Exam Board: AQA
The GCSE Maths Course continues to develop and extend students mathematical understanding, reasoning and problem solving skills which were covered in KS3. Topics are split up into the following core areas; number, algebra, proportional reasoning, geometry, probability and statistics.
The GCSE Maths course is 100% examination.
There are two tiers of entry for the final exam. These are Foundation which covers grades 1–5 and Higher which covers grades 4–9.
At each level, you will sit three exam papers at the end of the course; Paper 1: Non Calculator and Paper 2 and 3 which are both calculator. All three papers are written exams worth 80 marks lasting 1 hour 30 minutes. Each paper holds 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. Finally each paper holds an even weighting of 33.3% of the GCSE Mathematics Assessment.
The path that you take through the content will be based on your previous achievement as well as your current attitude, learning and progress. At various times throughout the course you will sit an internally-assessed exam in order to show your current progress and what you need to do to improve further.
Final decisions about tiers of entry are not made until the later stage of the course.
For Maths lessons you should have your school planner, a pen, a pencil, a ruler, a protractor, compasses and a scientific calculator.
Maths is a vital subject that develops skills that can be transferred to a vast number of real world situations. It is important in a huge number of careers and proficiency in Maths demonstrates your ability to understand, reason and problem solve analytically.