THE TRANSITION FROM GCSE TO A-LEVEL IN MATHEMATICS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Abstract

An analysis of the grades obtained by the age-18 cohort who took A-level examinations in 1994, matched with their results obtained at GCSE two years earlier, supports the idea that the ‘gap’ between GCSE and A-level is larger for mathematics than for English, except at the highest levels of attainment. The difference in the size of the gap is approximately one-half of an A-level grade for candidates who attain grades B and C and approximately one grade for candidates who attain A-level grades D and E. Analysis of a small sample of GCSE and A-level scripts suggests that algebraic manipulation represents a particular difficulty for many students, although staff responsible for admission to A-level courses believe that these weaknesses can be overcome in the introductory parts of A-level programmes.