Maths A Level

Qualification: GCE A Level in Mathematics
Exam Board & Specification Code: Pearson; 9MA0; Specification
Course Entry Requirements: 6 in Maths GCSE and 4 in English Language GCSE or 4 in English Literature GCSE
Please make sure that you have understood the overall entry requirements to study at BHASVIC. These are available here and outline the GCSE grades you need to take up one of the Study Programmes at the college.
Length and size of qualification: 2 year single course
Timetable hours: 4.5 hours per week
Assessment method: 3 x 2 hour exams
BHASVIC Department: Maths

Head of Department: James Bashford & Stephen Clarke

What will I study?

This is a two year course, that is assessed by three 2 hour exam papers taken at the end of the two years – Pure 1, Pure 2 and the Applied paper which is 50% Statistics and 50% Mechanics. Having the drive to access the support on offer at BHASVIC and establishing a routine to your study is essential to success. This support can be found both in class via peers and your teacher, or outside of class using a variety of methods e.g. Microsoft Teams; lunch time subject extensions (both teacher and student led). Students will need to be resilient, enjoy getting stuck and overcoming problems.

Is this course right for me?

This course is demanding, and will feel like a big step up from GCSE at first. But if you enjoy working hard, and enjoy tackling a difficult problem, then this is the course for you. BHASVIC Maths will stretch and challenge all of its learners, and provides plenty of support along the way. Students will spend at least 4.5 hours per week on independent study, culminating in the submission of an assignment each week. Students sit a weekly assignment test, and a tracking test every half term, with a progression exam at the end of their first year. Having strong GCSE algebra skills will really help when starting this course, but with hard work and perseverance, any student can succeed. All students find this course challenging at some point, but the difference between a successful and unsuccessful student is how they respond to that challenge.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a big difference between the difficulty level of Maths at A level than GCSE?

The biggest difference is the pace of the course rather than the content. There is a lot to cover in a short time.

What equipment is required for the course?

The Maths department suggests using the NUMWORKS calculator. Which you will be able to buy at a discounted price from BHASVIC when you start. There is a free NUMWORKS app that you can download onto a phone or tablet.

What is covered in Maths A level ? How much algebra?

The course is 2/3rds Pure (which is algebra), 1/6th mechanics (which is similar to Physics), 1/6th statistics.

Where next?

Studying Mathematics helps students develop logical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills that are valued by both universities and employers across many job sectors. Mathematics is part of the STEM subjects (Science, Technology Engineering and Maths) where there is a current skills shortage for employers. This means that skills from these disciplines are in demand in the job market and have good long term career prospects. There are jobs available relating to diverse interests and they span a wide variety of sectors including entertainment, health, transport, sport, finance, space, energy, agriculture and construction. Jobs directly related to the subject could include Actuarial Analyst, Chartered Accountant, Data Scientist, Investment Analyst, Teacher and Statistician. Careers where Maths can be useful include Financial Manager, Insurance Underwriter, Meteorologist and Quantity Surveyor. Studying Maths A level will be excellent preparation to study Maths or a related discipline at university. Apprenticeships requiring highly numerate individuals will also hold this A level subject in high regard. Useful websites to research careers and wider progression options could include Future Morph, Where can STEM take you, Maths Careers, All About Careers and The Apprenticeship Guide. Please Note: If you want to apply for the top universities in Physics, Maths, Engineering, then double maths is essential. STEP & STRETCH classes are also available to help you prepare for top university entry exams if needed. Some university departments in the following subjects may prefer students to have A Level Maths if possible: Physics, Psychology, Economics, Computing, and Accountancy. This can be checked with admissions departments at each university.

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Higher Education - Maths

Last year, 68 BHASVIC students went onto study Maths related degrees at 32 different universities.

Of those students 14 went onto study a combined Maths degree with another subject. Maths is regularly in our top five subjects that students go onto study at University.

Popular universities include Liverpool, Bristol, Exeter, Bath, Leeds and Edinburgh. Students also went onto Cambridge, Imperial and Oxford university last year. Please also see our Engineering & Medicine HE information posters.

Should I study Maths at degree level?

If you enjoy the challenge of solving mathematical problems and want to improve your analytical skills, studying maths at university could be an option. When studying Maths you have about 10 hours of lectures a week. You also have tutorials in groups of 2 or 3 with a knowledgeable academic. You will cover pure Maths and then choose your areas of study in more depth.

Types of Maths degree

Degree courses cover applied areas such as mechanics, statistics and computational mathematics, as well as the study of maths for its own value.

