At Key Stage 3 you will have been introduced to some important concepts required for GCSE Mathematics. Now, in Year 10, this is where the GCSE properly begins. It is a two year course and skills you have met at KS3 are developed further.
You will need to be good at interpreting information and using it to solve complex problems. These are skills which you will have already developed at KS3 and will be ready to use in Years 10 and 11.
In the same way, you will be encouraged to think deeply about mathematics to model situations and to form and solve problems. We will continue to set classes according to ability, so that the pace and challenge of your group will be right for you.
For our more able students at Key Stage 4, there will be the opportunity to take part in the Intermediate UK Maths Challenge.
The course is assessed through 3 terminal papers at the end of Year 11: 1 non-calculator paper and 2 calculator papers. At the higher tier, you will be able to achieve up to a grade 9 and at the foundation tier the maximum grade available is a 5.
Teachers regularly assess the progress of their classes throughout the course, mainly through classwork, homework and by termly and end of topic tests. You can expect to receive at least one piece of homework each week of approximately 1 hour. However, further independent study is a must in order for you to secure a good grade.
You will require the use of a scientific calculator throughout the course. It is also important that you have a ruler, protractor and a pair of compasses at home to enable you to tackle homework effectively.
Career opportunities
All employers and colleges will require you to have a good level of mathematical knowledge for any job or course that you apply for.
There are numerous career paths available to students with a good background in mathematics. For those who go on to study mathematics beyond GCSE, they will find that it becomes an important part of many other subjects, including science, engineering, social sciences (particularly psychology), economics, statistics, computing, sports science, accountancy, teaching and medicine.
Post-16 opportunities
In order to study mathematics beyond GCSE, you will need to have achieved at least a Grade 6 by the end of the course. But even if A-Level mathematics is not for you, we hope we can foster a lifelong appreciation of a subject that is practical and engaging, challenging and exciting and is something that you will continue to enjoy.