I reckon it's easier than 4U (lol at the conics stuff) but I'm concerned for students of potential 3U level. The methods syllabus looks weak so students of 3U ability will die of boredom in it, but thinking of people in my 3U class last year and some of the students I tutor ... I dunno, I think specialist would be a struggle.
+1
hahaha, the conics in there is cake!
Found the time to look at the Methods draft:
Seems an acceptable mix of 2u & 3u maths.
Algebra and calculus components are ridiculously easy.
Shameful binomials and physical applications of calculus; not much room for 'conceptual/critical thinking' questions - eg showing/proving types. More about number crunching imo
Minimal inverse trig.
No geometry.
The applications of calculus to the physical world are downsized; overall the role of calculus in methods is heavily reduced.
There's no parametrics.
They've screwed up the notation of derivatives
They've added in matrices, stats and random variables, again: they're not too hard, but notation may be strange. Again, these are definitely what I'm doing in uni.
They've decided to introduce basic calculus in the 'extension 1 course' - I fear for the next generation; they're trying to raise idiots.
Methods doesn't seem too bad, it's still easy compared to 3u (induction was moved to 'specialist' and since this seems a mix of 2u & 3u, perms and combs are missing, as are series and sequences)
Overall, content is moderately hard; doesn't complicate your life as much as 3u. Only thing tricky about it is the sheer volume - a fair amount to cover really. Plus, since calculus will only just have been introduced, adapting to it will be more demanding.