Will I Struggle With A-Level Maths?
There is no doubt that A Level Maths is hard. It is a huge leap from GCSE Maths and everything that you have learnt from the day you started primary school will be expected knowledge. But why do so many students find the jump so overwhelming?
One thing that is of interest is the fact that A Level maths has a higher success rate compared to its GCSE counterpart. There could be a number of reasons for this such as it being a requirement for university courses or securing an apprenticeship.
Now there are a number of factors that affect performance and success at GCSE does not equal success at A Level. But if you are struggling that a question that does need to be asked is: Why?
Why am I struggling with A level maths?
Below are some reasons that could answer why you are finding A Level maths difficult. It is important to remember that there are a number of factors involved so the list is not complete.
1. Not seeking for help
This is a major issue at A Level. Far too many students just do not seek the advice or guidance that they need and are quite happy to continue in this way.
Reasons for not seeking help could be: not wanting to be seen as stupid or being shy or the fear of embarrassment from asking questions. But you need to remember that there will be certainly other students who are finding the course and particular topics difficult. You also need to remember that if you wish to pursue a degree course or secure an apprenticeship then a certain grade is going to be required.
There are a variety of online sources such as YouTube and there a steady stream of personal and online tutors who are also ready to help.
Use the resources that your school or college has to offer such as additional revision sessions and workshops but do not just attend them – go and fire lots of questions until you are confident that you are filling in any gaps that you may have.
It Is All About Practice
2. Not being able to apply the theory
At GCSE, you can probably get away without doing too much work as there is a large emphasis on following the processes and rules in order to secure a good grade.
But at A Level you need to be able to understand the concepts and be able to apply them to solve a variety of questions that will appear in different forms.
It is important to fully understand why something is being done rather than just following a particular process. Of course the only way to do this is to do lots of questions. The more you do the more you see and from there you will start to patterns and recognise what a question is asking and can then determine the current rules that are then needed to answer a question successfully.
3. Practice, Practice, Practice
There are no secrets when it comes to getting better at maths. The more you do, the better you get and the emphasis is on the word “do”. You have to pick a pen or pencil and do some questions. You can become efficient with a topic by say reading a book or watching a YouTube video. You have to do. The book and the online video are there to help.
You are rehearsing for an event just like an athlete. The event that you are rehearsing for is of course your exams. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. In maths you don’t get things wrong, you simply work out not what to do next time. Adopt this strategy and hopefully you will reduce the number of difficulties that you have with the subject.
Of course, if you do want support with your practice A Level or GCSE Maths revision, and you want a professional eye to help support, coach and mentor you through your studies then be sure to reach out and get in touch. We offer online tuition for A Level Maths as well as online tuition for GCSE Maths students.
Should you require support throughout the year we also offer online tuition with a online maths tutor. Our classroom based courses cater for a small group of students at any one time and are highly bespoke catering towards student needs.
Our classroom based maths revision courses take place in a variety of locations including Manchester, Lymm, London and also York.
Our courses take place during half term holidays and we are currently taking bookings for our courses. With exams in England taking place in 2021 we expect our February Half Term Maths Revision Course and Easter Revision Course. With the current situation with Covid-19 this course will of course be online. The course will be packed full of information to help students prepare for any mock exams in January 2021. It is hoped that we can offer our traditional group based A Level maths revision courses as soon as possible.
If you, or your parents would like to find out more, please just get in touch via email at info@exam.tips or call us on 0800 689 1272.