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Dear  Adrienne

Thank you for your question regarding maths literacy. If your mathematics marks are bad changing to mathematical literacy is only one of a number of options you need to consider.

Explore the possibility of extra mathematics classes or attending a maths programme like Master Maths (http://www.mastermaths.co.za/). Once you have caught up with the work you are not sure of, you will need to spend time every day working on your maths in a practical way, not just reading over the work. Doing a large number of old examination papers really helps, especially if you get someone to mark them and help you with the problems you battle with. Ask your mathematics teacher where to get hold of old exam papers.

When choosing between Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy it is important to keep in mind that they are two different subjects developed for very different reasons. 

• Mathematics is geared towards preparing individuals for scientific and other fields requiring mathematics involving abstract problem solving and reasoning. For example, university courses in accounting, engineering and actuarial and medical sciences need mathematics.
• Mathematical Literacy is aimed at developing mathematical skills for every day situations and for all careers. Most university humanities and social science programmes recognise mathematical literacy, while many university of technology courses recognise mathematical literacy. Some health sciences like physiotherapy, occupational therapy and audiology, speech and language therapy require a very good mark in mathematical literacy for admission to be considered.  

Whether or not you need mathematics for a commercial degree depends on what the type of degree and which university you want to study through therefore it is very important to consult the admission requirements for the universities you are considering studying at:

• Some universities like UCT will only accept mathematics (please consult the admission guidelines on the following UCT web page: http://www.uct.ac.za/downloads/uct.ac.za/apply/apps/undergrad/uctadmis_guidelines_2010.pdf
• While others like Rhodes university (please consult their student handbook page 140 and 141 on their website https://www.ru.ac.za/documents/Applying/student%20handbook.pdf) may consider a high level of mathematical literacy (5 or above) for most of their commerce degrees.
• All Business Science Degrees seem to require mathematics.
• Also consider business qualifications offered by a university of technology. For example, the Cape Peninsular University of Technology has many courses which require either mathematical literacy or mathematics. Consult the following web page for more admission details:  http://info.cput.ac.za/prospectus/CPUTAdmission2010.pdf

We hope this information will help you to make your choice between mathematics and mathematical literacy. All the best for your future career.

The Career Planet Team