Exam Board: AQA
The GCSE Maths Course continues to develop and extend students mathematical understanding, reasoning and problem solving skills which were covered in KS3. Topics are split up into the following core areas; number, algebra, proportional reasoning, geometry, probability and statistics.
For Maths lessons you will need to bring your equipment to every lesson. You should have a pen, a pencil, a ruler and a scientific calculator.
Maths is a desirable subject into many careers; it demonstrates your ability to understand, by systematic, reason and problem solve analytically.
The GCSE Maths course is 100% examination.
There are two tiers of entry for the final exam. These are Foundation, which covers grades 1–5, and Higher which covers grades 4–9.
Whichever pathway you take, higher or foundation, you will sit three exam papers, two calculator papers, and one non-calculator paper. All three papers are written examinations and are worth 100 marks each. Each paper holds a mixture of AO1, AO2 and AO3 questions – fluency, reasoning and problem solving. The mathematical demand increases as students’ progress through the papers.
At the beginning of Year 9, you will be allocated to a group based primarily on your achievement in Year 8, but through regular assessment and teacher monitoring sets are fluid and students can be moved to suit their mathematical needs. The path that you take through the content will be based on your previous achievement as well as your current attitude, learning and progress. At the end of each unit of learning you will sit a classroom assessment in order to show your current progress and what you need to do to improve further.
Mocks will take place at the end of year 10 and during year 11 and a final decision about tiers of entry are not made until the later stage of the course.