Entry Requirements

A-levels (or equivalent) usually required are Maths and sometimes Further (Double) Maths. It is worth checking individual entry requirements for specific courses. For highly competitive universities, depending on the course choice, double maths is often needed. Please do check.

Top Universities for Maths

Cambridge, Oxford, St Andrews, Imperial, Warwick
Nottingham, Loughborough, Lancaster, Dundee – all very high student satisfaction scores
UCL, Leeds, Sussex, Sheffield - all with top graduate prospects

Many of our students choose a combined degree - applications from our students have included:

Mathematics and Accounting and Finance
Economics & Mathematics with a Year in Business
Engineering Mathematics
Computer Science and Mathematics with Industrial Experience (4 years)

Example entry requirements (please check):

A-Level/BTEC equivalents:

Leeds/AAA
Bristol UWB/BBB
Keele Maths with Science Foundation year)/CC

Why not try a foundation degree or higher apprenticeship?
For example: Banking apprenticeship higherapprenticeshipguide.com

Some examples of Maths-related degrees that our BHASVIC students have gone onto study in the past few years are:

Accounting and Finance with Industrial Experience
Accounting and Finance with Study Abroad
Accounting and Financial Management
Actuarial Science and Mathematics
Banking and Finance
Economics and Mathematics (with placement).
Economics with Accounting
Engineering Mathematics
Finance and Investment
Financial Mathematics
Mathematical Physics
Mathematical Sciences
Mathematics (4 years)
Mathematics (with Study Year Abroad)
Mathematics and Computer Science
Mathematics and Philosophy
Mathematics and Physics
Mathematics and Statistics
Mathematics with a Year Abroad
Mathematics with a Year in Industry
Mathematics with Computer Science
Mathematics with Economics
Mathematics with Finance and Investment Banking with a Placement Year
Mathematics with Finance with a Year Abroad
Mathematics with Management and a Year in Industry
Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics
Mathematics, Statistics and Data Science
Mathematics, Statistics, and Business
Mathematics and Music Technology
Mathematics with Statistics
Primary Mathematics Education with QTS

Employability & Enterprise - Maths

Studying Maths helps develop skills in logical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making, valued by employers across many job sectors including:

Civil Service
Actuary
Data Analyst
Financial manager
Financial trader
Game designer
Insurance underwriter
Machine learning engineer
Meteorologist
Teacher
Data Scientist
Operational researcher
Quantity surveyor
Software tester

Career Prospects

The UK still doesn’t have as many Maths teachers as we’d like, so anyone wanting to take Maths and then go into teaching will be welcome. In fact, there’s felt to be a general lack of Maths skills in the population at large, so this is one subject where there's demand for graduate skills.

With all that training in handling figures, it's hardly surprising that a lot of Maths students go into well-paid jobs in the IT or finance industries. Banking and business may also be attractive options for maths students. The transferable skills from studying Maths are much in demand.

Local Market Information

Employers that recruited mathematicians last year included all parts of the finance industry (especially banking, insurance, accountancy and consultancy), the IT industry and the Civil Service.

Examples of apprenticeships and opportunities include:

British Army Trainee Intelligence Analyst
Business Analyst University of Sussex
Financial Adviser

We have an excellent careers page and careers advisors who are available for appointments.

Higher Education - Engineering

Last year, 78 BHASVIC students went onto study Engineering related degrees at 32 different universities.

Engineering degrees come in a wide variety of choice and cross all science subjects. Interesting choices for students last year were Flood and Coastal Engineering and Renewable Energy Engineering. In addition, we had students go onto study Architecture and related construction degrees.

Popular universities included Bristol, Loughborough, Swansea and Bath. In addition, students went onto study Engineering at Imperial in London and Cambridge.

Should I study Engineering at degree level?

There are a wide range of engineering options that students can choose between. Options include foundation and placement years, and industrial experience. You will have about 20 hours of teaching each week, mainly lectures, but also tutorials and laboratory experiments. Contact time is higher studying science degrees due to lab work. Modules might include Thermofluids, Engineering concepts, Materials and manufacture, Dynamics and control, Systems modelling.

Types of Engineering degree

There are a huge range of interesting engineering options including:

Mechanical
Electrical
Software
Civil
Aerospace
Automotive
Architectural
Robotics
Biochemical

and many more.

Entry Requirements

A-levels (or equivalent) usually required a mix of Sciences, Computing and Maths. It is wort exploring degree entry requirements of thinking of taking a particular route.

