When you get to Year 10, you'll have to start thinking about your choices for Years 11 and 12. The choices you make are referred to by the Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority (QCAA) as your “pathway”, but what is it and why is maths an important part of it?
When you plan your pathway, you'll work with your school on your Senior Education and Training (SET) plan, taking into account what you want to do after Year 12, what you'll study in Years 11 and 12, and map out your pathway to the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).
Let's have a look at all the various benefits of taking QCE Maths, why you should study it, what you can get out of it, and where it could take you.
QCE Maths is Obligatory
The QCE has literacy and numeracy requirements and the various QCE Maths streams are a part of this.
Not every student has to study a QCAA General or Applied Mathematics subject and can take a QCAA Short Course in Numeracy or other courses and qualifications like an International Baccalaureate or other studies recognised by the QCAA.
As literacy and numeracy are requirements, any student capable of passing one of the QCE Maths streams should seriously consider them.
With multiple streams ranging from Essential Maths to Specialist Mathematics, there are options for students of all abilities, though it should be noted that the applied or foundational courses mightn't meet the requirements for a lot of university courses.
You'll Likely Need It To Go to University
For most students considering an undergraduate degree in an Australian public university, the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is a must.
The ATAR is essentially your ranking against the other Year 12 students in Queensland and is calculated using the subjects you studied, provided you've met the requirements for an ATAR.
To get your ATAR, you need to study either 5 general subjects or 4 general subjects plus 1 applied subject (or other vocational qualifications or certificates).
For example, Essential Maths is considered an applied subject, which means your other 4 subjects would have to be general subjects.
When you speak with your school to plan your subjects for Years 11 and 12, you'll see that maths is pretty non-negotiable except in very rare situations for students who'd be very unlikely to pass one of the QCE Maths streams.
It's an Internationally-recognised Qualification
Any students with plans outside of Australia in the future should definitely consider studying one of the QCE Maths streams, especially if they're planning to do anything with maths once they leave.
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If you're looking to study at a university outside of Australia, your QCE results will be recognised and can therefore be considered as part of your application.
The same is true of jobs. While international employers may not be familiar with your QCE qualification, they can quite easily find the equivalent to them.
There Are Different Streams for Different Abilities
Beyond the practicalities of having studied a QCE Maths qualification, you also need to think of the useful skills you learn during your studies and not just the certificate you get at the end of them.
Essential Mathematics
We've already mentioned Essential Mathematics and how you'll have to check whether your other subject combinations will be right for you. However, for any student wanting to study maths and learn mathematics that they'll actually use in real life, this could be a great choice.
Some of the topics include managing money, loans and interest, probability, calculations, graphs, time and motion, and data summary.
Again, this is classed as an “applied subject” for the QCE and not a general subject so speak with your school before making your decision.
General Mathematics
Beyond Essential Mathematics, General Mathematics also has a heavy focus on maths that can be used in your everyday life or across many different areas.
This subject also has a focus on vocational maths, the kinds of maths that can be used in several different technical careers and trades. This includes consumer arithmetic, trigonometry, growth and decay, time zones, length, area, shape, and topics that are useful in trades and vocational careers.
General mathematics is considered a “general subject” for your QCE and ATAR.
Mathematical Methods
The Maths Methods QCE covers more abstract maths and is the subject that most students will be encouraged to study unless they have a good reason to study Essential Maths or General Maths.
Usually, even if a student may want to study General Maths, they may start Year 11 studying Maths Methods before switching to General Maths if they find it too difficult, for example.
Most university courses require this so if you have any interest in pursuing a career in business, science, medicine, IT, engineering, or any other maths-heavy subjects, you'll often need at least Mathematical Methods.
With Maths Methods, you'll learn enough to be quite comfortable with university-level maths if you do decide to study an undergraduate degree that includes maths.
Specialist Mathematics
This QCE subject is studied in addition to Mathematical Methods rather than instead of it. This includes several mathematical topics and areas that build upon the areas covered in Mathematical Methods.
This is sometimes a requirement for undergraduate degrees that involve a lot of mathematics or as a way to skip certain maths courses at university.
With multiple QCE Maths subjects to pick from, it's unlikely that you'll have an excuse not to study one of them.
You Use Maths In Everyday Life
In addition to there being options for almost every student, you'll see that there are also options that directly teach you maths that you can use as part of your career or in your everyday life.
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While you might sometimes think that the maths you're learning won't get used in the real world (especially the abstract stuff), you should remember that it's not just the maths itself that you're learning. You're also learning a range of transferable skills that can be used anywhere.
Firstly, maths will help you a lot with money. Whether it's budgeting, saving money, or calculating interest for bank accounts or credit cards, a good knowledge of mathematics will always be useful.
The same is true for everything from DIY to planning a trip. Whether you're measuring wood or working out how long a journey is likely to take you, you'll find maths to be really useful.
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Increase Your Job Prospects and Expected Salary
There's a reason that numeracy and literacy are requirements for the QCE: they're essential skills and employers recognise that, too.
While there are certain jobs that don't require a QCE or any maths at all, for work or further study, your QCE and your maths results, in particular, will be of some interest.
As with most jobs, the higher the level of your qualifications, the more you'll be able to earn. Put simply, you'll probably earn more with QCE Maths than you would without it.
You Can Get Help If You Find It Difficult
With the different streams available, you should be able to study QCE Maths at a level that suits you, but that doesn't mean that you'll always find studying maths easy.
Fortunately, help is out there and there are plenty of resources, too.
From Teachers
At school, you can find help from teachers and other faculty members. Whether it's deciding which QCE stream or an aspect of your studies that you're finding difficult, teachers are there to help you and will if you're willing to learn and ask them.
From Your Classmates
Nobody knows what you're going through more than your fellow classmates. If you're struggling or want to get together in a study group, ask your friends. You can make sure everybody is revising as much as they need to and you can always share resources and past papers with each other.
From Private Tutors
You can also get help from private tutors. Whether it's a QCE maths tutor, a general maths tutor, or even a tutor focusing on study skills or exam technique. As you've seen, there are plenty of reasons to study QCE Maths and plenty of reasons you don't have to worry too much about it.
Of course, tutors aren't just for QCE Maths and you can get help with any subject or skill you can imagine or even after you've finished school.
Students of any level and ability can benefit from private tutoring so if you want to get the best possible marks in your QCE Maths, start looking for the right tutor today!
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