Full name of specification
GCSE Mathematics
Exam board specification link
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/mathematics/gcse/mathematics-8300/subject-content
Why study this course?
- Mathematics is the fundamental language of science and technology. Scientists, and people working in technology, are able to make much greater contributions to their disciplines when their understanding of mathematics is greater. The first calculators and computers were built by mathematicians such as Ada Lovelace and Alan Turing. Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein were able to describe the Laws of Motion and the Theory of General Relativity through mathematics.As can be seen from our schools’ ethos, students will have the opportunity to work with leaders in science, healthcare and technology. Businesses in these sectors are looking for employees with good mathematical understanding. Employees in these sectors are required to be able to think critically, and solve quite complex problems. Mathematicians are often the best problem-solvers and critical thinkers.
What will I study?
GCSE Mathematics contains six broad topic areas; Number, Algebra, Ratio and Proportion and Rates of Change, Geometry and Measures, Probability and Statistics.
All content can be assessed on any of the three pages. As such, some questions will draw together elements of maths from different topic areas.
See our full lesson plans on the GCSE Curriculum page
How is it assessed?
Assessment in mathematics is split into four main parts; PPEs, Weekly Exam Papers (Y11 only), Weekly Quizzes, and homework.
PPEs – PPEs are mock exams. A chance to practice a full paper in full exam conditions. PPEs are conducted at the end of Y10, and twice in Y11.
Following a PPE, students will be provided with a percentage, a Current Working Grade (what grade you might expect to get if you sat the exam tomorrow), and a Predicted Grade (what grade we think you will probably get when you sit your actual GCSE if things continue as they have so far.)
Weekly Exam Papers – These are only conducted in Y11. They work on a three-week cycle. We take a full past paper and split it in half. Week 1, students sit the first half. Week 2, the second half. Week 3, we give students back both halves, marked, and spend time giving feedback.
This allows students to regularly practice exam papers, and exam-style questions.
Weekly Quizzes – After each topic, students sit a Quiz on that topic. Each quiz has ten multiple choice questions which assess the different elements of that topic.
After completing a Weekly Quiz, the teacher will mark it, provide feedback in class, and a task will be assigned on Hegarty Maths for students to complete at home. The task assigned on Hegarty is unique to each student, and is designed to help them improve.
Homework – Homework is set on Hegarty Maths each Monday, due the following Monday. Students should not be just completing the task. Students should first watch the video, take notes, and work through the examples, before attempting the task. Once a student has completed the task, a score is reported back to both the student, and the teacher.
Following completion of homework, the teacher will provide feedback on Hegarty, and suggest to the student which task they should look at next to further extend their understanding of the topic.
How will this prepare me?
GCSE Mathematics is a pre-requisite for a large number of jobs and courses post-16. Students hoping to study most A-level subjects will require a minimum of a grade 4/5 in GCSE Mathematics.
In addition to this, GCSE Mathematics offers the opportunity to develop a variety of skills that are applicable to a vast multitude of different areas of study such as:
- critical reasoning and analytical skills, including the capacity for solving problems and thinking creatively
- develops numeracy skills which are applicable to all walks of life
- develops spatial awareness through the study of Geometry
- develops understanding of the use of statistics, and gives students the ability to criticise statistics
What resources will I use?
Year 10 and Year 11 each have their own gClassroom which contains a wealth of resources such as; practice papers, past papers, videos of teachers completing these papers, powerpoints and worksheets for each topic completed in class.
Each gClassroom contains resources for both Foundation Tier and Higher Tier. Foundation Tier students who wish to make the jump to Higher Tier are free to look at and complete the resources for the Higher Tier.
For GCSE Mathematics, the following equipment is required; pen, pencil, ruler, rubber, protractor, compass and scientific calculator. This equipment cannot be provided to students in assessments. They must have their own.
There are a lot of different types of calculator on the market, so it can be difficult to know which calculator is appropriate. The calculator we recommend is the Casio FX-83GTX.