Mathmatical Studies (Core Maths)
Core Maths is a new course for those who want to keep up their valuable maths skills but are not planning to take AS or A Level Mathematics. At the end of the one-year course, you will gain a Level 3 qualification – similar to an AS, e.g. a Grade A will be worth 20 UCAS points.
Why haven’t I heard of it?
Core Maths is a new course and is part of a wider initiative to improve Maths in England–you could be a part of it! It has been available to all schools from September 2015, but we are currently one of the few schools in Peterborough offering it.
Why Core Maths?
Only 20 per cent of students study maths beyond GCSE in the UK – the lowest rate in leading developed countries in the world; in Japan, this figure is 85 per cent. This puts young people in the UK – you – at a major disadvantage in a global job market. The UK government wants this to change and has put in place a plan to encourage more students to carry on studying maths after GCSE. The aim is to ensure that by 2020, the vast majority of all students in Post 16 education continue to study some form of maths.
Why Should I Study Core Maths?
Core Maths has been designed to maintain and develop real-life maths skills. What you study is not purely theoretical or abstract; it can be applied on a day-to-day basis in work, study or life and most courses will include a financial maths element. It will also help with other A Level subjects – in particular with Science, Geography, Business Studies, Psychology and Economics. The skills developed in the study of mathematics are increasingly important in the workplace and in higher education; studying Core Maths will help you keep up these essential skills. Most students who study maths after GCSE improve their career choices and increase their earning potential.
You will need a grade 5 or above in Mathematics at GCSE and a minimum of grade 4 in GCSE English Language.
Is it only for those that got a 5 in GCSE Mathematics?
No, students with 9*- 6 will also be appropriately challenged by the course.
The qualification is assessed by 2 exams at the end of the year with some pre-release material. There is no coursework component.
Core Maths is a new course but already several universities have come out in strong support of it. Even subjects like History now recognise the importance of statistics and so a Core Maths qualification will help you hit the ground running at university.
Employers from all different sectors are firmly behind the Core Maths qualification. Many roles in today’s workplace require high levels of budget management and problem-solving skills; Core Maths will be useful in equipping you with these skills.
