@JohnsonLoi there are several reasons why Further Maths is usually taken as the fourth A Level - we've discussed this countless times:

- any "good" university would require a minimum of 3 full A Levels, while most of the very good ones may require 3 plus an AS/A Level pass or 3.5 subjects. Before pursuing Further Maths, one of the more difficult A Levels, you'll be encouraged to explore other subjects so that they'll be selected as your primary subjects (to increase your chances of admission into university - whether you get into the very best or not is a different matter)

- for several exam boards (e.g. Edexcel) Maths and Further Maths have significant overlap in terms of their modules as well as content, i.e. you could pick Maths modules which can count towards a Further Maths grade, and vice versa. It is for this reason that Further Maths cannot always be standalone, as it is in many ways merely an extension of A Level Maths rather than a subject on its own

- for certain exam boards (e.g. CIE) Further Mathematics is separate from A Level Mathematics but is (quite strangely) only offered at A2 Level. While this means it is a standalone A Level, it's possible that it has connotations of being incomplete (as it is not composed of both AS and A2 like other subjects or other boards' Further Maths). However, the differences in structure of the Further Maths exams between CIE and the other boards is hardly a factor that is ever taken into consideration by any university (much like the differences between exam boards themselves, in particular structure and difficulty)

- for reasons derived from the facts above, some top universities disregard Further Maths as a standalone A Level that counts towards the satisfaction of the minimum number of subjects required (3) for certain courses

- only an extremely small number of courses actually require Further Maths at A Level, e.g. Mathematics at less than a handfull of universities, and permutations of that subject (with Statistics or Finance, for example) at the same schools. You may compare this with a huge number of courses that require Mathematics (most all Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, Econometrics, Actuarial Science, Risk Management, Operational Research, Engineering, Physics, and Computing courses), Physics (many Physics or Engineering courses), Chemistry (many Engineering, Science, Medicine, Dentistry, or Health Science courses), or Biology (many Medicine, Dentistry, Life Science, Health Science, or Science courses).

Actually, that is not always true.

It really depends on where you want to go.

For some countries, their universities will be able to check your results beyond any results slips you submit. In the case of A Levels, most British universities won't ask you for proof as they'll be able to check it themselves.

For applications to British schools at the undergraduate level, you'll be required to submit the results of all your A Level subjects (past and current), as well as notify them of any you'll be sitting for later on. There is no way past this one.

If, after you've already secured an offer, you happen to fail some subjects (or do not as well) but still meet the offer conditions, all's well.

However, your performance before and up to the point of application might very well affect whether you get an offer or not.

Also, your offer depends heavily on the subjects you've taken, so you might get offers tailored to the subjects you have if you're not rejected.

Well that's a different question altogether. Getting the same result must be granted, otherwise the discussion is pointless. If you possess Chemistry and you are asked for/need an A, the same would almost definitely apply if you were taking Further Maths instead. It only differs when you have both/more subjects/exams of relevance, or if you only take AS Further Maths/AS Chemistry.

There are a very small number of Engineering courses I have seen for which Further Mathematics is a prerequisite for (perhaps Aeronautical at King's or Imperial). Aside from a couple of courses such as the example mentioned above, virtually no Engineering courses make Further Maths a requirement (up till now). Of course, starting from 2012, many courses will have significantly upgraded requirements in terms of grades and subjects (because enough time has passed for the schools to evaluate the significance of A* grades).

On the other hand, Chemistry is sometimes a requirement for Chemical Engineering, Petroleum/Petrochemical Engineering, and Materials Engineering.

Mathematics is always a requirement at any "decent" school. Physics is recommended for any Engineering course, of course, as not only is it much preferred (over a subject other than any of the 4 in discussion), it is also often a requirement (and certainly is for the better schools).

You need to decide - if you only take 3 subjects - whether anything that would require/use Chemistry is something you would consider. Otherwise, there's no question that Further Maths would be infinitely more relevant.

In the lone case that Further Maths is a requirement, both Maths and Physics are also required - leaving you absolutely no choice if you only choose 3 subjects.

Engineering is far more competitive and demanding in terms of grades for entry as compared to IT. Further Maths would never be required for IT (in contrast, Maths is often a requirement for Computing/Computer Science). However, Chemistry would only be as useful as Biology or Economics for IT. Computing or a more quantitative subject (i.e. Further Maths) would be preferred. If you can meet the standards for an Engineering offer from any of the big schools, IT won't be a problem at all.

I notice you've asked about the Singaporean schools. From what can be seen on the website of NUS, they have said that for Engineering, A Level Physics or Chemistry aren't necessarily needed (together), and that either one, or even Physics at AO Level, will suffice - how much of the actual selection standard is reflected in this, I do not know, but it's possible that the information is rather misleading, given that many comment on how "tough" it is to gain admission into NUS for a competitive, difficult course.

