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Best exam board for Maths?

I want to retake my Maths GCSE which is the best exam board? Which do Unis prefer?

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Original post by cashmoneyorg
I want to retake my Maths GCSE which is the best exam board? Which do Unis prefer?


Universities don't have any preference and there is no best "exam board" (you mean Awarding Body).
Reply 2
Original post by Mr M
Universities don't have any preference and there is no best "exam board" (you mean Awarding Body).


ok but which is the best overall?
Original post by cashmoneyorg
ok but which is the best overall?


What do you mean? I already told you there is no best. They all test the same content to the same standard as prescribed by the National Curriculum and monitored by QCDA/Ofqual.
Reply 4
It really doesn't matter.

For A Level, it's OCR (MEI) without a shadow of a doubt (not the standard OCR one).
Original post by i.am.lost
For A Level, it's OCR (MEI) without a shadow of a doubt (not the standard OCR one).


Why?
Edexcel (personal experience - did 1380 for GCSE - now doing A-level). It doesn't really matter which one because universities look for your grades not the awarding body.
(edited 13 years ago)
Reply 7
OCR (non-MEI); I love the way they ask their questions, they have brilliant resource materials (big fat black textbook, thinner blue textbook, white essentials), plenty of past papers (I guess all of them have this but I LOVE this OCR papers!), the black book has examples which are set out and answered step by step so it could really be self-taught (majority of my A-level was self-taught), the mark scheme of the papers are usually quite clear, OCR are great themselves - I remember emailling them about a certain query, anyway back to the Maths - it's challenging but fun (I found AQA to be 'simpler' at times - though not all the time, none of this essay rubbish that OCR MEI have either, Maths isn't supposed to be theory in A-level! The papers aren't routinely set out - WJEC have like Q1 is always differentiation, Q2 is always trig, Q3 is always graph, etc, in OCR you could have Q1 to be a simple 3-4 mark integral (maybe with limits) or a random 12-MARK graphical wake-you-up-in-the-morning pow in the face question.

If you love Maths, you'll love OCR. :love:
(edited 13 years ago)
Original post by BrainFactory
Edexcel (personal experience - did 1380 for GCSE - now doing A-level). It doesn't really matter which one because universities look for your grades not the awarding body.


Ok, how has your experience of starting to study one specification led you to conclude that it is better than the others?
Original post by FattyInNeed
OCR (non-MEI); I love the way they ask their questions, they have brilliant resource materials (big fat black textbook, thinner blue textbook, white essentials), plenty of past papers (I guess all of them have this but I LOVE this OCR papers!), the black book has examples which are set out and answered step by step so it could really be self-taught (majority of my A-level was self-taught), the mark scheme of the papers are usually quite clear, OCR are great themselves - I remember emailling them about a certain query, anyway back to the Maths - it's challenging but fun (I found AQA to be 'simpler' at times - though not all the time, none of this essay rubbish that OCR MEI have either, Maths isn't supposed to be theory in A-level! The papers aren't routinely set out - WJEC have like Q1 is always differentiation, Q2 is always trig, Q3 is always graph, etc, in OCR you could have Q1 to be a simple 3-4 mark integral (maybe with limits) or a random 12-MARK graphical wake-you-up-in-the-morning pow in the face question.

If you love Maths, you'll love OCR. :love:


The set of textbooks you like are actually written by Edexcel and published by their sister company Pearsons.
Universities don't care about the Awarding body, it's the grade that counts.
No awarding body is better than the others. Universities will only look at what grade you have in Maths....
Original post by Mr M
The set of textbooks you like are actually written by Edexcel and published by their sister company Pearsons.


I didn't know the first part but that's cool. I do like Edexcel too, in my paragraph, where I mentioned things I don't like about other exam boards, Edexcel wasn't mentioned. :tongue:

Plus, I wasn't saying that OCR (non-MEI) is better than the rest - just that I preferred them personally (after looking at specifications/past papers/talking to teachers/students).

Btw, do you have OCR FP1 Jan 2010 Paper + MS and the Jan 06 MS? I asked my teacher and she said it's not on the site or on OCR interchange either, just wondering if you have it. :smile:
Original post by FattyInNeed
I didn't know the first part but that's cool. I do like Edexcel too, in my paragraph, where I mentioned things I don't like about other exam boards, Edexcel wasn't mentioned. :tongue:

Plus, I wasn't saying that OCR (non-MEI) is better than the rest - just that I preferred them personally (after looking at specifications/past papers/talking to teachers/students).

Btw, do you have OCR FP1 Jan 2010 Paper + MS and the Jan 06 MS? I asked my teacher and she said it's not on the site or on OCR interchange either, just wondering if you have it. :smile:


Send me a pm with your email address and remind me what you need.
Mr M
...


Just checked and Jan 2010 is now on the OCR website, as is the MS. Just the MS for Jan 2006 then, if you have it, please. :smile:
Original post by Mr M
Why?


They have unbelievably good online resources, and they offer a much richer variety of options for applied modules than any other exam board. It's also the most rigorous course, especially in Further Maths.
Reply 16
Original post by i.am.lost
They have unbelievably good online resources, and they offer a much richer variety of options for applied modules than any other exam board. It's also the most rigorous course, especially in Further Maths.


I did FM with MEI and despised it, while the online resources were great, especially having a past paper, mark scheme and examiner's report in one file, I thought the textbooks were a nightmare, plus there were a lot errors on the Numerical Methods mark schemes.
Original post by Mr M
Ok, how has your experience of starting to study one specification led you to conclude that it is better than the others?


I wouldn't say Edexcel is better than the other awarding bodies for any subject, but I'd recommend them because of my experiences studying their specs.
Original post by Butted
I did FM with MEI and despised it, while the online resources were great, especially having a past paper, mark scheme and examiner's report in one file, I thought the textbooks were a nightmare, plus there were a lot errors on the Numerical Methods mark schemes.


yes the NM thing was bare annoying, we found the same thing is true for D2 :mad:

but the books my school (I think the officially endorsed ones) I thought were really useful and gave well explained examples before each section. I self-taught C3 and I was very very badly taught D2 and M1 so I had to rely on the books mainly and they did the job!
Maths exams are hard.

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