How Hard Is A Level Further Maths? Don’t take this subject without these tips

By Russell Greenhill

Founder & CEO @ Greenhill Academics

Oxford Master’s Graduate • 8+ Years Maths Tutoring Experience

The challenges of further maths

Two weeks into A Level Further Maths, one of my students, fresh from a Grade 9 at GCSE, was already thinking of dropping it. Not because she wasn’t smart, but because she hadn’t expected the pace to be so fast and the workload so heavy.

Whilst building Greenhill Academics over the last 4 years, I’ve realised that, it’s true, A Level Further Maths is challenging. You’ll cover the full Maths A Level in a single year and learn concepts that very few students have the ability to understand. Every topic builds directly on the last, so even a smallest gap in understanding compounds.

My student was not alone in feeling lost, without confidence, and struggling to keep up in her classes. It’s common because the skills required are different. But we used the following information to get her back on track.

Here, I explain what you can do to make sure you’re prepared for any exam in A Level Further Maths.

What does this mean for you?

You need to know where you are to know where you’re going. You don’t want to fall into the same mistakes that others make. This section teaches you where to go to know what you’re in for.

Find your Exam Board for A Level Further Maths

Find your Specification from your Further Maths Exam board

Exam boards

In the UK, A Level Further Mathematics is offered by the same major exam boards that run the standard Maths A Level. The main ones are:

• Edexcel (Pearson) – the most widely used board for Further Maths.
• AQA – also popular, with slightly different topic choices.
• OCR – offers two routes:
  • OCR A (standard version)
  • OCR B (MEI) – produced with the Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI) organisation.

Specification

Put the Specification into your AI of choice to make a plan for you

Past Papers

Know what the past papers look like

Fundamental Understanding from Textbooks then use in past papers

Our highest performing students work best by learning the core information then practise applying it to exam questions. This is because during exam time, there are many subjects to prepare for, and they perform better having prepared on the papers prior to the rush.

Example Edexcel Past Papers Link:
Direct link to June 2019 papers

Keep up to speed and act if you don’t know

If you can sense that you’re falling behind, don’t feel bad because a lot of people are in your position.

In this article, I’ll show you:

• Why Further Maths feels so much harder than GCSE
• The mistakes even high-achievers make in their first term
• The study habits and preparation routines that guarantee you stay ahead of the pace

Follow this plan and you’ll not only survive Further Maths — you’ll master it with confidence.

What does this mean for you?

You need to know what you’re in for. You don’t want to fall into the same mistakes that others make. The following plan will help you know your current position.

This doesn’t mean you are screwed. You just need to come in prepared and to know what to do.

Modules: maths, stats, pure, Decision, mechanics

Understanding the different modules in A Level Further Maths is crucial for success. Each module builds upon previous knowledge and requires dedicated study time.