Mathematics is important in everyday life, allowing us to make sense of the world around us and to manage our lives. Using mathematics enables us to model real-life situations and make connections and informed predictions. It equips us with the skills we need to interpret and analyse information, simplify and solve problems, assess risk and make informed decisions.
You will also get to develop skills in the areas of algebra, geometry and trigonometry as well as learn elementary calculus.
The skills you learn in this course are useful in many careers involving engineering, medicine, technology, business and the physical sciences.
Career Pathways
To see what career areas this subject could lead to and the routes to get there, download and view these career pathways:
Buying, Selling and Related Work
Teaching and Classroom Support
Entry is at the discretion of the school or college, but you would normally be expected to have achieved:
The course consists of three areas of study.
Expressions and functions
Topics covered: the manipulation of expressions, the use of vectors and the study of mathematical functions, covering aspects of algebra, geometry and trigonometry, and skills in mathematical reasoning and modelling.
Relationships and calculus
Topics covered: solving equations and the introduction of both differential calculus and integral calculus, covering aspects of algebra, geometry and trigonometry, and skills in mathematical reasoning and modelling.
Applications
Topics covered: solving equations and the introduction of both differential calculus and integral calculus, covering aspects of algebra, trigonometry, calculus, and also skills in mathematical reasoning and modelling.
The course assessment has two components totalling 120 marks:
The question papers will be set and externally marked by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
The grade awarded is based on the total marks achieved across course assessment.
The course assessment is graded A-D.
If you complete the course successfully, it may lead to:
Further study, training or employment in:
Your school will give your parents an Options or Choices information booklet, which has detailed information on the curriculum and the individual subjects or courses you can study. It will also invite them along to a Parents’ Information Evening.
They can also read the information leaflet(s):
