Choosing The Right Year 11 Mathematics Course
Posted on August 15, 2017 by DJ Kim
In this post, we answer some frequently asked questions from Year 10 students about choosing the right Mathematics course for Year 11:
- When does the new Year 11 & 12 (Stage 6) Mathematics Syllabus start?
- What are the differences between Mathematics Advanced vs Mathematics Extension 1?
- Should I choose Mathematics Advanced or Mathematics Extension 1?
- How important is Year 11 Mathematics courses in the HSC?
- How do the different Mathematics courses scale?
The New Year 11 & 12 (Stage 6) Mathematics Syllabus starts in 2019, not in 2018.
NESA has produced a new Stage 6 Syllabus that was meant to start in 2018. However, its introduction has been postponed to 2019. So, 2018 Year 11 students will NOT begin the study of the new Year 11 & 12 (Stage 6) Mathematics Syllabus.
This means 2017 Year 10 students will study the current Stage 6 Mathematics Syllabus in 2018, unlike English and Science which commence in 2018.
The Current Year 11 Mathematics Syllabus
Year 11 Mathematics is the first year of Stage 6 Mathematics.
- Year 9 and 10 Mathematics is known as Stage 5 Mathematics
- Year 11 and 12 Mathematics is known as Stage 6 Mathematics
For Year 11 students, there are three different course of study. Below are the NESA links to the course outlines:
For Year 12 students, there are four different courses of study:
- Mathematics General
- Mathematics Advanced
- Mathematics Extension 1
- Mathematics Extension 2
Choosing the Right Year 11 Mathematics Course (Maths Advanced, Maths Extension 1)
The different levels of Mathematics have different requirements for student competency and ability. To help students determine which Mathematics course is appropriate for them, we have created a flowchart that illustrates the level of achievement students need to attain for the different levels of Mathematics courses.
Students performance in Year 10 Mathematics should determine the level of Year 11 Mathematics they choose to study.
- The Year 11 and 12 Mathematics Advanced course is intended for students who have demonstrated general competency in all the skills in the Year 10 Mathematics Advanced Course. If students struggled in Year 10 Mathematics Advanced, they should consider taking the Year 11 Mathematics Advanced course.
- If students performed well in Year 10 Mathematics Advanced, they should consider taking the Year 11 Mathematics Extension 1 course.
- The Year 11 and 12 Mathematics Extension 1 course is intended for students who have demonstrated a mastery of the skills in the Year 10 Mathematics Advanced course. If students performed well in Year 10 Mathematics Advanced, they should consider taking the Year 11 Mathematics Extension 1 course.
“Various university courses now require Mathematics Advanced or higher as prerequisites”
Universities are starting to introduce Mathematics prerequisites or/and recommended subjects with minimum HSC result for various courses.
Click here for a table of the University of Sydney degrees that will require a Maths prerequisite.
- The Mathematics Advanced (2 Unit) course as the most appropriate for university courses such as in the Life Sciences, Business, Finance, Technology, and Education.
- The Mathematics Extension 1 course as the most appropriate for university courses such as Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Statistics, and Computer Science.
Why is Mathematics Extension 1 Referred to as 3 Unit Mathematics?.
The content of the Mathematics Extension 1 course includes the whole of the Mathematics Advanced (2 unit) course. Therefore, students sit HSC exams for:
- The Year 12 Mathematics Advanced and
- The Year 12 Mathematics Extension 1.
For this reason, the Year 12 Mathematics Advanced course is assigned 2 units of HSC marks and the Year 12 Mathematics Extension 1 course is assigned 1 unit of HSC marks. Hence the total number of units for this course is 3 units.
Image: Breakdown of Mathematics Extension 1 (3 Unit)
Comparing Mathematics Courses: Mathematics Advanced vs Mathematics Extension 1
The Year 11 Mathematics Advanced and Extension 1 topics are listed below. Please note that in Year 11 Maths Extension 1, students will learn both Year 11 Maths Advanced and Extension 1 topics.
Year 11 Maths Advanced
Year 11 Maths Extension 1
|Basic arithmetic and algebra (1.1 – 1.4)||Other inequalities (1.4E)|
|Real functions (4.1 – 4.4)||Circle geometry (2.6 – 2.10)|
|Trigonometric ratios (5.1 – 5.5)||Further trigonometry (5.6 – 5.9)|
|Linear functions (6.1-6.5, 6.7)||Angles between two lines (6.6)|
|The quadratic polynomial and the parabola (9.1 – 9.5)||Internal and external division of lines into given ratios (6.7E)|
|Plane geometry (2.1 – 2.4)||Parametric representation (9.6)|
|Tangent to a curve and derivative of a function (8.1 – 8.9)||Permutations and combinations (18.1)|
|Polynomials (16.1 – 16.3)|
|Harder applications of the Preliminary 2 Unit course|
Table: Year 11 Mathematics Advanced and Extension 1 Syllabus
Depending on schools, the Year 11 Mathematics Extension 1 program will vary.
