A Level Maths Tutor

A Level Maths is always a big step up from GCSE Maths. Having an A Level Maths Tutor can really support your learning and understanding of the subject.

A Level Maths is an essential basis for the quantitative demands of many technical and scientific undergraduate degrees, and also supports the content covered in many scientific A Levels. This qualification is held in high esteem by universities admissions departments and a wide range of employers, including those in finance, research and logistics. Maths is a sensible choice for any student hoping to pursue further education or a career in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, business or finance

 What is A Level Maths All About?

Though syllabuses do vary, an A Level in Maths is generally intended to:

• Develop a student’s understanding of key mathematical principles and their ability to communicate mathematical ideas.
• Augment a student’s capacity to problem-solve and think laterally.

Introduce applied fields of maths beyond calculus, including mechanics, statistics, and decision maths

Will an A-Level Maths Tutor Help with Revision?

It is important that your child allows enough time for the revision process. Your A-Level Maths tutor will have a structured revision plan by the January of their exam year.

How an A Level Maths Tutor will help you do well.

A student’s confidence in their ability to approach staged maths problems is of fundamental importance. Your child needs to have the conviction that they can break down ostensibly complex problems into their manageable constituent parts. Moreover, concepts in calculus, mechanics, and statistics are often cumulative: if a student is not comfortable expressing misgivings or confusion in the classroom at an early stage in a topic, this can exacerbate their workload. This also means that your child needs to understand the logic behind mathematical processes, rather than learning them by rote. So, to do well your A Level Maths Tutor will spend a lot of time in the run up to the exam going through past papers. Going through past papers means your A Level Maths Tutor can help your child master each style of exam question. This will hep your child to obtain higher marks.

In terms of assessment, there are two steadfast rules.

1. Your child must always present clear and logical working- even if they are not happy with their final answer to a question!
2. Your child must manage their time in the exam wisely- namely by having the discipline to move on from a question that is giving them particular difficulty in order to score easier marks elsewhere in the paper.

Understand the mark scheme

It is important to understand how your child’s A Level Maths exams will be marked. Understanding this can help to provide the right support throughout your child’s revision. All the exam boards publish detailed guidance on what they are looking. Your A Level Maths tutor will know this like the back of their hand.

Your child needs to know what the examiner wants from them in every type of question. They then need to learn how to ‘tick the boxes’ on the mark scheme to ensure they pick up the most marks they can. Knowledge of command words is vital for this. Learning different exam question styles will be an essential part of your child’s time with their A Level Maths tutor.

Make a revision plan

It is important that your child allows enough time for revision process. They need to their work properly. You’re A Level Maths tutor will have a structured revision plan by the January of their exam year.

Quality Revision

Organisation is vital! Making sure your child has all their class notes and revision notes sorted is the first step. It is often helpful to check off notes against the requirement of a syllabus as the year goes on. Once your child and their tutor are confident, they have covered the whole syllabus, they can start to make revision notes. The skills developed in this re-noting and reformulating are very helpful for approaching unfamiliar exam problems, and for making sure that your child understands the logic behind the mathematical processes.

Before exam season however, it is important your child to liaises with their A Level Maths tutor about any material that they are finding difficult.

Throughout the academic year and revision period it is helpful to think about how your child learns. Do they like the pressure of a memory test or flashcards? Or is mapping out key ideas helpful? Maybe they like challenging themselves to write everything they know about a topic on one side of A4? Or talking things over with a parent, sibling, or their A Level Maths tutor? We all learn differently, so it is good to be aware how best your child learns.

With Maths especially, it is important to do as many practise papers as possible. Exam practice familiarises your child with how examiners tend to disguise and reformulate common maths problems. Timing these practice papers also helps your child with their exam technique.

FAQs

What are the Main Exam Boards for A Level Maths?

It’s important to identify which exam board your child’s school is following for A Level Maths, as they do vary. For example, syllabuses and question styles differ slightly between exam boards. Having some knowledge of exam boards is great information to give to your A Level Maths Tutor. This will help them tailor their lessons with your child, to include relevant syllabus content.

The main exam boards for A Level Maths are:

• Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR)
• Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA)
• Edexcel
• Cambridge Assessment International Education (CIE)

How Will an A-Level Maths Tutor Help You Do Well?

The best way to support your child through their Maths A Level is to give them the tools and skills to succeed. Some targeted intervention with an experienced A Level Maths tutor can make all the difference.  Our A Level Maths tutors are experienced, qualified teachers, Heads of Department and Examiners who know the A Level Maths syllabuses back to front. They can teach your child in the manner they learn best, explain the latest mark schemes, and help them improve their exam technique.

To do well, your A Level Maths Tutor will spend a lot of time in the run up to the exam going through past papers. Going through past papers means your A Level Maths Tutor can help your child master each style of exam question. This will therefore help your child to obtain higher marks.

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