No, General Paper does not count.

In the UK and other countries it's not uncommon to see people take 5 or more subjects (out of Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Economics in particular, and sometimes Literature and History). However, they take this in almost 2 years, and it's often the modular kind where you can resit individual, 1/6 part components.

6 subjects is a bit extreme (not necessary, and for a Science degree, Literature and in some cases Economics would just be indulgences). However, if done over ~2 years, that's about 3 per year, not unlike the 3 per year that many of us have gone through - obviously not comparable since 6 exams will be taken at a go for A2/the final stages.

In Malaysia they just want you to do as well as possible at a minimal level to enter good universities (for those who can and want to), hence you're encouraged to take only 3-4 (and classes are only scheduled for that many, since the length of study is barely 1.3+ years, or in some cases, a year).

I disagree, Further Maths is quite useful for a lot of things. For one, it is a requirement for many Mathematics degrees and permutations of these with Statistics, Economics, Finance etc. It is also a new requirement for MORSE/MMORSE (next year on). It is also very useful for admission into and the study of Engineering degrees, and is revelant to admission and the study of Operational Research, Computing or Computer Science/Engineering, Statistics, Computational Finance, Financial Engineering, Quantitative Finance, Economics, Econometrics, Financial Economics, Financial Mathematics, Risk Management etc.

Even students who wouldn't really use it tend to take it - like those planning to do Medicine, Dentistry, Law, Accounting etc.

I know very well how CIE works, thank you.

In your previous post you said Further Maths was "not useful" unless it was for something like Actuarial Science. That directly contradicts what you've just implied.

Great pick of subjects, finally someone who listens

If he is really good at Maths, I would say Further Mathematics (one of the hardest subjects amongst all the Maths/Sciences, but that is relative, as some people do really well in Further but fail Physics).

It's good because there is Econ and Eng Lit in there, so Further won't be "just another Maths subject" for those schools which prefer Further as a fourth.

If Further is too difficult, and he wishes to explore Philosophy, it's fine as long as really good grades are obtained in the first three subjects. But remember that means you do not get the boost of a strong, traditional fourth subject - things are quite competitive nowadays.

Where did you get this? Economics is clearly a traditional subject in the eyes of LSE... at least that is what was published on their website. LSE explicitly acknowledges six specific subjects as being the traditional subjects typical of its students for a number of courses... these are Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, and Further Mathematics. It goes on to state preferred subjects for certain courses can include things like History, Literature, Geography etc. At least do some searching in advance, lest we steer others the wrong way.

Previously, some prerequisites still included Bs, e.g. AAB. That is changing/has changed, and for a relatively good/top university, you'll have a hard time finding anything less than AAA (LSE's entry requirements were actually not that high for some subjects compared to other schools - e.g. before, it had AAB for BSc Accounting and Finance, and only AAA for BSc Actuarial Science - Warwick had A*AAa for MMORSE, and even City had A*AA for BSc Actuarial Science). BSc Economics, BSc Mathematics and Economics, and LLB at LSE were/are each A*AA.

So, while I still believe a B in a strong science is better than an A in Law, you can't afford to get less than an A... although remember that for some of these competitive schools, and even some lesser ones, the Law subject is not so acceptable, even if an A is obtained. Put some effort in and an A is not so difficult... otherwise, pick a subject other than Law.

As I mentioned above, Further Maths should not be a third subject. Unfortunately some A Level boards have overlap between Maths and Further Maths, and certainly they are closely related. For that reason Further Maths needs to be a fourth subject for the "better unis" (which includes LSE), so that there is enough breadth. The lack of Further Maths is not a huge issue but will be a disadvantage for anything remotely quantitative (Economics, Actuarial Science, Statistics) at the better schools, and of course the top unis (like Oxbridge) need it for a Maths degree.

The advantage of a fourth is that you meet the "3.5 A Levels" requirement, and you also have more than three - you sort of stand out. It is not quite clear how far this advantage goes... if your subjects are perfectly/extremely relevant, then three may be sufficient (sometimes this includes Further, which is always taken with/after Maths, and yes this contradicts the above but it is how it works), with no additional benefit from a fourth. Cambridge may make you an offer if you have three, but if you had four, you may receive a "harder" offer since the offer might include the fourth.

That's very discouraging... in fact, while there is a significant emphasis on extra-curriculars, they are not that important, you can still get into NUS without brilliant extra-curriculars (I don't know about NTU)... it's all about relevance and the application itself... sometimes A*A*A*A* with some wrong subjects may not be ideal, while A*AAA in the right ones just might cut it... I believe your friends did not write a very good application. I have heard of instances where three A Levels were insufficient though.

Yes, that is somewhat accurate... a three subject combination with Further would be considered quite acceptable by Imperial for Engineering, whereas the same might be deemed insufficient by Cambridge or LSE for undergrad Economics...