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Course Description

Mathematics is for everyone. It is diverse, engaging and essential in equipping students with the right skills to reach their future destination, whatever that may be. By putting students at the heart of everything we do, our aim is to support learners to shape what success in mathematics looks like.

Students that excel in mathematics could be entered for an additional GCSE in mathematics called ‘Further Mathematics’ that acts as additional preparation for Key Stage 5 Mathematics.

All students are required to have a scientific calculator for their lessons and final exams.

Student Quotes

How will I be assessed?

You will be entered for either foundation or higher tier and assessed on the basis of three exams, taken at the end of year 11.

Regardless of the tier, the three equally weighted papers carry the same format:

  • Paper 1 – non-calculator, 90 minutes, 80 marks
  • Paper 2 & 3 – calculator, 90 minutes and 80 marks each

The papers have 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.

All content can be assessed on any of the three question papers. As such, some questions will draw together elements of maths from different topic areas.

What will I learn?

The weighting of the mathematical topic areas has been prescribed by Ofqual and is common to all exam boards. The table below shows the approximate weightings of the topic areas for the overall tier of assessment, not for each individual question paper.

Topic

Content

Stage Weighting

Number

  • Structure and calculation
  • Fractions, decimals and percentages
  • Measures and accuracy

FS – 25%
HS – 15%

Algebra

  • Notation, vocabulary and manipulation
  • Graphs
  • Solving equations and inequalities
  • Sequences

FS – 20%
HS – 20%

Ratio, proportion and rates of change

FS – 25%
HS – 20%

Geometry

  • Properties and constructions
  • Mensuration and calculation
  • Vectors

FS – 15%
HS – 20%

Probability and Statistics

FS – 15%
HS – 15%

What could I do next?

GCSE Mathematics is incredibly useful regardless of the job, career or further study you pursue. The skills developed through studying mathematics are in high demand from employers and universities around the world. Development of your mathematical skills has an impact on your reasoning, communication, initiative, problem solving and decision making. 

Mathematics underpins science, technology and engineering. It has a huge impact on businesses, the sports industry, and social sciences. Further, mathematics is vital for finance, medicine and the development of new technologies. 

At The Leigh UTC we offer three different mathematics courses at post-16 that students could progress on to: A-level, IB and Core Mathematics.