Core Maths - a quantitative skills boost for social science students
12 March 2024
Ruth Wroe, Maths Subject Advisor
This blog was originally published in Jan 2021 to promote the importance of Core Maths to social science students and highlight some useful cross-curricular resources. It has now been updated with additional resources and links.
The University of Leeds Core Maths research project stated that “all post-16 students with quantitative subjects in their programme would benefit from being able to practise the mathematical elements of those qualifications within Core Maths lessons”.
In biology, psychology and business, 10% of the marks available within the written exams are for assessment of maths. This rises to 20% in A Level Economics. Likewise, in geography, quantitative skills are assessed in both the exams and in the independent investigation; the latter being worth 20% of the total marks. Consequently, there is even greater emphasis on students getting to grips with the quantitative skills involved in these subjects.
The mathematical skills being assessed are at Level 2 standard or higher, so students who achieved a pass at GCSE Foundation tier are likely to benefit from a little more support with the maths content.
Delivering Core Maths alongside other Level 3 subjects provides these students with that much needed mathematical boost; reinforcing key skills met at GCSE as well as introducing some new content that will be used in their other Level 3 subjects.
The maths assessed in, for example, A Level Biology, will be in the context of that particular subject and the practical application of mathematical skills is what Core Maths is all about. It focuses on problem solving in authentic contexts, so students become more practised in applying their mathematical and quantitative skills to real situations – a skill not just useful for enhancing performance in other subjects but a necessary life skill.
The Higher Education Academy highlighted the quantitative skills gap that exists at higher education in psychology. It reported that over 85% of psychology students in their STEM student survey came to university knowing that there would be quantitative methods in their degree programme, yet more than a third of students in the survey said that they struggled with quantitative methods in their degree programme.
The synergy of studying Core Maths alongside other Level 3 subjects is seen as so beneficial for some colleges that they’ve made it compulsory for social science students.
This may not be the route for all post-16 students, but it should definitely be promoted to students who need more practice at applying maths in context or who may not be as mathematically confident.
Universities are beginning to recognise its relevance by providing alternative admissions offers to students who take it alongside their other Level 3 subjects but its value in terms of entry requirements still needs wider promotion.
Coverage of the mathematical content
The table below shows the content covered in Core Maths A (MEI) and Core Maths B (MEI) that is required in A Level Biology (1), Psychology (2), Business and Economics (3), and Geography (4). Please note that lighter shading indicates sections that are less significant or where only some of that section content is relevant.
| Spec |
Mathematical content |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
| A & B |
Use of technology: calculators; spreadsheets |
|
|
|
|
| A & B |
Modelling: the modelling cycle; estimation; algebra; geometry & measures; ratio |
|
|
|
|
| A & B |
Statistics: the statistics cycle; data; statistical diagrams (box and whisker plot, scatter diagrams & lines of best fit, bar charts, pie charts, histograms, frequency charts, cumulative frequency diagrams) and measures (mean, median, mode, range, IQR) ; the Normal distribution |
|
|
|
|
| A & B |
Finance: the financial cycle; percentages (index numbers, % change); foreign exchange; costing |
|
|
|
|
| A & B |
Working with standard form, exponentials and logarithmic scales |
|
|
|
|
| A & B |
Working with graphs and gradients |
|
|
|
|
| A & B |
Risk and probability (tree diagrams) |
|
|
|
|
| A |
Problem solving: strategies; communicating solutions to problems; reflecting on solutions to problems |
|
|
|
|
| A |
Sources of information: quantitative understanding of the world; Fermi estimation; Probability estimation |
|
|
|
|
| A |
Mathematical and statistical techniques and knowledge: fallacies in statistics and probability; statistical experiments; understanding conditional probability in context; working with percentages |
|
|
|
|
| B |
Problem analysis: strategies for problem solving; selecting a model; inputs (sampling error); inference (hypothesis testing) |
|
|
|
|
| B |
Data collection: sampling; information sources |
|
|
|
|
| B |
Process and presentation: raw data (outliers); graphs, charts and summary measures; parameters and inputs (mean, standard deviation, variance); substituting into models; the Normal distribution; the Chi-squared test; bivariate data (line of best fit); Spearman's rank correlation; product moment correlation |
|
|
|
|
| B |
Reporting/Interpretation: interpretation; checking; evaluation; communication |
|
|
|
|
Cross-curricular resources
Some of the resources listed here can be used in Core Maths lessons. Note that some of the references are to resources on our secure teacher website, Teach Cambridge.
Biology
Our Maths for biology webpage has online resources for five modules: arithmetic and numerical computation, handling data, algebra, graphs, geometry and trigonometry. The Mathematical skills handbook provides contexts in Biology for the different mathematical skills and there is also a useful Statistics for Biologists booklet.
To see what maths content in A Level Biology is covered by our Core Maths qualifications, download our mapping guide.
Psychology
A variety of statistical guides and handbooks are located under Teaching activities for research methods. The Quantitative skills guide for GCSE Psychology also serves as a useful precursory read for A Level students. In addition, the Association for the Teaching of Psychology (ATP) hosts maths resources for teachers of psychology and in collaboration with the Advanced Maths Support Programme (AMSP) have produced Desmos activities for Psychology to help deliver the mathematical requirements of psychology. The British Psychological Society and ATP have produced a Teachers’ Toolkit which has lots of mathematical support under the research methods section.
To see what maths content in A Level Psychology is covered by our Core Maths qualifications, download our mapping guide.
Geography
There are three components to the delivery of data skills: a geographical skills teacher guide, a set of PowerPoints and a geographical skills student workbook. In addition, the Royal Geographical Society hosts geography and core maths resources and the data skills in geography – useful links.
To see what maths content in A Level Geography is covered by our Core Maths qualifications, download our mapping guide.
Various subjects
MEI’s Integrating Mathematical Problem Solving Resources (IMPS) are designed to help teachers of mathematics and teachers of other subjects at A Level to teach relevant aspects of mathematics and statistics, showing how they are used in solving real problems. Topics are covered from biology, business and finance, economics, geography, chemistry, physics, psychology and sociology.
The Advanced Maths Support Programme (AMSP) provide lots of support and guidance as well as resources and free CPD. They have produced a set of six promotional postcards and posters that you can display in classrooms and use at open events to promote core maths with your students. If you would like to receive printed copies of these items, please send a request to admin@amsp.org.uk.
Stay connected
If you have any questions, you may find the answer in our FAQs or you can email us at maths@ocr.org.uk, call us on 01223 553998 or message us on X (formerly Twitter) @OCR_Maths.
You can also sign up to subject updates and receive information about resources and support.
About the author
Ruth supports the Level 3 maths qualifications and has chief responsibility for Core Maths A and B. She joined the maths team in 2014, working on the development of A Level Maths. Previously, Ruth taught maths in the UK, New Zealand, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Outside of work she enjoys travelling, live music, real ale and dog walking.
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