universal language .
Gower, T. (2002) Mathematics: a very short introduction.
Gray, J. (2000) The Hilbert challenge: a perspective on 20th century mathematics.
Hodges, A. (1992) Alan Turing: the enigma
Hoffman, P. (1999) The man who loved only numbers: the story of Paul Erdos and the search for mathematical truth.
Korner, T. (1996) The pleasures of counting.
McLeish, J. (1991) Story of numbers.
Singh, S. (2001) The cracking code book: how to make it, break it, hack it, crack it