cambridge AS Level
& NCEA Level 2 mathematics

Cambridge International AS & A Level Mathematics develops a set of transferable skills. These include the skill of working with mathematical information, as well as the ability to think logically and independently, consider accuracy, model situations mathematically, analyse results and reflect on findings. You can apply these skills across a wide range of subjects and the skills equip you well for progression to higher education or directly into employment. - Cambridge International Education

This course is labelled as 12MCA but is taken by students in Year 11. It is the first year of the two year Cambridge Mathematics course. In Year 11 (12MCA) students take the Cambridge International AS Examinations and the NCEA Level 2 External Examinations for Mathematics.

The typical pathway for students who are part of our advanced programme is as follows:

Year 10 - 11MCA class working on NCEA Level 1 and some Cambridge IGCSE content.

> Exams for the NCEA programme only.

Year 11 - 12MCA class working on NCEA Level 2 and Cambridge AS Level.

> Exams for both NCEA and Cambridge Mathematics.

[Note: around 40% of our 11MCA students will not progress into the 12MCA course. They will instead step out of our Cambridge programme and into Level 2 Mathematics with Calculus in Year 11, In Year 12, these students will progress into a Level 3 course of their choosing, or both Calculus and Statistics, and they will still have the opportunity to do a university mathematics paper in Year 13 if they maintain excellent achievement throughout the Level 3 Calculus course.]

Year 12 - 13MCA class working on NCEA Level 3 Calculus and Cambridge A Level.

> Exams for both NCEA and Cambridge Mathematics.

Year 13 - MATH199 Canterbury University Mathematics paper, studied online.

Year 13 students also have the option of taking Level 3 Statistics and they typically also sit scholarship papers for Calculus (and Statistics).

No student is locked into the advanced programme once they're on it. There is always the option to join back in with the level of mathematics that the rest of the year group are working at if the advanced programme has become too arduous.

This course follows the syllabus for the Cambridge International Examinations and has two elements (NCEA Level 2 topics are covered under these two elements): 

Pure Mathematics 1 

• 1.1 Quadratics 

• 1.2 Functions 

• 1.3 Coordinate geometry 

• 1.4 Circular measure 

• 1.5 Trigonometry 

• 1.6 Series 

• 1.7 Differentiation 

• 1.8 Integration 

Probability & Statistics 1 

• 5.1 Representation of data 

• 5.2 Permutations and combinations 

• 5.3 Probability 

• 5.4 Discrete random variables 

• 5.5 The normal distribution 

In this course, you will be encouraged to be: 

• confident, using and sharing information and ideas, and using mathematical techniques to solve problems. These skills build confidence and support work in other subject areas as well as in mathematics. 

• responsible, through learning and applying skills which prepare them for future academic studies, helping them to become numerate members of society. 

• reflective, through making connections between different branches of mathematics and considering the outcomes of mathematical problems and modelling. 

• innovative, through solving both familiar and unfamiliar problems in different ways, selecting from a range of mathematical and problem-solving techniques. 

• engaged, by the beauty and structure of mathematics, its patterns and its many applications to real life situations. 

We recommend this course to you if you have performed well in 11MCA classes in Year 10. It is designed to extend students beyond NCEA Level 2, to prepare them for the NZ Scholarship examinations, in Year 13, both in Statistics and in Calculus. 

Most students in this course go on to take 13MCA in Year 12 (the second year of the A Level course, and NCEA Level 3 Calculus). 

Entry into the course is subject to HOD approval.

Assessment

As the Cambridge syllabus covers the majority of the NCEA Level 2 Mathematics course, you will also sit the final NCEA Level 2 external assessments. By studying the Cambridge syllabus, you should perform higher in the NCEA examination.  

Full details of Mathematics standards offered and assessed are:

• 91256 v3 (2.1) Apply coordinate geometry methods in solving problems 

• 91259 v3 (2.4) Apply trigonometric relationships in solving problems 

• 91261 v3 (2.6) Apply algebraic methods in solving problems 

• 91262 v3 (2.7) Apply calculus methods in solving problems 

• 91267 v3 (2.12) [L] Apply probability methods in solving problems 

• Cambridge AS 9709 (13) - Pure Mathematics 1 Examination

• Cambridge AS 9709 (63) - Probability & Statistics 1 Examination

[L] These standards contribute to the literacy requirement for NCEA Level 1.

Other Details

A Casio fx–9750GII graphics calculator is compulsory for this course.

Qualification: Cambridge Advanced Subsidiary Level Mathematics (AS) and credits towards NCEA Level 2 Mathematics.

NZQA Mathematics Subject Resources

http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/qualifications/ncea/subjects/mathematics/levels

School Policy for NCEA Assessment

You should be aware of the school procedures for NCEA assessment.  They can be found on the school website at this link. There you will find answers to frequently asked questions about how NCEA works as well as guidance about how to apply for extensions, reconsiderations or the process for withdrawing from a standard.