Mathematics

"Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas."

— Albert Einstein, German theoretical physicist

How can Mathematics help me?

In Years 9,  10 and 11, all students study GCSE Mathematics.  A qualification in Mathematics is useful in any profession.  In particular, Mathematics is useful where good numeracy skills are necessary, e.g. Science, Engineering, Civil Service and Medicine. Here are some examples of skills you will develop in your maths lessons that can be applied in the workplace:

Data specialists work all over in data analysis, including in the hospitality industry to identify consumer trends, or in medical research to find patterns in scientific data. Presentation skills for sharing complex information is useful in plenty of roles, from IT consultancy to teaching. Statisticians could work in doing statistical sampling in sports, collecting information on player performance, or as economists, exploring data on financial markets. Engineers have to  show determination to work out how to fix an issue with a mechanical design, while medical researchers might be trying to find a cure for a disease.


At TGSB we are also able to offer Further Maths at Level 2 for select students as a co-curricular offer. If selected, you will be invited to study for this additional GCSE qualification, sessions take place after school once a week. Please speak to your maths teacher if this is something that you are interested in.

Course Content

The GCSE Mathematics course aims to develop your mathematical knowledge and skills in the following areas:

Number

Algebra

Geometry

Measures

Probability 

Ratio and Proportion

Statistics

You will develop your problem solving skills by applying your knowledge to complex mathematical problems.

"Maths has been one of the best subjects at school. It helps you to approach problems from another angle, as soon as I step into the classroom I think harder than any other lesson. You are always eager to find the answer to every question" - 

Methods of Study

Students are encouraged to work hard and make mistakes in order to develop into better mathematicians. Mathematics is best learnt through frequent revisiting of skills/topics learnt and practised daily. We recommend around 30 minutes to 1 hour a day.

No ceiling is placed upon student attainment; you will be given access to the entire curriculum.

Assessment

The examination board we will use is EDEXCEL Pearson 1MA1

There will be 3 exam papers, all equally weighted – 1 non-calculator and 2 with a calculator, each paper is 1 hour 30 minutes each.The recommended calculator is the Casio Classwiz fx-83GT-x.

The assessment objectives in the course are as follows:

AO1- Using and applying standard techniques

Students should be able to:  accurately recall facts, terminology and definitions, use and interpret notation correctly, accurately carry out routine procedures or set tasks requiring multi-step solutions.

AO2- Reasoning, interpreting and communicating mathematically 

Students should be able to:  make deductions, inferences and draw conclusions from mathematical information, construct chains of reasoning to achieve a given result, interpret and communicate information accurately, present arguments and proofs, assess the validity of an argument and critically evaluate a given way of presenting information.

AO3- Solving problems in a variety of contexts

Students should be able to: translate problems in mathematical or nonmathematical contexts into a process or a series of mathematical processes, make and use connections between different parts of mathematics, interpret results in the context of the given problem, evaluate methods and solutions, how they have been used and how results are obtained.

Useful Links