All awarding bodies’ specifications in Mathematics and Further Mathematics have similar structures, although there are some differences in detail. In this notice, the following conventions and units are
used.
Units C1, C2, FP1, S1, M1 and D1 are AS units.
Units C3, C4, FP2, FP3, S2, S3, M2, M3 and D2 are A2 units.
(Most awarding body specifications have other units in addition to these. Please check
the specification for these additional units and how they may be used.)
A candidate may certificate AS Mathematics with one of the following combinations of the above
units:
C1, C2, S1
C1, C2, M1
C1, C2, D1
A candidate may certificate A level Mathematics with one of the following combinations of the above
units:*
C1, C2, C3, C4, S1, S2
C1, C2, C3, C4, M1, M2
C1, C2, C3, C4, D1, D2
C1, C2, C3, C4, S1, M1
C1, C2, C3, C4, S1, D1
C1, C2, C3, C4, M1, D1
A candidate may certificate AS Further Mathematics with any combination of three units which does
not include C1-C4 but does include at least one Further Pure unit (FP1, FP2, etc.).*
A candidate may certificate A level Further Mathematics with any combination of six units which does
not include C1-C4 but does include at least two Further Pure units ( FP1, FP2, etc.) and a total of at
least three A2 units.*
Certification of A level Mathematics and AS Further Mathematics requires nine different units (six units
for A level Mathematics and three different units for AS Further Mathematics), even if certification of
AS Further Mathematics is in a later series and a unit has been re-taken.
Similarly certification of A level Mathematics and A level Further Mathematics requires twelve different
units.
AS Further Mathematics cannot be certificated unless AS level Mathematics or A level Mathematics has
been, or is being concurrently certificated.
A level Further Mathematics cannot be certificated unless A level Mathematics has been, or is being
concurrently certificated.
The grading of mathematics qualifications from June 2008 onwards will now be as follows:
First, award the best grade for each subject title (starting with Mathematics). Then, without changing
the subject grades, the uniform mark for each subject title (starting with Mathematics) will be
maximised.
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*Please check individual awarding body specifications for details of allowed unit combinations.
In order to ensure that units used in certificating Further Mathematics are different from those used to certificate Mathematics, there is a ‘locking’ procedure which operates as follows.
Once a candidate certificates a Mathematics subject, the units which have been used to generate the award are locked to that title (even if the candidate re-takes them). Units locked to a subject title through a previous certification may be unlocked by re-entering for that same title.**
Previously, centres were advised that candidates should not certificate any Mathematics subjects until the end of their course. This advice is no longer relevant, provided that all Mathematics subjects certificated before the end of the course are re-entered at the end. Centres are now strongly advised to take the following course of action where candidates certificate Mathematics subject titles in different series, but it is not compulsory.
Mathematics subjects certificated before the end of the course should be re-certificated at the end. For example, if a candidate who has already certificated A level Mathematics takes three more units and certificates AS Further Mathematics or six more units and certificates A level Further Mathematics without re-entering A level Mathematics, the grade for Further Mathematics will be generated from those three or six units. Reentering Mathematics ensures that all units are available for re-use and that the grades for both titles are based on the optimum combination of units.
This facility is not available to candidates taking Mathematics and Further Mathematics with different awarding bodies. In this case, each subject title must use units taken with the same awarding body.
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**Units locked to a title via previous certifications in both the AS and A level subjects can be unlocked by entering the A level only.
©2008
Examples
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(a) Candidate P took Units C1, C2, M1 and certificated AS Mathematics in June 2008, obtaining Grade B. The candidate takes Units C3, C4, S1, S2 in January 2009 and certificates A level Mathematics, obtaining Grade A (using Units C1-C4, S1 and S2). The candidate then takes Units FP1 and M2 in June 2009, but an AS Further Mathematics award cannot be claimed for the following reason.
Although the candidate has nine different units, seven of them have been locked into the title Mathematics and none of these can subsequently be used to count towards Further Mathematics. The solution would be for him/her, in June 2009, to request a re-certification of A level Mathematics and AS Mathematics along with the request to certificate AS Further Mathematics. All nine units will then become available to certificate A level Mathematics (and AS Mathematics) and AS Further Mathematics.
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(b) Candidate Q took Units C1-C4, S1 and M1 obtaining uniform marks of 95, 95, 90, 90, 95 and 95 respectively and certificated A level Mathematics in June 2008 (Grade A, total uniform mark of 560). The candidate then took Units FP1, FP2, FP3, S2, D1 and D2 obtaining uniform marks of 75, 70, 70, 75, 70 and 65 respectively and certificated A level Further Mathematics in June 2009 (Grade B, total uniform mark of 425).
If the candidate had delayed certification of A level Mathematics until the end of the course, he/she would have obtained Grade A in both A levels (Mathematics would have used Units C1-C4, D1 and D2 with a total uniform mark of 505, whilst Further Mathematics would have used Units FP1, FP2, FP3, S1, S2 and M1 with a total uniform mark of 480). Alternatively, the candidate may request a re-certification of A level Mathematics along with the request to certificate A level Further Mathematics. All twelve units will then become available to certificate A level Mathematics and A level Further Mathematics, resulting in Grade A for both A levels.
