The City Centre of Abu Dhabi is filled with the full gamut of the modern history of the UAE. Out of the small fishing and pearl-diving colony which occupied the island in the middle of the twentieth century has emerged the capital, one of the most sophisticated urban environments of the Gulf region, with its Corniche road running along the coastline and its gleaming towers, its cultural institutions which rival the finest in the world and its residential areas, which accommodate one of the most multinational and academically ambitious populations in the entire region. Professional expatriate and Emirati families whose dedication to academic excellence is welded to the character of the community have long been a part of its Hamdan Street, Electra Street, Al Markaziyah and the Corniche district. This aspiration flows directly through one of the most challenging and high stakes qualification that the British curriculum provides to students studying AS and A Level Mathematics across Abu Dhabi City Centre. The Abu Dhabi center of the Amourion Training Institute is located in the Hamdan Street community, which is directly supported by more than two decades of excellent examination outcomes. Dr. Anil Khare presents the questions that Abu Dhabi City Centre families address us with most commonly.
My child is sitting AS Level Mathematics this year as a standalone qualification. How does preparation differ from full A Level?
Dr. Anil Khare: AS Level Mathematics is a very different thing to do than preparing for a full A Level and training to take it as though it were the first half of a two-year course. The AS exam is a test of Pure Mathematics, Statistics, and Mechanics, but in a condensed time frame and at a speed that leaves very little room for unresolved gaps in the content. Since AS Level is normally tested at the close of Year 12, students have had much less time to develop the examination fluency and mark-scheme accuracy that the papers reward. We plan AS Level preparation with this condensed schedule expressly in mind - prioritizing the highest-yield subjects, developing examination technique right during the very first session and running timed past paper practice early enough that one can identify recurring errors and how to correct them before it becomes a habit. The AS Level Mathematics awards narrow, productive preparation more than any other thing.
My child finds the Statistics component of A Level Mathematics far less intuitive than Pure. What is the most effective approach?
Dr. Anil Khare: Statistics in A Level Mathematics creates a challenge that is truly different in nature than Pure Mathematics - and the first step towards dealing with it effectively is to realize that it is different. Pure Mathematics is a field that follows well-defined processes where a proper method is sure to produce a proper answer. Statistics needs an extra step of interpretation: reading a real-world situation, which statistical model or distribution is appropriate, how to set up the correct hypothesis or probability calculation and then interpret the numerical answer within the context of the original question. Fluent Pure students with trouble in Statistics are nearly always making the same error, to take a problem in Statistics as a problem in calculation. What we teach students is to read the first step in a Statistics question and identify the type of scenario, the model to use and the complete framework of the solution before a single calculation is made.
My child is aiming at pursuing Medicine at a university in the UK and she requires an A in Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology.
What is your coping strategy when taking several A Level sciences at the same times?
Dr. Anil Khare: It is a routine and with regular success, we support students with multiple A Level sciences concurrently. The trick is clever timing and not the all-subjects allocation of time. We determine which subject poses the highest risk to the target grades of a student, and allocate time to preparing the same in proportion and actively develop the cross-subject relationships that enhance performance across all three simultaneously. The mathematical rationale that is to be developed during the course of A Level Mathematics, in algebraic manipulation, graphical analysis, quantitative interpretation, etc., directly supports the quantitative aspects of A Level Chemistry and Biology. A student with a proper grasp of mathematical modelling will feel more confident and accurate when approaching rate equations in Chemistry and statistical genetics in Biology. These topics are best treated as complementary and not competing claims on the amount of time a student should spend on preparation.
The AS / A Level Mathematics Grade That Abu Dhabi Ambitions Deserve
AS and A Level Mathematics are prizes that students receive in combination with real mathematical competence, examination accuracy and self-confidence in solving problems independently. For students in the Abu Dhabi City Centre that are willing to develop that combination with the assistance of specialists, the Hamdan Street center at Amourion Training Institute is the place to start.
Contact us
Phone: +971 55 956 4344 | +971 4355 4850
Website: www.anilkhare.com
Email: anilkhare@anilkhare.com
Dubai Centers: Sheikh Zayed Road | Jumeirah Lakes Towers | Dubai Silicon Oasis |
Abu Dhabi: Hamdan Street