- Some schools choose to complete Year 11 Mathematics Advanced topics first before teaching Year 11 Mathematics Extension 1 topics.
- Most schools choose to teach Year 11 Mathematics Advanced and Extension 1 topics one after the other.
At Matrix, we teach Year 11 Mathematics and Extension 1 topics one after the other. The Matrix Year 11 Mathematics Advanced and Extension 1 course programs are shown below:
|Basic Arithmetic and Algebra
Absolute Values and Inequalities
Jan – Apr
|Functions and Relations
Limits of the Derivative
Apr – Jun
The Quadratic Polynomial
Locus and Parabola
Geometrical Applications of Differentiation
Jul – Sep
Revision of Preliminary Topics
|Sequences and Series
Table: Matrix Year 11 Mathematics Program
The Year 12 Mathematics Advanced and Extension 1 topics are listed below. Please note that, Year 12 Maths Extension 1 students will learn both Year 12 Maths Advanced and Extension 1 topics.
Year 12 Maths Advanced
Year 12 Maths Extension 1
|Coordinate methods in geometry (6.8)||Method of integration (11.5)|
|Applications of geometrical properties (2.5)||Primitive of sin(2x) and cos(2x) (13.6E)|
|Geometrical applications of differentiation (10.1-10.8)||Exponential growth and decay equation (14.2E)|
|Integration (11.1 – 11.4)||Velocity and acceleration as a function of ‘x’ (14.3E)|
(including applications of trigonometric ratios)
(13.1 – 13.6, 13.7)
|Projectile motion (14.3E)|
|Logarithmic and exponential functions (12.1 – 12.5)||Simple harmonic motion (14.4)|
|Applications of calculus to the physical world (14.1 – 14.3)||Inverse functions and inverse trigonometric functions (15.1 – 15.5)|
|Probability (3.1 – 3.3)||Induction (7.4)|
|Series (7.1 – 7.3) and
Series applications (7.5)
|Binomial theorem (17.1 – 17.3)|
|Further probability (18.2)|
|Iterative methods for estimating roots (16.4)|
|Harder applications of HSC 2 Unit topics|
Table: Year 12 Mathematics Advanced and Extension 1 Syllabus
How Important are the Year 11 Mathematics courses?
Students must remember that Year 11 is the first year of Stage 6 syllabus. This means that all the content from Year 11 Mathematics Advanced or/and Extension 1 are examinable in the HSC.
Below is an HSC exam question from the 2016 HSC Mathematics Advanced Exam Paper.
2016 HSC Mathematics Advanced Question 3
Source: NESA Website
This HSC exam question is from the Year 11 Maths Advanced topic: ‘The quadratic polynomial and the parabola (9.1-9.5)’!
“All topics from Year 11 Mathematics Advanced and/or Extension 1 are examinable in the HSC”
Below is a HSC exam question from the 2016 HSC Mathematics Extension 1 Exam Paper.
Source: NESA Website
This HSC exam question is from the Year 11 Maths Extension 1 topic: ‘Polynomials (16.1-16.3)’!
Scaling of Mathematics Courses
Scaling is the process of converting HSC marks into scaled marks for comparison across different subjects. This conversion, or ‘scaling’ is required as students undertake different levels of Mathematics.
A different level of scaling is applied to Mathematics courses as shown in the graph below.
As a general rule, the “harder” the unit of study, the “better” the scaling it receives.
“Mathematics Extension 1 scales better than Mathematics Advanced.”
Please note that, students should not be choosing subjects based on scaling. Instead, scaling graphs should be used as the tool for determining your required position/rank in the state for you to obtain your desired ATAR.
- A student in 60th percentile (top 40 percent in the state) in Mathematics Extension 2 will receive a scaled mark of 45/50 which equates to 90/100, whereas a student in the 60th percentile in Mathematics Extension 1 and Advanced will receive a scaled mark of 43/50 and 34/50 which equates to 86/100 and 68/100 respectively.
- A student studying Mathematics Advanced will need to be in 97th percentile to receive the same scaled mark as the Mathematics Extension 2 student in 60th percentile.
- The Year 11 and 12 Stage 6 syllabus starts in 2019, not 2018.
- Students need to carefully choose which mathematics courses they should take in Year 11.
- Year 11 content for Mathematics Advanced and Extension 1 is examinable in the HSC.
- The Mathematics courses scale differently, this should be taken into consideration by students when deciding which is the right course for them.
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