Mathematics

Exam Board

Additional Entry Requirements

Grade 7 in GCSE mathematics and Grade 5 in English language

Course Content

Why mathematics?

Maths at Woodhouse provides an understanding of the subject andprocesses in a way that promotes confidence, fosters enjoyment and provides a strong foundation for progress to further study.

You will develop skills in the use of mathematical knowledge to make logical and reasoned decisions in solving problems both within pure mathematics and in a variety of contexts, and learn to communicate the mathematical rationale for these decisions clearly.

Many Woodhouse students go on to study mathematics or a closely related degree course at Oxbridge and Russell Group universities.

The department provides many opportunities to listen to distinguished speakers both on and off the college premises, and often invites back recent college leavers to describe the demands and requirements of higher-level study.

Course content

Content is in three areas: Pure mathematics, mechanics and statistics.

We encourage students to use appropriate technology to deepen their mathematical understanding and extend the range of problems they can solve.

You’ll use pre-release data in statistics to enable you to develop an understanding of working with real data to solve real problems.

We often include mathematical comprehension in our assessments to prepare students to use mathematics in a variety of contexts in higher education and future employment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please click on the headings below.

Is the jump from GCSE to A level maths hard?

There is certainly a jump in difficulty, particularly because A level maths assumes you are strong at all of GCSE maths.

However, if you spend some time over the summer before year 12 doing preparation work, and be ready to work hard in September, there is no reason you can't do well.

Is there any extra help outside of lessons?

Yes, we run maths tutorials for drop-in extra help; we also have a mentoring programme for those who need more regular 1-1 support

Do I need to buy a new calculator for A level maths?

Yes, your GCSE scientific calculator will not be adequate as it lacks certain functions that the exam requires. We recommend you get the Casio 991EX Classwiz as this will be what most students have. We have a calculator emulator that we can display on our screens to guide you through how to use it (and it will look like the Casio 991EX Classwiz).

Do I need a graphical calculator?

Graphical calculators can be expensive. Some students do like to have them, but the course does not require them, even further maths. There are no questions you can do on the graphical calculator that you can’t do on the normal calculator and only very occasionally is it more useful (some graph sketching).

If you do want to get one, maybe look at the Casio fx-CG50.

What support is available for students who wish to take maths (or a related subject) at university?

In lower sixth there are weekly sessions for students who are interested in maths beyond sixth form where we teach how to approach entrance exam style questions, particularly focusing on the Oxbridge STEP/MAT examinations. We continue this support into upper sixth, as well as offering rigorous interview practice for our students.

How will we be assessed in our first year if there is no AS level?

There will be a diagnostic test usually in the fourth week of your first term. This assesses everything taught up to that point. There is an end of year assessment which strongly influences your UCAS prediction. There are also two other big assessments throughout year 1.

What kind of careers can you do with maths?

Maths is useful for a range of careers including in science, engineering, computing, finance and economics. But mathematicians are often sought after in other careers too because they are good at problem-solving and are systematic and logical. Lots of government ministers, headteachers, and all sorts of people have maths degrees.

Should I do maths if I want to go to medical school?

You do not need maths: biology and chemistry are the essential choices. You can choose maths as your third but only if you are good at it and enjoy it.

“I’m interested in Science and maths is a tool for science. A level is definitely harder and I like that it’s challenging. It’s different here, lessons can be more interactive and I think it’s more fun learning at Woodhouse.

My journey to college is long, an hour and a quarter each way, and expensive. But I’m prepared to invest the time and money because it’s worth it for the grades. Woodhouse pushes you, it doesn’t limit your potential.”

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The London Nautical School