hi,
so last year i was in 5.3 mathematics and scored overall low in the 5.3 exams(due to personal reasons), however, my teacher did say that I would be capable for the advanced course. I applied for advanced however I didn't get picked and the school put me standard. however, the school did manage to put me in advanced maths, on a conditional basis that I would only be able to do if if I scored good. I know I've made mistakes in the paper and am terrified they're gonna put me in standard maths.
so I just wanted to ask what others personal opinions were.
Heyy,
From a personal experience, I did pretty well in 5.3 Maths in Y9 and Y10 so I assumed I'd be getting the same marks in Y11 Advanced Maths but I was really wrong there bc my marks on average was between 55% to 65% then in the ungraded half-yearly, I got in my 30-ish% which shook me bc I genuinely loved maths. My teacher would give us the whole exercise for hw and as the days passed, I'd complete less and less of it and I believe that is why my marks declined heavily. Then, we had a prac teacher who was absolutely useless and there was a language barrier so half the class gave up on maths, including myself. I gave up on Advanced Maths and moved to Standard Maths just before the Prelims, but I wish I had stayed and done it to see where I ranked and my overall grasp of the course.
The point of my 'anecdote' is that your performance in 5.3 shouldn't define your performance in Advanced Maths. The best advice I can give for Advanced Maths is to stay on top of your work, especially hw as it encompasses everything you need to know at a basic level in the exercise. If you have any questions, you should ask the teacher yourself but if you're embarrassed to ask in front of the class, ask them after class, or during your breaks. Also, ask your teacher for resources such as past papers (SmarterMaths booklets are really helpful - ask them for one at the end of each topic), YT channels, and websites that may help you. When I did Advanced, these YT channels helped me quite a lot: Organic Chemistry Tutor, Professor Leonard, Brian McLogan, Eddie Woo, Khan Academy, and YNOT Math. I'd honestly say to stay in Advanced Maths and if you're still struggling, get a tutor if there's no financial barrier but if it's really that bad, then move bc there's no point in stressing yourself out that bad. There was a student in my Y9 and Y10 class who didn't perform that well in Maths but currently, he's doing Advanced Maths, scoring above 80% in most of his assessments, and is one of the two students doing Physics rn because he took the initiative after his first failed exam, got a tutor and started focusing much more in class. I believe in you!!
