A-level Mathematics₇₃₅₇

Find past papers and mark schemes, and sample papers for new courses, on our website at aqa.org.uk/pastpapers

This specification is designed to be taken over two years.

This is a linear qualification. In order to achieve the award, students must complete all assessments at the end of the course and in the same series.

A-level exams and certification for this specification are available for the first time in May/June 2018 and then every May/June for the life of the specification.

All materials are available in English only.

Our A-level exams in Mathematics include questions that allow students to demonstrate their ability to:

• recall information
• draw together information from different areas of the specification
• apply their knowledge and understanding in practical and theoretical contexts.

4.1 Aims

Courses based on this specification must encourage students to:

• understand mathematics and mathematical processes in a way that promotes confidence, fosters enjoyment and provides a strong foundation for progress to further study
• extend their range of mathematical skills and techniques
• understand coherence and progression in mathematics and how different areas of mathematics are connected
• apply mathematics in other fields of study and be aware of the relevance of mathematics to the world of work and to situations in society in general
• use their mathematical knowledge to make logical and reasoned decisions in solving problems both within pure mathematics and in a variety of contexts, and communicate the mathematical rationale for these decisions clearly
• reason logically and recognise incorrect reasoning
• generalise mathematically
• construct mathematical proofs
• use their mathematical skills and techniques to solve challenging problems which require them to decide on the solution strategy
• recognise when mathematics can be used to analyse and solve a problem in context
• represent situations mathematically and understand the relationship between problems in context and mathematical models that may be applied to solve them
• draw diagrams and sketch graphs to help explore mathematical situations and interpret solutions
• make deductions and inferences and draw conclusions by using mathematical reasoning
• interpret solutions and communicate their interpretation effectively in the context of the problem
• read and comprehend mathematical arguments, including justifications of methods and formulae, and communicate their understanding
• read and comprehend articles concerning applications of mathematics and communicate their understanding
• use technology such as calculators and computers effectively and recognise when such use may be inappropriate

• take increasing responsibility for their own learning and the evaluation of their own mathematical development.

4.2 Assessment objectives

Assessment objectives (AOs) are set by Ofqual and are the same across all A-level Mathematics specifications and all exam boards.

The exams will measure how students have achieved the following assessment objectives.

• AO1: Use and apply standard techniques. Students should be able to:
  • select and correctly carry out routine procedures;
  • accurately recall facts, terminology and definitions.
• AO2: Reason, interpret and communicate mathematically. Students should be able to:
  • construct rigorous mathematical arguments (including proofs);
  • make deductions and inferences;
  • assess the validity of mathematical arguments;
  • explain their reasoning;
  • use mathematical language and notation correctly.

Where questions/tasks targeting this assessment objective will also credit students for the ability to ‘use and apply standard techniques’ (AO1) and/or to ‘solve problems within mathematics and in other contexts’ (AO3) an appropriate proportion of the marks for the question/task must be attributed to the corresponding assessment objective(s).

• AO3: Solve problems within mathematics and in other contexts. Students should be able to:
  • translate problems in mathematical and non-mathematical contexts into mathematical processes;
  • interpret solutions to problems in their original context, and, where appropriate, evaluate their accuracy and limitations;
  • translate situations in context into mathematical models;
  • use mathematical models;
  • evaluate the outcomes of modelling in context, recognise the limitations of models and, where appropriate, explain how to refine them.

Where questions/tasks targeting this assessment objective will also credit students for the ability to ‘use and apply standard techniques’ (AO1) and/or to ‘reason, interpret and communicate mathematically’ (AO2) an appropriate proportion of the marks for the question/task must be attributed to the corresponding assessment objective(s).

4.2.1 Assessment objective weightings for A-level Mathematics

4.3 Assessment weightings

The marks awarded on the papers will be scaled to meet the weighting of the components. Students’ final marks will be calculated by adding together the scaled marks for each component. Grade boundaries will be set using this total scaled mark. The scaling and total scaled marks are shown in the table below.