taking Statistics or Mechanics in the first year. FIRST YEAR ... If any modules are retaken, then the best score will ..
WELCOME to the Mathematics department and to the
beginning of your course. This handbook is designed to help you settle in by providing advice and information. Mathematics is one of the hardest subjects at AS-level and A2-level but we hope that you will find it rewarding and enjoyable.
AIMS OF COURSE
As well as developing the skills and understanding required by the syllabus, we hope that the course will help provide enjoyment andbased stimulation. We appreciation aim to Self confidence upon a realistic convey something of the excitement of mathematics, its breadth of application and of strengths and weaknesses its richness of history. In addition, we aim to help develop the following personal qualities: Problem-solving skills. The ability to produce logical, coherent arguments. The ability to work independently. The ability to work with others - to cooperate, to share knowledge and to assist others. Knowledge and skills to use appropriate technology including software packages.
www.WoodhouseMaths.co.uk
The opportunity to complete an ICT portfolio involving Excel, Word and Autograph
STAFF Mr Nigel Martin (Head of Department), Ms Francesca Cioci, Mr Stephen Dobson (Senior Tutor), Mx Anna Finn (Head of Faculty), Mr Stephen Hodges, Mr Shahjahan Kadir, Ms Clare Mc Ananey, Dr John Rhodes Mr John Rubinstein (Principal), Mr Darren Selby, Mr Saqib Safdar. 1 | Page
AS-LEVEL MATHS RESULTS Last year, nationally the pass rate in AS mathematics was around 83%, worse than in other subjects. The Woodhouse pass rate was 85%. Mathematics remains according to independent research, one of the hardest AS and A2level subjects - a grade harder than English A-level according to some analyses, and it requires a great deal of commitment to do well. The rewards for doing well are however clear: a published report showed that students with A-level mathematics, even at grade E, increase their long-term earning potential by 7-10%!
MODULAR MATHS The MEI A-level Maths syllabus is modular; an A-level is equivalent to six modules and an AS three. You will take your three AS module exams at the end of the first year. Then, if you so choose and if you pass these exams, you can proceed to the A2 modules in the second year. There may be a choice of second year options, as shown below, if you are taking Statistics or Mechanics in the first year.
FIRST YEAR
SECOND YEAR
CCM
CORE MATHEMATICS 3 (C3) CORE MATHEMATICS 3 (C3) CORE MATHEMATICS 4 (C4) CORE MATHEMATICS 4 (C4) MECHANICS 2 (M2) MECHANICS OR 2 (M2) OR 1 (S1) STATISTICS STATISTICS 1 (S1)
CORE MATHEMATICS 1 (C1) CORE MATHEMATICS 2 (C2) MECHANICS (M1)
OR
CCS CORE MATHEMATICS 1 (C1) CORE MATHEMATICS 2 (C2) STATISTICS 1 (S1)
CORE MATHEMATICS 3 (C3) CORE MATHEMATICS 4 (C4) STATISTICS 2 (S2) OR MECHANICS 1 (M1)
At the end of the second year, you will take exams in the three second year modules plus any retakes from the first year. If any modules are retaken, then the best score will count towards the final grade. The final grade is, in effect, the average score over all the modules. Double Maths students are taking two A levels - maths and further maths. They will take further maths modules like this: AS FURM
A2 FURM
FP1, S1, D1
FP2, S2, M3/ S3
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REOURCES FOR IMPROVING YOUR WORK Read the examples and have a go at some extra questions from your text book
Visit maths tutorials to obtain help with specific problems
Use the MEI website www.resoures.mei.org.uk
Ask questions in class Discuss and work with fellow students Use the books in the library
Ensure your notes are up to standard. Re-read your notes after college each day
SOME GOOD ADVICE A Student emailed an internet usergroup for advice on how to study effectively in mathematics. This was one reply:
“Take it seriously from day one Listen in class. Ask questions. Practise homework. All of it. Every day. Ask for more work, or use your own initiative and do extra problems from the textbook. Review every now and then (once per week) whether asked to or not, even a cursory lookover will help. Study well in advance of exams, not leaving it until the last minute. Memorise what needs to be memorised. Do this EVERY day. Do a physical activity several times a week. Healthy body, healthy mind is no joke. Pray.”
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BRUSH UP YOUR ALGEBRA It is sometimes a shock to students to find that algebra underpins almost all of the A-level topics. The biggest stumbling block to success in A-level mathematics is therefore weakness in basic algebraic technique. If you do need extra practice in algebra, we recommend a little book called “Help Yourself To Algebra”, which contains hundreds of practice questions. There are copies of this booklet in the library. CALCULATORS
FX 991 £15.50 from the LRC Casio CG 20 Good luck on Amazon Lots of nearly free graphic calculator apps for SMART phones The first exam, C1 is non-calculator whilst all the other exams allow the use of any calculator not capable of symbolic algebra (ask your teacher before buying a very expensive model) You need either a scientific calculator (we will be using the CASIO FX991 Plus) or graphical calculator You can purchase the FX 991 Plus from College during September (£15.50) PAST PAPERS & REVISION Packs of revision past-papers and specimen papers will be available from your teacher at a small charge of £2 to cover the costs of duplication. The MEI website contains some past papers, along with lots of additional exercises to those in the textbooks: http://integralmaths.org/
FORMULA BOOKLETS In exams, you are given a formula booklet which includes some, but by no means all, of the formulae you will need. You can access a copy of the formula booklet at www.mei.org.uk/meiresources/teacher_support.shtml
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FILING YOUR NOTES You should keep a separate ring-binder file for each unit (C1, S1, etc). In your file, you should keep your notes from class, homework and tests all clearly separated from each other and by topic. It is good practice to file your notes at the end of each day and to re-read them: this has the effect of consolidating the theory into your long term memory. At the end of each topic, it is a good idea to write a little summary - this will be helpful when it comes to revision. IF YOU ARE ABSENT Maths is an incremental subject – each lesson builds on the previous work and so if you miss a lesson you will be at a disadvantage until you have caught it up. If you know that you are going to be absent then speak to your teacher and do the work yourself before the next lesson. If you are absent through illness you could: Borrow someone's notes and copy them up. Return them afterwards! Phone your teacher to find out what work you have missed Find out what exercise questions were set on the work that you missed and try some of them; Ask your teacher about any problems you have encountered and what further questions you should try. It is your responsibility to catch up on work missed - do not expect any lessons missed to be repeated for your benefit. Do not wait until the next homework is collected and then say: "I missed the beginning of this".
DEPARTMENT ASSESSMENT POLICY
Students will be expected to undertake at least five hours work per week outside lesson time. This will include the completion of any classwork, extension material and consolidation & review questions.
Students should be set at least one formal piece of assessed work each week for example a homework, an MEI multiple-choice section test or a chapter assessment test. The completion of this work will be monitored and recorded. Feedback on the work may be by teacher comments, self-assessment, peerassessment, computer assessment or in the case of written tests, as a percentage.
Students who fail to hand in homework on time will be dealt with by o o o o
being reprimanded by the teacher, being required to attend a tutorial, sending a cause for concern to the tutor or senior tutor, or contacting parents.
Topic tests (guideline length 30 minutes) will be set after each topic, roughly every 2 or three weeks.
Any student who performs badly in a topic test will be given the opportunity to take the test again during a tutorial. 5 | Page
