Why should STUDENTS study GCSE Maths?

Maths is for everyone.  It is diverse, engaging and essential in equipping students with the right skills to reach their future destination, whatever that may be.

GCSE mathematics is compulsory for all students. They must achieve Grade 4 or higher or they will have to retake the qualification at post 16. 

support for students

This course is compulsory for all students. Students with aspirations of Grades 6 and above can expect to be well challenged at GCSE Higher Level. This is a demanding course which provides the gateway to the top maths grades which are vital for going on to study maths at A-level, and then for access to the top universities. As for careers, top maths grades are essential for subjects like engineering, medicine, accountancy and many others.

Students aiming for a GCSE in maths will be well supported with the GCSE Foundation syllabus. This course gives you access to grades up to a 5 which is considered by colleges and employers to be a strong pass at GCSE maths.

As students approach their examinations they can expect lots of support from the maths teachers. We run revision sessions before the mock exams and the actual GCSE exams, and we are really good at providing extra support with revision lists linked to Mathswatch; practice exam papers; sessions on exam technique and lots more. 

Course Content

The content has been organised into broad topic areas as follows:

• • Number

  • Algebra 

  • Ratio, proportion and rates of change references 

  • Geometry and measures 

  • Probability

  • Statistics 

There are 3 types of questions that examiners ask: AO1 (skills), AO2 (reasoning and communicating) and AO3 (problem solving).

Assessment

Paper 1 - Calculator

• • Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes

  • 100 marks

  • 33⅓% of the GCSE Mathematics assessment

  • A mix of question styles, from short, single-mark questions to multi-step problems. The mathematical demand increases as a student progresses through the paper.

Paper 2 - Non-Calculator

• • Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes

  • 100 marks

  • 33⅓% of the GCSE Mathematics assessment

  • A mix of question styles, from short, single-mark questions to multi-step problems. The mathematical demand increases as a student progresses through the paper.

Paper 3 - Calculator

• • Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes

  • 100 marks

  • Calculator allowed

  • 33⅓% of the GCSE Mathematics assessment

  • A mix of question styles, from short, single-mark questions to multi-step problems. The mathematical demand increases as a student progresses through the paper.

All content can be assessed on any of the three question papers. As such, some questions will draw together elements of maths from different topic areas.

Other Mathematics Courses at Warden Park

In addition to GCSE maths, which almost all students study, we run an accelerated programme for our most able students.  These students, alongside their GCSE, go on to study a further course in Maths.  Currently we use OCR Additional Maths.  This course is a level 3 FSMQ and provides candidates with an introduction to the maths studied post–16, including AS and A Level Maths and Further Maths.  Students in our advanced maths groups also have the opportunity to enter the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge.  

We also have a nurture group for students who require a high level of support and these students take AQA Entry Level Maths before they do their GCSE.  

Further Education and Career Pathways

Mathematics A-level is the next step after GCSE, for which students need at least a grade 7 at GCSE.  Students with grades 8 or 9 may wish to consider studying Further Mathematics A-level, which means that they cover more A-level units in the same time span. Maths graduates can seek employment into a wide range of fields: actuarial studies, data analysts, forensics, accountancy, research, statistician, medicine, engineering, to name but a few!