A Maths should not be made compulsory. Do you agree?

• Playerjames

  11 Mar 14, 17:17

  I currently studying in Sec 4 and is taking my O Levels this year. I am taking A maths as one of my subjects and is struggling with it since last year. I have already done seven chapters for a maths and find that the concepts and workings in the questions are very confusing and hard to understand, especially the topics of surds and indices, logarithms and binomial theorem. Many of my classmates are also struggling in the subject and most of them have failed the end-of-year examinations last year. The problem is that a maths is a compulsory subject in my school that all students must study from sec 3 and that the subject is very unpopular among the students in the school. When I asked some of my classmates who failed a maths about the matter, they mentioned things such as "a maths sucks", "I hate a maths" and "A maths makes me have headaches". I am currently considering to drop a maths. I think that the school should not make a maths compulsory and should instead offer subjects such as literature, principle of accounts and design and technology. In conclusion, a maths should not be made a compulsory subject to all students and that they should be allowed to choose from at least two subjects (e.g. AM and POA), especially for the students who do not like mathematics. Do you agree? Tell me your views.

• DavidMarcus192

  11 Mar 14, 17:22

  I agree with playerjames. A maths sucks and should be an optional subject. I am doing a maths and when I first read through the textbook, I find everything difficult. I couldn't even answer a single question! I got fed up with this subject.

• Rajutoh

  11 Mar 14, 17:33

  I am a sec 4 student and I have been consistently failing a maths since the first test i took. The closest i ever got to passing was back in the mid year exam last year, where I scored 45 marks. I had to attend extra a maths lessons since those who failed need to do so. But this doesn't seem to help me and my classmates who attend the extra lessons to improve on our a maths. I think that the government should abolish a maths completely.

• DavidMarcus192

  11 Mar 14, 17:34

  I agree with Rajutoh.

• Bio-Hawk

  11 Mar 14, 18:13

  1 guy,3 account :)

   

  Have you seen the equivalent books of Chinese or Indian students. Now that's hard and still they don't complain.

  You can study or drop any subjects you like, keeping in mind of consequences.

• Summer hill

  11 Mar 14, 19:37

  Originally posted by Bio-Hawk:

  1 guy,3 account :)

   

  Have you seen the equivalent books of Chinese or Indian students. Now that's hard and still they don't complain.

  You can study or drop any subjects you like, keeping in mind of consequences.

  Is TS talking to himself? 

• charlize

  11 Mar 14, 19:48

  I categorically deny that I am any one of the above 3 new posters.

• FireIce

  11 Mar 14, 21:35

  study A maths too hard will end up with split personalities

   

  so shd it be banned?

• charlize

  11 Mar 14, 21:37

  Ban which one?

• MyPillowTalks

  11 Mar 14, 22:00

  I believe compulsory or not depends on the school

  I was very weak in maths since secondary 2.
  Because of this i was not allowed to take A maths. The reason given was that it will be too hard for us(everyone who failed E sec 2 maths) to cope.

  Eventually i took engineering maths and Higher Engineering maths in poly. It wasn't so hard after all. Engineering maths is very similar to A maths.

  If you decide to drop A maths, make sure your E maths is good. Be very familiar with complicated fractions with algebra, how to make subject of the formula, trigo, factorising, expanding, simplifying equationsetc.

  If you plan to study engineering, please take A maths. Because there are lots of equations used to represent behaviours of circuit diagrams, and most of which would need some basic understanding of A maths.
  
  Engineering maths covers things like: Differentiation/Integration, indices, the waveforms(y=mx+c, sin/cos, pi, etc), statistics, probability, complex numbers, matrices(i think e maths cover some basics), taylor series, fourier series.
  
  

• Playerjames

  13 Mar 14, 17:02

  A Maths should DEFINITELY be banned!

• FireIce

  13 Mar 14, 17:03

  dont wish it were easier

  wish u were better

• wee_ws

  14 Mar 14, 08:41

  Well said :)

• MyPillowTalks

  15 Mar 14, 10:54

  Originally posted by Playerjames:

  A Maths should DEFINITELY be banned!

  I will advise you to learn A maths, learning more is always better.
  
  If only it would be possible to learn A maths(or any other subjects) but not take it for O levels. Provided students will concentrates on the main subjects they are going to take for national exams

• Playerjames

  15 Mar 14, 15:04

  A Maths is the MOST difficult subject in school! More than half the students from my class failed and most of them scored a F9! BAN IT!

• FireIce

  15 Mar 14, 15:06

  i find A math easier than E math 

  your point is invalid

• ditzy

  15 Mar 14, 15:11

  A maths is easier than chinese. Chinese should not be made compulsory.

• Playerjames

  15 Mar 14, 15:23

  I disagree with both of you. A Maths is the toughest subject in school, especially for weaker students.

• FireIce

  15 Mar 14, 15:26

  ok. good for u.

• ditzy

  15 Mar 14, 15:28

  In secondary school, my maths sucked, until A maths came along, I knew scoring 100/100 was indeed possible in A maths.

  Chinese, I had trouble getting even 70/100.

• FireIce

  15 Mar 14, 15:39

  i tot 50 

• ditzy

  15 Mar 14, 15:48

  ho ho ho, very funny.

• FireIce

  15 Mar 14, 17:02

  see u up oredi

• charlize

  16 Mar 14, 09:57

  Ouch. 

• ArJoe

  16 Mar 14, 18:18

  A maths is extremely easy to score, just need to understand the concepts well and practice diligently and it is a definite A1