Top Universities for Engineering

Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, Durham
Cardiff, Bristol UWE, Liverpool John Moores – all very high student satisfaction scores
London South Bank, Bournemouth, Exeter- all with top graduate prospects

Many of our students choose a combined degree - applications from our students have included:

Architectural Engineering (Year in Industry)
Aerospace Engineering
Mechatronic and Robotic Engineering with a Year in Industry
Product Design Engineering with Foundation Year

Example entry requirements (please check):

A-Level/BTEC equivalents:

Exeter/AAB
UEA/BBB
York/BBC

Why not try a foundation degree or higher apprenticeship?
For example: Engineering Degree Apprentice Siemens

Some examples of Engineering-related degrees that our BHASVIC students have gone onto study in the past few years are:

Aeronautics and Astronautics
Aerospace Engineering
Aeronautical Engineering
Aeronautics and Astronautics
Aeronautics and Astronautics / Spacecraft Engineering
Architectural Engineering
Architecture and Environmental Engineering
Automotive Engineering
Architectural Engineering
Architectural Engineering (Year in Industry)
Biomedical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering (Year in Industry)
Design Engineering
Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Innovation
Electronic and Information Engineering
Electronic Engineering with Artificial Intelligence
Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Robotics
Electronic and Computer Engineering
Engineering Mathematics
Engineering Geology and Geotechnics
Flood and Coastal Engineering
General Engineering
Mechanical Engineering with a Year in Industry
Mechanical Engineering with Robotics
Mechanical Engineering/Mechatronics
Mechanical Engineering / Naval Engineering with Industrial Placement Year
Mechatronic and Robotic Engineering with a Year in Industry
Robotics Engineering
Renewable Energy Engineering

Employability & Enterprise - Engineering

Engineers use their analytical skills and aptitude working with ground-breaking technologies to enhance people's lives.

Building services engineer
Energy Engineer
Network Engineer
Environmental consultant
Sustainability consultant
Broadcast engineer
Electrical engineer
Electronics engineer
Project manager
Product/process development scientist

Career Prospects

Engineers are in demand across multiple industries, particularly in the oil industry, and in the car industry, in design and manufacturing. Jobs are all around the country, with Scotland and the Southeast the most likely places for a new mechanical engineer to find work.

An engineering degree will help you gain specific technical training, knowledge of issues and the ability to plan, prioritise and solve problems under pressure and to deadlines. These skills are in demand from employers in the oil and gas industry, aerospace, car industry, electricity generators and suppliers, technical consultancy, defence and the Armed Forces.

Local Market Information

Network Rail
Network Rail are taking applications for their apprenticeship scheme production. 50% are based in London and the Southeast, many of which work on a freelance basis.

Examples of apprenticeships and opportunities include:

Field Engineer UK Govt
Unified Communications Technician Apprentice
UK Government Degree Apprenticeship in Electronic Engineering

We have an excellent careers page and careers advisors who are available for appointments.

Transferable and Local Skills for Maths and Engineering

You will gain many transferable skills studying Maths & Engineering that will be valued in the workplace including:

Teamwork, IT & Technology, Problem solving, Social Skills, Organisation, Numeracy, Communication, Attention to detail, Creative thinking, Analytics, Project Management

Local Skills

The Local Skills agenda considers job prospects and employment in our local area of Sussex. Many of our students will contribute to the National Skills agenda and go onto find a career in a wide range of sectors. For students in Sussex our local skills are identified as the following sectors:

Engineering and Manufacturing
Construction
Digital (includes IT and Technology)
Visitor and Cultural Industries (includes Hospitality, Cultural & Arts)
Land-based (includes Agriculture and Viticulture)
Health and Care (includes Bio Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical)

Degree choices that match the Local Skills agenda our BHASVIC students went onto study for Engineering, Manufacturing, Digital Skills and Construction include:

Aeronautical Engineering
Aeronautics and Astronautics
Aeronautics and Astronautics / Spacecraft Engineering
Aerospace Electronic Engineering with Foundation Year
Aerospace Engineering with Industrial Experience
Automotive Engineering
Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Design Engineering
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Robotics
Electronic and Computer Engineering
Engineering
Engineering Mathematics
Materials Science and Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering / Naval Engineering with Industrial Placement Year
Mechatronic Engineering with Industrial Experience (4 years)
Mechatronics and Robotics
Integrated Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (with placement)
Ship Science
Architectural Engineering
Architecture
Architecture and Environmental Engineering
Architecture and Planning
Civil Engineering
Building Surveying
Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management
Surveying and Mapping Sciences
Accounting and Finance with Industrial Experience
Accounting and Finance with Study Abroad
Actuarial Science and Mathematics
Finance and Investment
Financial Mathematics
Mathematical Sciences
Mathematics and Statistics
Mathematics with Finance and Investment Banking with a Placement Year
Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics
Mathematics, Statistics and Data Science
Mathematics and Music Technology