In this course, students are prepared for AQA GCSE Mathematics (8300). The following ten units are studied sequentially across Years 10 and 11. This GCSE has a Foundation tier (grades 1 – 5) and a Higher tier (grades 4 – 9). Where the key skills listed below are shown in bold, they relate only to the Higher tier.
| Unit | Content |
|---|---|
| Year 10 Unit 1 Similarity | This unit builds on and extends students' experience of enlargement and similarity, and teaches them to solve problems with similar triangles and trigonometry. Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units. |
| Year 10 Unit 2 Developing algebra | Students learn about equations and inequalities at KS3, and this unit provides them with a context in which to revisit and reinforce standard techniques and to deepen their understanding. Students are taught to solve simultaneous equations using both algebraic and graphical methods. Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units. |
| Year 10 Unit 3 | This unit provides a formal introduction to bearings, arcs, sectors and spheres while revisiting other materials and making links across the mathematics curriculum. Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units. |
| Year 10 Unit 4
| This unit builds on KS3 learning about ratio, fractions, percentages and probability. Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units. |
| Year 10 Unit 5 Delving into data Using number | This unit develops students' understanding of collection, representation and the use of summary statistics to describe data. Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units. |
| Year 10 Unit 6 Expressions | This unit develops students' understanding of prime factorisation and associated number content such as HCF, LCM and indices. For students taking Higher tier papers, knowledge of sequences is extended to include surds and how to find the formula for a quadratic sequence. Students continue to develop their understanding of equations and inequalities. Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units. |
| Year 11 Unit 1 Graphs | This unit develops and deepens students' knowledge of graphs. Students extend their knowledge of linear and non-linear graphs and revise their understanding of conversion graphs. Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units. |
| Year 11 Unit 2 Algebra | This unit teaches students to expand, factorise and solve equations, and introduces iterations to students taking Higher tier papers. Additionally, the unit introduces the concept of formal function notation. Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units. |
| Year 11 Unit 3 Reasoning | Students develop their multiplicative reasoning in a variety of contexts. They consolidate their knowledge of angle facts and develop their algebraic reasoning looking at complex situations. Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units. |
| Year 11 Unit 4 Revision and communication | Students revise and deepen their learning from KS3 and KS4, exploring all transformations and constructions. Students also study organisation information, with Higher tier students extending this to include the product rule for counting. Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students undertake self-assessment and receive verbal feedback from the teacher every lesson. Summative assessment takes place at the end of the unit. In addition, students complete twice-yearly summative assessments which assess their retention of several units. |
