How I got a 50 in Further Mathematics - By Stick

[America]

Great guide stick! Although i didn't do further, this would have really motivated me to try it out.

[Stick]

Made some slight edits. Hoping this guide is still helping people out. Remember, the answers to your questions are most likely in here, so do take the time to read it properly! If they aren't, please feel free to ask. I'm also willing to take PMs if you're having a panic attack over dropped marks or something.

[Stick]

Now that the assessment report is out, I can now tell you that only 20% of the state got Exam 1 Business-related Mathematics Question 9 correct - this was the second worst answered question in the exam. I knew I wasn't banging on about it for no reason!

[grannysmith]

What are modules?

I apologise if this makes you laugh.

[Stick]

There is only one topic in Further Mathematics that everyone in the state has to do, and that is Data Analysis. Then the school picks three of the six other provided topics (called modules) to teach their students. These are:

Module 1: Number patterns (28% of Further Mathematics students undertook this module in 2012)
Module 2: Geometry and trigonometry (70% of Further Mathematics students undertook this module in 2012)
Module 3: Graphs and relations (41% of Further Mathematics students undertook this module in 2012)
Module 4: Business-related mathematics (35% of Further Mathematics students undertook this module in 2012)
Module 5: Networks and decision mathematics (44% of Further Mathematics students undertook this module in 2012)
Module 6: Matrices (72% of Further Mathematics students undertook this module in 2012)

[scandin9]

Hi Stick
Is it worth doing further maths in year 11?I have heard that general maths b is almost identical or even harder than further maths.If this is true is it a good idea to leave further maths for year 12 (in order to  practice in year 11).

[Stick]

Did you read this?

Why should I take up this subject?

In my opinion, these are the students who would most likely benefit from taking Further Mathematics in VCE:
- Year 11 students with a strong foundation in Mathematics
- Students also undertaking Methods as part of their VCE

Since VCAA has allowed students to enrol in all three VCE Maths courses, Further Maths has become arguably the most competitive VCE subject there is. Sure, the content is generally quite easy to grasp, but you can't afford to lose too many marks from silly errors if you want a 40. This is a bit of a controversial point, but if you're not a very strong Maths student, I'm not entirely sure if you should be taking Further Maths, only because the Methods/Specialist students also enrolled in this subject (such as myself) have really stuffed things up in terms of rankings. You'll also find that this subject is not a prerequisite for many courses so there's no point forcing yourself to do Maths if it's really not your thing. By all means, if you think you'd benefit from having a basic understanding of Mathematics, you should definitely take this course.

Going off on a bit of a tangent here, but if there are any Year 11s considering accelerating in a Maths subject, I personally would advise Further Mathematics over Mathematical Methods (CAS), despite the fact the latter seems more appealing. This is because Methods is a far more demanding course and you cannot afford to neglect your Year 11 studies. I felt Further Maths was very flexible and I was able to give all of my subjects equal attention throughout the course of the year. I know that there are a lot success stories out there in regards to accelerating in Methods, but I've also heard a lot of negative ones as well; whereas for Further Maths there are generally a lot more positive outcomes due to the more manageable workload and content. My school trialled Methods acceleration one year and the result wasn't very favourable and hence they don't allow it anymore. Stronger students may also want to consider enrolling in both Methods and Specialist Mathematics at the same time - anecdotally I have heard taking this combination at once to also be quite beneficial.

Are Units 1 & 2 necessary for Units 3 & 4?

In short, no. This is because many students come into Further after dropping out of higher Maths courses, or others change their mind and would like to enrol in a Maths subject after not taking any in Year 11. I didn't take Units 1 & 2 either, but from what I was able to see from the notes on the whiteboard of the Further Maths Units 1 & 2 classroom, the content is basically identical to what you learn in Units 3 & 4.

[scandin9]

Do you think that the content in general maths b and further maths is the same level of difficulty?

[Stick]

As I said, I didn't do it, but it appeared similar in difficulty.

[scandin9]

Hi Stick
Do you have to do a sac on a module that you haven't completed during the year?What was the hardest module that you did?

[Stick]

1. I'm not really sure I'm following your question. Why would you sit a SAC on a module you haven't completed? :S

2. The hardest module I did was Business-related Mathematics, but this is subjective.

[scandin9]

Many people have said that further maths is year 10 or even year 9 maths;however,when I looked at the textbook most concepts weren't taught in previous years.Although, the content is still "easy" is it an exaggeration to suggest that everything was learnt in year 10.

[vcestudent94]

Many people have said that further maths is year 10 or even year 9 maths;however,when I looked at the textbook most concepts weren't taught in previous years.Although, the content is still "easy" is it an exaggeration to suggest that everything was learnt in year 10.

Most of the concepts in Further are new and not taught in year 9&10. When people say that "further is 10 maths" they mean you use the same mathematical tools learned in those years (i.e. No calculus like methods and only dealing with basic functions)
You can easily transition into further maths with just year 10 or 9 maths.

[Stick]

Many people have said that further maths is year 10 or even year 9 maths;however,when I looked at the textbook most concepts weren't taught in previous years.Although, the content is still "easy" is it an exaggeration to suggest that everything was learnt in year 10.

That's right, and that's why I've never said that myself.

[lala1911]

People who underestimate Further Maths don't get that 45+ study score they were so certain about because. further maths is so easy..

It's an advanced version of year 10 maths but the exam questions can trick you if you're not thinking straight.